Jewels to be auctioned of Bradford woman 'too beautiful' for the BBC in case she 'alarmed timid men from Wigan'

Now the jewellery of the Yorkshire-born Lady Wardington, who died in 2014, is to be auctioned at Noonans of Mayfair by her direct descendants.

Within the lot is a diamond bracelet, a purse set to fetch £20,000, and emerald earrings, while one of the most striking pieces is a brooch set with a cluster of precious gemstones.

Frances Noble, head of jewellery at Noonans, said many of the glittering jewels were gifts from the model’s husband, purchased from renowned jewellers close to his London offices.

"This varied collection offers a snapshot of the jewels worn by one of society's most glamorous and beautiful women of the mid 20th century," she added.

Margaret Audrey White was born in Bradford in 1927, the only child of a travelling salesman, and brought up in North London by her mother.

Leaving school at 16, she worked the Elizabeth Arden counter on Bond Street where she was talent spotted as a model by the editor of Woman and Beauty magazine.

But on applying to the BBC for a role as a stand-in television announcer in 1951, she was turned down for being “too sophisticated and severely beautiful...” and in case she “alarmed timid men from Wigan and country districts”.

One commentator said: “Could you watch Miss White talking about depressions over Iceland and absorb what she was saying?”

Instead, she was to become fashion editor of Housewife magazine, marrying the noted bibliophile the 2nd Lord Wardington, Christopher Henry Beaumont ‘Bic’ Pease, in 1964.

The couple raised their three children at Wardington Manor in Oxfordshire, with Lady Wardington a fierce champion of helping women to gain financial independence.

She died in 2014, at the age of 87, and her jewellery is now to be sold by her direct descendants. The collection comes to auction on Tuesday, March 10.

Highlights include a diamond and platinum bracelet, circa 1950, which comes in a case by Searle & Co. Ltd with an estimate of £15,000-20,000.

There's an evening purse, set with gold and diamonds, expected to fetch £15,000-20,000, while another in gold could reach £10,000-15,000.

There is also a clip, which separates into earrings and with each one set with a single diamond.