BERKELEY — For decades, the 34-carat yellow diamond ring was called the “Star of Denmark” and displayed in a ship’s binnacle at the iconic Spenger’s Fresh Fish Grotto in Berkeley.
But it was no such thing, and the longstanding legend behind that title has been debunked by recent research, according to Claire Pena, director of jewelry and timepieces at Clars Auction Gallery in Oakland. In fact, there apparently wasn’t even a Denmark connection.
“The story did not exist. It was contrived,” Pena said. But the real story behind the ring is no less interesting.
It turns out the 34.28-carat fancy light yellow diamond ring from the Spenger family collection — which goes up for auction Feb. 17 — has strong ties to Hawaii, specifically King David Kalakaua, the last king of the islands, and his wife, Queen Kapiolani.
“When it (the ring) came to me, it had an appraisal that said T-U-V, which is a color grade,” Pena said in her Oakland office. “The moment I saw it, that’s not a T-U-V. It’s more than that. The stone needed to go for certification.”
Pena had the diamond GIA-certified, which grades the stones. It was upgraded to a fancy light yellow diamond, resulting in a boosted value. The diamond had been initially appraised at $400,000 to $600,000, according to Clars. No revised estimate of its value was given.
As for the entire “Star of Denmark” story, it was fabricated, Pena said.
For years, a plaque on the binnacle told the story about the gem’s discovery as a 105-carat rough found in the Kimberley mine in South Africa. Legend had it that the ring went to the princess of Denmark, who presented it to Queen Kapiolani at the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887.
Pena said researchers could not verify the South African mine or anything having to do with Denmark.
According to Clars, King Kalakaua bought the ring for Queen Kapiolani to wear at the jubilee from an Australian diamond merchant. Where and when the king made the purchase isn’t known, but it ended up back in Hawaii after the jubilee.
In late 1890, King Kalakaua brought the ring with him to San Francisco, went to Crocker Bank and took out a loan on it to finance his gambling habit. On his way to the Santa Anita Race Track, he got sick and returned to San Francisco, where he died in January 1891 of Bright’s disease, a chronic inflammation of the kidneys.
The ring remained at Crocker Bank for seven years, when it was sold to a gem dealer in Texas. The gem dealer held it until 1950, when Frank Spenger Sr., an avid collector, acquired the ring.
Pena ran into a longtime acquaintance, Bay Area appraiser Maury Woulf, at a recent meeting. She mentioned the ring and learned that Woulf had been researching its history for years.
“Claire (Pena) is correct,” Woulf said in an email Tuesday. “I have been researching the history of the ring for close to 30 years now. I’m pretty well convinced it at one time belonged to the Hawaiian monarchy of King David Kalakaua. There are still some details missing from my investigation, and my files are not yet entirely conclusive; however, there are many pieces of the puzzle that point to the Hawaiian connection.”
Woulf inherited the research from the late Bay Area appraiser Mervyn Cohn, and said, “I now understand why the hoax was perpetrated in the first place.
“While Mervyn felt the hoax was simply a marketing ploy contrived locally, I tie the intrigue to the geopolitical situation of the Hawaiian monarchy in the 1870s and the practical necessity of not disclosing to the monarchy’s detractors,” Woulf continued in his email.
The ring’s rich history with the Hawaiian monarchy has piqued considerable interest from Hawaii, Pena said.
She said Clars has been contacted by the Bishop Museum, which is the Hawaii State Museum of Natural and Cultural History, and Iolani Palace, the royal residence of the Kingdom of Hawaii, which included King Kalakaua and Queen Kapiolani.
“When the palace found out that the Clars Auction House had a diamond with potential ties to Hawaii’s monarchy, we were excited about the discovery of another piece of Hawaii’s history,” Teresa Valencia, director of curation and education at Iolani Palace in Honolulu, said in an email Wednesday. “Previous curators had been tracking the ‘Star on Denmark’ for some time, and conducted and compiled research on the diamond.
“However, though they suspected a connection, their research did not definitely link the diamond to King Kalakaua and Queen Kapiolani,” Valencia continued. “We contacted Clars to inquire about their documentation that may prove this connection. Since finding out about the auction, we have renewed and expanded our research efforts to find additional information that would positively prove ownership by Hawaii’s monarchs.”
When asked if Iolani Palace would bid on the diamond, Valencia responded: “If the palace were to bid for the diamond at auction, it would be done confidentially, which is the normal practice for museums.”
“They would like to have the ring back in Hawaii,” Pena said.
“It’s just so exciting to hear the ‘real’ history behind this amazing jewel,” said Alicia Spenger, great-granddaughter of Frank Spenger Sr. “My great-grandfather had great taste.”
The other prominent item up for auction on Feb. 17 will be the Spenger family’s colorful Japanese vase that was shown at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The vase, which dates back to the Meiji era, was appraised at $30,000 to $50,000.
The first phase of the Spenger family auction was held Jan. 19-20 and netted more than $100,000, according to Clars Auction Gallery.
The February auction also will include maritime paintings, memorabilia, antique dive helmets and pilot wheels, ship nameboards and other artifacts.
Spenger’s was founded about 125 years ago by Johann Spenger, who worked as a fisherman in Oakland’s Lake Merritt. It began as a clam stand in the 1890s, and expanded to a restaurant in the 1930s by son Frank Spenger Sr.
The landmark seafood restaurant closed in October.
If you’re interested
For more information about the Spenger auction, go to www.clars.com or email info@clars.com.
Bidding for Clars’ auctions is available by person, phone, absentee and online at Live.Clars.com and through Liveauctioneers.com and Invaluable.com. Clars Auction Gallery is at 5644 Telegraph Ave., Oakland.
