Your Own Sylvia: Sylvia Plath’s letters to Ted Hughes and other items, property of Frieda Hughes

Your Own Sylvia: Sylvia Plath’s letters to Ted Hughes and other items, property of Frieda Hughes

View full screen - View 1 of Lot 2. Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes | Pair of gold wedding rings.

Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes | Pair of gold wedding rings

Lot Closed

July 21, 02:02 PM GMT

Estimate

6,000 - 8,000 GBP

Lot Details

Description

Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes


Pair of gold wedding bands:


i) men's wedding band, 25mm diameter, 18 carat, hallmarked Chester 1901, "TED" scratched on outer edge

ii) women's wedding band, 20mm diameter, 22 carat, hallmarked Birmingham 1907

housed together in a small metal box with a carved bone lid, 28mm diameter


A UNIQUE RECORD OF A MARRIAGE UNION. Sylvia Plath married Ted Hughes on 16 June (Bloomsday) 1956, at 1.30pm, just four months after they first met. The wedding itself was hurried, impulsive, and secret. They wanted to marry at Westminster Abbey but Hughes was told by the dean that the ceremony had to take place at his parish church, St George the Martyr on Queen Square in Bloomsbury (near Hughes's flat on Rugby Street). They announced their plans to Sylvia's mother, Aurelia, on the day of her arrival in London, just three days before the ceremony, and Hughes's family were not to learn of his marriage until after the event. Neither of them told their friends, and Aurelia was the only witness.


In her letter informing her brother Warren of the news, Sylvia wrote that "We rushed about London, buying dear Ted shoes & trousers, two gold wedding rings (I never wanted an engagement ring) with the last of our money" (18 June 1956). These simple wedding bands would have been readily available at an antique shop, and would not have been fitted for their new owners - in Birthday Letters, Hughes recalled "the new rings big on our fingers" ('18 Rugby Street').

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate


The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colors and shades which are different to the lot's actual color and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation. The condition report is a statement of opinion only. For that reason, the condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS ONLINE CONDITION REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE/BUSINESS APPLICABLE TO THE RESPECTIVE SALE.