Diamond necklace, late 19th century | 鑽石項鏈，19世紀後期

Cf.: M.H. Gans, Juwelen en Mensen, Schiedam, 1979, pg. 203 and plate 186, for the provenance.

The Six family was one of the leading patrician families of Amsterdam during the Dutch Golden Age in the 17^th century. Its members held a seat on the council of regents governing the city which at the time was one of the most prosperous and artistically vibrant in the world. The family split into the Oterleek and Hillegom branches. By tradition all eldest sons of the former are named Willem, while all eldest sons of the latter are named Jan, a custom upheld still today.

Jan Six (1618-1700) was among the foremost patrons of the arts during the Dutch Golden Age, supporting the writer Joost van den Vondel and Rembrandt van Rijn. His renowned 1654 portrait by Rembrandt has never left family possession, nowadays it is part of the Six Collection, a foundation preserving the family's significant artistic legacy.

With the advent of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815, the Six family was elevated to the Dutch peerage. The Oterleek branch received a hereditary baronial title in 1820, while the Hillegom branch followed in 1841.

Christina Diederika van der Crab (Utrecht 1892- Leiden 1961) was the spouse of Jonkheer Jan Six van Hillegom (1891 - 1961), a descendant of the Six family who from 1927 onwards served as director of the Amstelbierbrouwerij, one of the largest brewery concerns in the Netherlands.