Royal Jewels

[prince.of.preslav]

I like the brooches worn together as one, too. I don't mind them worn as separate pieces if they are worn on the straps of dresses, or attaching a cape to an evening gown. It's too bad that her aquamarine tiara wasn't re-worked to be more like the design of these Cartier clips.

This is a scan from Field's book, right? What a pity that Pricescope shrinks the photos... I would've loved to see the text about the (wrongly identified as Cartier) Aquamarine Clips. The Queen is wearing them as one brooch in the second photo, right?
About re-working the parure - even if the tiara was altered to match the design of the clips, they still would not have matched because the colour of the stones different.
To be honest, I don't mind the current tiara that much. I'm rather used to it. I do prefer the previous smaller version (which can be easily re-created) and the other beauty that was spared, yet I think there are few people who can look so good with a Byzantine cathedral of aquamarines on their head.

Bobby

 

[sunshine996]

I do think that the Flame Lily is a tad overworn. Don't get me wrong, I love the brooch, and it has nice visual texture, but it seems like she wears it every. single. year. Emeralds would've been perfect with the green and blue of her outfit. And of course "Granny's Chips" would've looked good as well! Some pearls would've been lovely too. Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Brooch comes to mind (but then again it is one of my favorite brooches that she wears!)

To reply to your P.S.: I think she was. I know that it was the first time that she had raced outside of Australia.

I can't say that I love the Flame Lilly brooch but certainly like it a lot (btw, in the last 4 years the FL has skipped Ascot). In recent years (at least since I pay attention to brooches) it seems to have entered the pool of the most worn brooches in The Queen's collection (where the bows, the Cullinan V, the three-foil and a few more have a special place). At least we know that HM also likes it
Agree about pearls. I'd also add the other large pearl and diamond brooch that Queen Elizabeth (QM) wore (also worn by The Queen for a Christmas broadcast a couple of years ago). Yet, my personal favourites remain the emeralds.

Back to the Flame Lilly brooch Has it ever occurred to you (and I mean all people here) that Elizabeth II might be switching between her own brooch and that of her mother? Or maybe some day we will be surprised by the two Flame Lillies worn side by side?

Supposedly, Princess Margaret had one as well. I don't know if her children sold it, or if it was given back to the Crown, though. There is a possiblity that HM has three. Imagine Camilla wearing all of them, or Catherine wearing one a couple in her hair. That would really be cool to see!

 

[sunshine996]

This is a scan from Field's book, right? What a pity that Pricescope shrinks the photos... I would've loved to see the text about the (wrongly identified as Cartier) Aquamarine Clips. The Queen is wearing them as one brooch in the second photo, right?
About re-working the parure - even if the tiara was altered to match the design of the clips, they still would not have matched because the colour of the stones different.
To be honest, I don't mind the current tiara that much. I'm rather used to it. I do prefer the previous smaller version (which can be easily re-created) and the other beauty that was spared, yet I think there are few people who can look so good with a Byzantine cathedral of aquamarines on their head.

Bobby

I honestly don't know where this photo came from; I found it online some where. The text says:

"The idea of clip brooches came to French jeweler Louis Cartier as he idly watched a peasant woman haning out her washing with wooden clothes pegs, and he popularized his idea in the 1930s by designing brooches so that they could be worn as a single brooch or as two matching clips. These aquamarine clips were given to the Queen in 1944 by her parents as an 18th birthday present, and are a typically 1940s design, combining baguette, oval, and round stones. ABOVE RIGHT: In 1958 the Queen wore them as separate clips. RIGHT: In 1965, as she and Prince Philip attend the Royal Ascot, the Queen wore them as a brooch. The Royal Meeting at Ascot, a racecourse founded by Queen Anne in 1711 on land close to Windsor Castle, is held annually in the third week in June. The Ascot racecourse still belongs to the Monarch."

P.S. I liked the smaller tiara that was made up of the fan-shaped pieces of the current tiara.

 

[prince.of.preslav]

Supposedly, Princess Margaret had one as well. I don't know if her children sold it, or if it was given back to the Crown, though. There is a possiblity that HM has three. Imagine Camilla wearing all of them, or Catherine wearing one a couple in her hair. That would really be cool to see!

Not supposedly. Princess Margaret did have a Flame Lilly brooch and I have photos of HRH wearing it. Actually, The Queen Mother is the only one of the three ladies on whom I've not seen a flame lilly brooch. Since it wasn't featured in the auction and was given to the Princess in times when rules for presents to the RF were different, we can safely assume that it is with either of Her Royal Highness' children. Why we haven't seen it worn is another question.
Your idea to wear one of the brooches in the hair sounds lovely. I can imagine the Duchess of Cambridge doing this for a black tie event (with her hair up!). I think that wearing all three (if Pss Margaret's is in the vault) is a bit too much, Perhaps the Duchess of Cornwall may try wearing the three bow brooches* for an evening function after her husband becomes King.

*I have forgotten - Are they two small and one large bow brooch or two large and one small? The former sounds a bit more logical to me.

 

[prince.of.preslav]

I honestly don't know where this photo came from; I found it online some where. The text says:

"The idea of clip brooches came to French jeweler Louis Cartier as he idly watched a peasant woman haning out her washing with wooden clothes pegs, and he popularized his idea in the 1930s by designing brooches so that they could be worn as a single brooch or as two matching clips. These aquamarine clips were given to the Queen in 1944 by her parents as an 18th birthday present, and are a typically 1940s design, combining baguette, oval, and round stones. ABOVE RIGHT: In 1958 the Queen wore them as separate clips. RIGHT: In 1965, as she and Prince Philip attend the Royal Ascot, the Queen wore them as a brooch. The Royal Meeting at Ascot, a racecourse founded by Queen Anne in 1711 on land close to Windsor Castle, is held annually in the third week in June. The Ascot racecourse still belongs to the Monarch."

P.S. I liked the smaller tiara that was made up of the fan-shaped pieces of the current tiara.

Thanks for that! You're great! I'm almost 100% sure that this is scanned from Field. I have a few scans from her book and the letters are the same.
To clarify two things - the clips were made by Boucheron and the Ascot Racecourse is owned by the Crown Estate

 

[sunshine996]

I honestly don't know where this photo came from; I found it online some where. The text says:

"The idea of clip brooches came to French jeweler Louis Cartier as he idly watched a peasant woman haning out her washing with wooden clothes pegs, and he popularized his idea in the 1930s by designing brooches so that they could be worn as a single brooch or as two matching clips. These aquamarine clips were given to the Queen in 1944 by her parents as an 18th birthday present, and are a typically 1940s design, combining baguette, oval, and round stones. ABOVE RIGHT: In 1958 the Queen wore them as separate clips. RIGHT: In 1965, as she and Prince Philip attend the Royal Ascot, the Queen wore them as a brooch. The Royal Meeting at Ascot, a racecourse founded by Queen Anne in 1711 on land close to Windsor Castle, is held annually in the third week in June. The Ascot racecourse still belongs to the Monarch."

P.S. I liked the smaller tiara that was made up of the fan-shaped pieces of the current tiara.

Thanks for that! You're great! I'm almost 100% sure that this is scanned from Field. I have a few scans from her book and the letters are the same.
To clarify two things - the clips were made by Boucheron and the Ascot Racecourse is owned by the Crown Estate

You are welcome! And you are correct about Queen Victoria's Bow brooches, two are small and one is large.

P.S. I guess wearing all three FL would be a bit much, my love for sparkly things sometimes takes over my logical side.

 

[sunshine996]

In photo of Queen Victoria's Bow Brooches, the center/left side picture shows the details of the brooch, and the right side pictures show the size difference: the top is the bigger brooch while the bottom is a picture of one of the two smaller ones. These brooches can also have different pendants attached, Queen Mary used this feature a lot.

I have included a couple of pictures of different Royal women wearing the Bow brooches. I will post some more, later. I love how creative they were about the placement of different brooches.
I also found a bigger picture of the Boucheron Aquamarine Clips. It isn't the best quality, but it does show some of the detailing.

 

[prince.of.preslav]

In photo of Queen Victoria's Bow Brooches, the center/left side picture shows the details of the brooch, and the right side pictures show the size difference: the top is the bigger brooch while the bottom is a picture of one of the two smaller ones. These brooches can also have different pendants attached, Queen Mary used this feature a lot.

I have included a couple of pictures of different Royal women wearing the Bow brooches. I will post some more, later. I love how creative they were about the placement of different brooches.
I also found a bigger picture of the Boucheron Aquamarine Clips. It isn't the best quality, but it does show some of the detailing.

Thanks for the photos of the three bow brooches. I had totally forgotten about the photo from the State Opening of Parliament in 1901, where Queen Alexandra wears them and where the difference in the size is evident (1 large and 2 smaller ones). Queen Alexandra also wore the 'trio' at the Coronation the following year.
I think we can say that Queen Mary wore the drops from Queen Victoria's earrings with the two smaller brooches and the Lahore diamonds suspended from the larger one. I'd love to see the present Queen wearing a (diamond) pendant with the bow brooch she wears (one of the small ones, I'd assume)

 

[prince.of.preslav]

[...]
I also found a bigger picture of the Boucheron Aquamarine Clips. It isn't the best quality, but it does show some of the detailing.

Here you can magnify the images and see great detail on the clips. You can also see that the have pins - Link

I'm sure this photo will please you, sunshine996 - a young Princess Elizabeth wearing what looks like be the Aquamarine Clips as they were intended to be worn:


Bobby

 

[prince.of.preslav]

The discussion about the Bow brooches made me think how they were intended to be worn, first by Queen Charlotte and then by Queen Adelaide. I've seen examples in the French Crown Jewels (Orleans) and in other sets of brooches from the same period where the smaller ones wore worn on the shoulders, while the larger one was used as a devant-de-corsage. I wonder if they were also used to fasten strings of pearls, or even diamonds. As we know, the bows can also take various pendants. There is also a portrait of Queen Charlotte where she wears a diamond bow on a velvet choker. Any other suggestions?

PS: Where's everybody? I seems that sunshine996 and I are the only people posting recently (save fr a couple of posts by Lady Maria)... This page is like a dialogue between the two of us...

Bobby

 

[sunshine996]

[...]
I also found a bigger picture of the Boucheron Aquamarine Clips. It isn't the best quality, but it does show some of the detailing.

Here you can magnify the images and see great detail on the clips. You can also see that the have pins - Link

I'm sure this photo will please you, sunshine996 - a young Princess Elizabeth wearing what looks like be the Aquamarine Clips as they were intended to be worn:


Bobby

Thank you so much for these pictures! The picture with HM is definitely my favorite.
Regarding your question about Bow brooches:
I would think that they were used to secure all kinds of things: Orders, necklaces, straps of dresses, flowers, etc.
Princess Michael of Kent wore some bow brooches* that attached three rows of pearls* to the front of her blouse.
*I asume they are fake/costume jewelry.

P.S. I have a question. In this picture, Queen Alexandra is wearing a bow brooch with pendants/a large central jewel. Do you have any idea of which jewels these could be? I think they look like emeralds, but I'm not sure.

 

[prince.of.preslav]

Thank you so much for these pictures! The picture with HM is definitely my favorite.
Regarding your question about Bow brooches:
I would think that they were used to secure all kinds of things: Orders, necklaces, straps of dresses, flowers, etc.
Princess Michael of Kent wore some bow brooches* that attached three rows of pearls* to the front of her blouse.
*I asume they are fake/costume jewelry.

P.S. I have a question. In this picture, Queen Alexandra is wearing a bow brooch with pendants/a large central jewel. Do you have any idea of which jewels these could be? I think they look like emeralds, but I'm not sure.

You're most welcome! I've always to post this photo for some time now but there wasn't a reason/suitable discussion where it would fit.

I remember Princess Michael's jewel. It was last worn during the State Visit of the Turkish President.
Augusta Victoria, German Empress had a huge pearl and diamond stomacher with 5 bows at the ends and the middle of the jewel. Don't know if either of them could be worn separately originally, but the larger (middle one) has been turned to a separate brooch when the stomacher was altered.

 

[prince.of.preslav]

[...]
P.S. I have a question. In this picture, Queen Alexandra is wearing a bow brooch with pendants/a large central jewel. Do you have any idea of which jewels these could be? I think they look like emeralds, but I'm not sure.

I've always had the idea that the brooch was later in the collection of The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon with a smaller round turquoise and diamond cluster brooch set in place of the emerald*. The brooch (pictured) was later sold by Lord Linely and Lady Sarah and can be seen in the e-catalog from the sale.


*I believe the central stone and the pendants worn by Queen Alexandra at her & Edward VII's Coronation were emeralds as HM wore some other emerald jewels on the skirt of her gown. I don't know what happened with the round emerald, but the drops may now adorn The Duchess of Gloucester's neck or ears.

Bobby

 

[prince.of.preslav]

I just want to add something - what sunshine996 calls a diamond fringe "belt" below the cropped photo of QA from the 1902 Coronation is in fact the diamond fringe necklace that was made for Queen Adelaide using stones that had belonged to George III. It was altered for Queen Victoria to be worn as tiara (like in the 'First of May' painting and if often confused with the fringe tiara that was made for Queen Mary). It has been worn by the subsequent Queens Consort since then (by QA as girdle, by QM as tiara and then by QE as necklace) and is now in The Queen's collection (EII has not worn it).

Bobby

 

[prince.of.preslav]

Did anybody notice the new (?) diamond shamrock brooch Elizabeth II wore in Northern Ireland today? I wonder if it might have been a Diamond Jubilee present...
A photo can be seen here - Link

Bobby

 

[prince.of.preslav]

I just found this photo of Queen Mary in my archive. We can see that Her Majesty wore the three bow brooches on at least one other occasion after the 1913 wedding. The middle bow brooches must've been left without a pendant as The Queen wore the Lahore diamond on the Collet necklace. The pendant on the (rather awkward) appendix must be Cullinan III.

 

[prince.of.preslav]

The following two photos are from Prince Radu of Romania's Facebook account. The first one shows Princess Margarita at the dinner in BP for the Diamond Jubilee last month:


It seems like HRH has a Georg Jensen brooch. I wonder if she got it during a stay with the Danish Royal Family

 

[sunshine996]

[...]
P.S. I have a question. In this picture, Queen Alexandra is wearing a bow brooch with pendants/a large central jewel. Do you have any idea of which jewels these could be? I think they look like emeralds, but I'm not sure.

I've always had the idea that the brooch was later in the collection of The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon with a smaller round turquoise and diamond cluster brooch set in place of the emerald*. The brooch (pictured) was later sold by Lord Linely and Lady Sarah and can be seen in the e-catalog from the sale.


*I believe the central stone and the pendants worn by Queen Alexandra at her & Edward VII's Coronation were emeralds as HM wore some other emerald jewels on the skirt of her gown. I don't know what happened with the round emerald, but the drops may now adorn The Duchess of Gloucester's neck or ears.

Bobby

Princess Margaret's brooch does look like Queen Alexandra's and it's a shame that her children sold it. I can never get over Royal jewelry being sold to the public, only to be locked up in some jewelry collector's vault. It makes me sad to think that such beautiful, and historic, pieces will probably never be seen again.

It appears to me that a lot of emerald stones were later replaced with turquoise. Is this because emerald jewelry became less fashionable, while at the same time turquoise jewelry became more trendy?

 

[sunshine996]

Here are some more pictures of Queen Mary and Queen Alexandra wearing bow brooches:

 

[jean95404]

It takes a very secure woman (i.e. Queen Mary) to wear such large, heavy "in your face" pieces. I would think that the dress makers had to give thought to the possibility of the weight of certain pieces of jewelry creating damage to delicate lace and silk fabrics. The fact that ladies wore very structured corsets in the late 1800's - early 1900's was probably a blessing and a curse. The rigidness helped one with keeping their posture severely upright and assisted in balancing those crowns, tiaras, coronets, etc. I really enjoy seeing all of the photos you all have posted. That said, I wouldn't trade my simple life with them for a second. Well, actually I would if it were possible for me to look at all the stuff in the vaults for say a day or two. Thanks to ALL of you that share your knowledge, interest and photos!

 

[prince.of.preslav]

Princess Margaret's brooch does look like Queen Alexandra's and it's a shame that her children sold it. I can never get over Royal jewelry being sold to the public, only to be locked up in some jewelry collector's vault. It makes me sad to think that such beautiful, and historic, pieces will probably never be seen again.

It appears to me that a lot of emerald stones were later replaced with turquoise. Is this because emerald jewelry became less fashionable, while at the same time turquoise jewelry became more trendy?

It is sad indeed, but I think it was well said by Lady Pamela Hicks that "we can not eat diamonds". At least if they are sold to people (instead to museums) there is a chance that they might be worn. See, for example, the Duchess of Windsor's pearls, the necklace from Queen Mary's amethyst parure and Queen Alexandra's amethyst necklace/tiara. But indeed there are some sad losses, like the tiara from the Cambridge Sapphire parure and the Poltimore tiara, which haven't been seen since they were auctioned (and sadly this is the faith of most auctioned royal jewels as they are bought as an investment). Then again, there are jewels even within royal collections that haven't seen the linght of day in ages....

Which jewels do you mean when you say that "a lot of emerald stones were later replaced with turquoise"? I can't think of another example.

Bobby

 

[prince.of.preslav]

Here are some more pictures of Queen Mary and Queen Alexandra wearing bow brooches:

I have often wondered which bow brooches Queen Mary wore at the 1910 Opening of Parliament? They don't look familiar to me.
I have a HQ of the second photo and it is indeed Cullinan III on the first brooch. Queen Mary is also wearing the Koh-i-Noor diamond in its brooch setting above the bows and the 14-stone bar brooch on her shoulder. I find it strange that the Cullinan wasn't suspended from the largest bow.


You're right about the brooch in the last photo. I wonder if the central emerald was changed to a pearl and diamond cluster to match the drops. BTW, I've never seen Princess Victoria wearing this choker on another occasion and it doesn't appear to be with her heirs. I wonder what stones it was set with. Moon stones, perhaps? Of course, the other two chokers are well-known.

Bobby

 

[prince.of.preslav]

Searching for photos of Queen Mary with Queen Victoria's bow brooches has become an interesting game. Here is a portrait of Her Majesty with them below the cockade. Note the diamond drops on the side elements of the cockade:

 

[sunshine996]

Princess Margaret's brooch does look like Queen Alexandra's and it's a shame that her children sold it. I can never get over Royal jewelry being sold to the public, only to be locked up in some jewelry collector's vault. It makes me sad to think that such beautiful, and historic, pieces will probably never be seen again.

It appears to me that a lot of emerald stones were later replaced with turquoise. Is this because emerald jewelry became less fashionable, while at the same time turquoise jewelry became more trendy?

It is sad indeed, but I think it was well said by Lady Pamela Hicks that "we can not eat diamonds". At least if they are sold to people (instead to museums) there is a chance that they might be worn. See, for example, the Duchess of Windsor's pearls, the necklace from Queen Mary's amethyst parure and Queen Alexandra's amethyst necklace/tiara. But indeed there are some sad losses, like the tiara from the Cambridge Sapphire parure and the Poltimore tiara, which haven't been seen since they were auctioned (and sadly this is the faith of most auctioned royal jewels as they are bought as an investment). Then again, there are jewels even within royal collections that haven't seen the linght of day in ages....

Which jewels do you mean when you say that "a lot of emerald stones were later replaced with turquoise"? I can't think of another example.Bobby

Well the most notible would have to be Empress Marie-Louise's emerald tiara that had its emerald stones removed and replaced with turquoise. (The emeralds were set in different pieces of jewelry and were sold off by Van Cleef & Arpels. ) I know that the re-setting of the tiara took place in more recent times, but like I have previously said, there seems to be a lot of emerald jewelry that has been re-set with turquoise. Maybe I just think that there is a lot of emerald jewelry that has been re-set?!

 

[sunshine996]

I forgot to add pictures.

 

[prince.of.preslav]

Well the most notible would have to be Empress Marie-Louise's emerald tiara that had its emerald stones removed and replaced with turquoise. (The emeralds were set in different pieces of jewelry and were sold off by Van Cleef & Arpels. ) I know that the re-setting of the tiara took place in more recent times, but like I have previously said, there seems to be a lot of emerald jewelry that has been re-set with turquoise. Maybe I just think that there is a lot of emerald jewelry that has been re-set?!

Aha! I thought you meant emerald jewels that are still in royal collections, of which Princess Margaret's brooch is the only example I can come up with. Empress Marie-Louise's emerald tiara is a good example, but in this case the change from emeralds to turquoises was made when the jewel was no longer in royal hands. I wouldn't say that emeralds are out of fashion. They never were and I hope they never will be (I am partial to emeralds!). If they were, VC&A wouldn't have set the stones from the tiara in various jewels and then sold them.
We have to be thankful that, as the firm acknowledged the historical importance of the tiara, they decided not to dismantle the empty diamond frame. Because turquoises are rather inexpensive they were a good option for a replacement of the original emeralds. I think this resulted in a nice and substantial turquoise tiara. I'd love to see it worn, but we know that this won't happen.
Back to the emerald and diamond bow brooch that Queen Alexandra wore on her Coronation gown - If the brooch is indeed the one that was later given/left to Princess Margaret, we must at least acknowledge the fact that a more important emerald is perhaps still in the collection of HM The Queen.

Bobby

 

[LadyMaria]

I just got my copy of the Queen's Diamonds! This book is AMAZING!!!!!!! It makes the Suzy Menkes book on the queen's jewelry look like a preschool primer. The pictures are gorgeous and big, some even fold out for you to see the diamonds in all their glory. There are lots of pictures of the backs and sides too, which I find most interesting. I've just glanced through a few things, but I suspect I'll be up very VERY late reading!

One tidbit I found quite intriguing...it claims the Teck Crescent tiara (one that was discussed for the Duchess of Cambridge for her wedding) is now in the hands of the Duchess of Cornwall. She's never worn it though.

I'll share more as I read.

Just from my first glances, I would say this is a must have for die-hard royal jewelry fanatics. It's not cheap (about US$ 70) but I'd say it's worth every penny!

 

[AGBF]

One tidbit I found quite intriguing...it claims the Teck Crescent tiara ... is now in the hands of the Duchess of Cornwall.

Lady Maria-

Can you be more specific about this? Do you know whether the tiara was given to her or merely lent to her?

AGBF

 

[BubblyBear]

Maria -

This one??

Umm....Definitely not my favorite tiara. Probably not in my list of top 50 favorite tiaras.

 

[BubblyBear]

Speaking of un-favorite tiaras....

This beauty (in my opinion),received as a wedding present by Princess Elizabeth, known the Nizam tiara was dismantled



to create

this monster