19 June 2013

Royal Ascot, Day Two

The Queen honored Ascot Races with her presence today.
Click here for an article and pictures from the Daily Mail.
I watched the carriage procession today, and listened to the fashion correspondent talk about the Queen's mint green coat and floral dress by Peter Enrione with a matching Angela Kelly hat...and then she mentioned an emerald and diamond brooch that we see frequently.
Au contraire! This is something new, or "new" as the case may be. I don't think I've seen this one before, an Art Deco diamond brooch with a central emerald. I'm not sure I like it, necessarily, but I sure do like surprises.


Photos:Getty Images
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The Art Deco Diamond and Emerald Brooch

The Art Deco Diamond and Emerald Brooch
This arched diamond brooch with a central emerald and diamond pendants, culminating in five pear shaped diamond, was worn by the Queen during Royal Ascot 2013, at which time it seemed to be newly brought out from the vault. Its Art Deco design makes me suspect it could be from the late Queen Mother's vault, but at this time no provenance is known.

Appearances:
19 June 2013: Royal Ascot, Day Two

Photo: Getty Images
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18 June 2013

Royal Ascot, Day One

The Queen honored Ascot Races with her presence today.
Click above for video from 7News; click here for an article from the Daily Mail.
And we have a winner! As requested by commenter Katharine Naomi on our Ascot flashback, the Queen wore the Rose Gold Brooch. We haven't seen it on this color before (looks pink to me, though peach was the official description), and it certainly complements the colors of gold that seem to be present in this mystery brooch.
Many of you asked for a hat shape variation. Well, we didn't get that, but we did get some design variation: this is not an Angela Kelly original but an ensemble from two of the other designers that serve Her Maj, a Stewart Parvin coat and dress and a hat by Rachel Trevor-Morgan. You like?


Photo:7News
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17 June 2013

Garter Day

The Queen gave a Luncheon Party for the Companions of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. A Service was held in St. George's Chapel this afternoon.
Click above for an article, pictures and video from the Daily Mail.
Well, Her Maj ignored my request for sapphires, but she's compensated by giving us another look at a little pair of earrings we've seen once before on the blog, these diamond pendant jobs. I'll take it.
I didn't really see a bracelet or watch, though - possibly under the gloves, not that extra jewels are ever easy to pick out from under the robe.


Photos:MalOnline screencap/WPA Pool/Getty Images
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16 June 2013

Flashback: Royal Ascot

Royal Ascot is a fun week on the Queen's calendar. The five day race meeting, held at Ascot Racecourse, gives the Queen a chance to indulge her passion for horses and gives us a chance to see a string of brooch appearances. She's based at nearby Windsor Castle for the week, arriving via a procession of horse-drawn landaus around the racecourse before taking her spot in the Royal Enclosure to watch the races. The meeting is held in the third week in June in the thick of the royal busy season, coming right after Trooping the Colour and Garter Day.

If you combine the multiple decades the Queen has attended Ascot, plus the multiple days each year, you get hundreds of appearances. That's far too many to attempt to cover in a flashback, so we'll stick to the line up from the most recent years (some previously appeared at the other blog, and will be updated here). These all include the standard three strand pearl necklace and button earrings, plus a wide range of brooches.








What are you hoping to see this year?


Photos: Getty Images/Daylife/Polfoto/Corbis/Bauer Griffin
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15 June 2013

Trooping the Colour and Hospital Visit

Her Majesty, accompanied by members of the Royal Family, was present at The Queen's Birthday Parade on Horse Guards Parade at which The Queen's Colour of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards was trooped.
Click above for an article with video and pictures from the BBC.
It was a quiet end of the week for the Queen's actual events (on Thursday she held an investiture, though I saw nothing to give a brooch hint, and took the salute at the Household Division Beating Retreat in the Guards' Badge) but other problems made headlines: someone defaced the Queen's portrait at Westminster Abbey (why couldn't they have picked one of the dodgy portraits to mess with and not such a brilliant one, le sigh) and the Jubilee barge crashed and lost a crown. Oy.
Thankfully, Trooping the Colour went well as always (well, except for a slight fainting issue, I guess). The Duke of Kent, the Queen's cousin, rode with her in place of the Duke of Edinburgh - a good solution for both parties, since the DoK had a mild stroke earlier this year and wasn't quite up to such a long period on horseback. For the second year running, they traveled by glass coach instead of a phaeton (open carriage) due to weather concerns. The Queen was lovely in blue and wore the Guards' Badge as her brooch, as she always does.

Later, she made a quick clothes switch and donned her trusty Aquamarine Clips for a visit to the DoE at the London Clinic.

Three Strand Pearl Necklace
Photos:BBC screencap/PacificCoastNews
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12 June 2013

Flashback: The Garter Service

June is always a busy month for the Queen, and it includes one particularly packed week: usually Trooping the Colour on Saturday, Garter Day on Monday, and Royal Ascot beginning on Tuesday. Garter Day is the annual meeting of the Order of the Garter at Windsor Castle, an event full of color and steeped in tradition - with a few jewels for added interest.

Started by Edward III in 1348, the Most Noble Order of the Garter is the oldest order of chivalry in Britain. It is the most senior order, with members personally chosen by the sovereign and limited to just 24 knights, plus additional royal knights and ladies (both from the British royal family and selected foreign sovereigns), making it quite an exclusive club.

Garter Day at Windsor Castle starts with the Queen investing any new Companions with their insignia (appointments, if there are any, are announced on St. George's Day, April 23) followed by lunch. They then walk to St. George's Chapel in an impressive procession for a service, and return afterwards via car and carriage. They are outfitted in their full Garter gear for the occasion, including the Mantle, Bonnet, Collar and Great George - this is usually the only time in the year when we see the mantle and bonnet in use.

The Queen also wears formal evening jewelry for the event. Bracelets and evening watches are present, though they are hard to see thanks to the mantle (ditto for any necklaces, which if present are covered). But earrings are allowed to shine bright, and those are the focus of our jewel flashback.
Unsurprisingly, the Queen picks jewels that match one of the colors of the Garter ensemble: white (pearls and diamonds), red (rubies), or blue (sapphires). Past choices have included:
For the past few years, she's alternated the colorful options, using sapphires one year, rubies the next, and so on: George VI Sapphire Earrings (2007), Queen Mary's Ruby Cluster Earrings (2008), Dubai Looped Sapphire Demi-Parure Earrings (2009), Queen Victoria's Crown Ruby Earrings (2010, 2012), Sapphire Tassel Demi-Parure Earrings (2011).

Last year my guess and hope for the mega rubies came true, so let me just put this year's guess out there: it sure would be nice to see those luscious George VI sapphires again. What are you hoping to see?

Photos: PA/Getty Images/Corbis/Reuters
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