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| The City of London Fringe Necklace |
This impressive diamond fringe necklace was given to Princess Elizabeth by the City of London (technically, the Lord Mayor of London and the Court of Alderman, the Governor of the Bank of England, the Chairman of the Stock Exchange, the Chairman of Lloyds, the Chairman of the Baltic Exchange and the Committee of London Clearing Banks, according to the Royal Collection) as a wedding gift in 1947.
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| The fringe on display with the wedding gifts, and detail of the front |
It’s a classic fringe design, which evolved from jeweled interpretations of the Russian kokoshniks and are frequently seen in both tiara and necklace form (
the City of London gave a fringe tiara to the Duchess of Kent as a wedding gift in 1934). This particular 19th century jewel is all diamonds, set in gold and silver, and threaded on silk. The fringe extends all the way around the neck. Unlike many fringes, it does not include a setting to form a tiara.
The Queen has at least one, if not two, fringe necklaces of similar style, and she also has one basic fringe to keep in tiara form,
Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara. Now that the tiara has passed to her, she can make a double fringe pairing, which I happen to love.
Appearances:
17 February 2012:
New Zealand Diamond Jubilee Portrait
Photos: The Royal Household/the Royal Collection/Getty Images
