Showing posts with label Coronation Earrings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coronation Earrings. Show all posts

13 June 2016

Garter Day

The Queen gave a Luncheon Party for the Companions for the Most Noble Order of the Garter. A Service was held in St. George's Chapel this afternoon.

Well, that facial expression pretty much says it all. The procession of stately Garter Knights and Ladies in all their plumed finery that I look forward to each year was nixed due to rain in Windsor. The procession and the carriages were swapped for cars and hardly a glimpse at much else.


I also look forward to Garter Day for some serious earring power from The Queen and, technically, she delivers here with the Coronation Earrings. But once again I have disappointed myself by getting my hopes up for sapphires or rubies (since we see so many white jewels all the rest of the time, you know?). Anyway, the Coronation Earrings were last seen at the Garter Service in 2004, by my flashback count.


The Garter spouses picked up some of the slack in the absence of a fancy procession of Garter robes. I would have appreciated a brooch on The Duchess of Cornwall (because apparently I'm in the mood to gripe), but the Anna Valentine coat she wore to the Cambridge wedding in 2011 is gorgeous as ever. She wore her Four Strand Pearl Choker with Small Diamond Clasp and her Everyday Pearl Pendant Earrings. 
I loved The Countess of Wessex's Alexander McQueen floral dress when she wore it at the Chelsea Flower Show, and I love it here too. Many said they wished for more of a shrug-style jacket last time around, and she is very promptly modeling that look for you. (I sort of prefer the slightly longer jacket? Basically these little shrugs always look to me like someone got trapped while pulling off a shirt.) 

Photos: @gabeyslave
The Duchess of Gloucester was there and bejeweled as always - she appears to be repeating the look she just wore for the National Service of Thanksgiving over the weekend. 

And then there was Kate! Not only was she a much-needed bright spot on a gray day with her repeated red Catherine Walker coat and red Lock & Co. hat, she was also the surprise winner in the jewel category. 
These jewels are in her personal collection, so they aren't tracked on this blog, but they're very much worth noting: the diamond bracelet she received as a wedding present (assumed by many to have been a gift from Charles), her Mappin & Webb Empress pendant necklace, and - most notable of all - the return of her bespoke diamond wedding earrings from Robinson & Pelham. This is the first time we've seen these earrings in public since her wedding day. Oh, I reallllly like these used as day earrings. More of that, please!
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27 May 2015

State Opening of Parliament

The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, traveled in State to the Palace of Westminster to open the Session of Parliament. The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall were also in attendance, as was The Princess Royal. 
After two years of pearls, The Queen returned to diamonds and one of her most frequently worn combinations for today's State Opening of Parliament. The Coronation Necklace and Earrings are among the most historical and important pieces she wears regularly, and they're always a nice choice for an occasion with as much pomp and circumstance as the State Opening. 

George IV State Diadem (worn arriving and leaving)
Imperial State Crown (worn during the speech)
Coronation Necklace and Earrings
Modern Three Row Diamond Bracelet
Diamond Evening Watch
Collar and Great George of the Order of the Garter


The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall were in attendance for the third year running.
Camilla is settling into her own routine of favorite jewels for the occasion: the Greville Tiara, together with her Everyday Pearl Pendant Earrings and her Four Strand Pearl Choker with Large Diamond Clasp, the same combination she's worn for the past two years. She is also wearing the Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II and the Star, Riband, and Badge of the Royal Victorian Order.
There were a couple new things this year, though. She usually anchors her sash with a diamond rosette brooch on her shoulder, but she's gone for a rather geometric diamond number this time around, which is a first. She also has a new court dress (well, coat and dress). The white court dresses worn to the State Opening always walk the bridal line and this might be stepping a wee bit close to that line, but she looks fab nevertheless. 


Also present: The Princess Royal! 
In her position as Gold Stick-in-Waiting (which she fulfills as Colonel of the Blues and Royals), she accompanied The Queen. Looking spiffy in her uniform, as though it could be any other way. Anne, Charles, and Philip are all wearing the Collar of the Order of the Garter, and the dark green Riband of the Order of the Thistle.


And finally, because this is a jewel blog and we do the jewels, some peering around for other tiaras in attendance: 
The Queen's Ladies-in-Waiting wear their tiaras. Standing to the right of Her Maj above are The Lady Susan Hussey and The Hon. Annabel Whitehead. (Lady Susan, like The Duchess of Cornwall, wears the Riband of the Royal Victorian Order.)
And for those with eagle eyes, there's always some tiara spotting to be done among the assorted peeresses in attendance in the audience.


Links & More:

Photos: via Getty Images and UK Parliament screencap
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26 March 2015

Visit to Kent

The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, visited Capel-le-Ferne and Canterbury Cathedral, Kent. She opened a new Battle of Britain visitor center and at Canterbury Cathedral, the couple attended a service and unveiled statues of themselves created for the Diamond Jubilee.

For more: BBC article, KentOnline video, Zimbio gallery.
She wore one of Queen Victoria's brooches on the day the Succession to the Crown Act 2013 goes into effect, giving women an equal spot in the line of succession. It's one of her regulars anyway, obviously, but I prefer to consider it a cheeky sovereign queen high five.
And speaking of the line of succession, Prince Michael of Kent was there to greet her (in the first photo). He's one of the people who have been freshly reinstated in the line thanks to the act removing the ban on marriage to Catholics. (And he's also Patron of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust, hence the appearance.)




Also, about those statues...well, I believe we have the George IV State Diadem, the Coronation Earrings, and the Mantle and Collar of the Order of the Garter here. So that part's recognizable. (Not that I should be critiquing, I mean, if you gave me a block of stone and asked me to carve you something, you'd get the same block of stone back with a couple chicken scratches on it. If you were lucky.)

Photos:via Getty Images and KentOnline video
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21 October 2014

State Visit from Singapore, State Banquet

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, with other members of the Royal Family present, gave a State Banquet in honor of the President of the Republic of Singapore at Buckingham Palace.
For more: Zimbio gallery.
There's red in her sash and that means of course my first thought is that we have another missed opportunity for the Oriental Circlet to appear. But never mind, Her Maj likes her favorites and the ubiquitous Girls tiara is reigning for the night. She paired this with another selection from her collection of bow brooches and the massive diamonds from the Coronation Necklace and Earrings. I have not yet seen a good enough photo to identify her bracelet, but hopefully will be able to update later. Her watch is one she's worn many times, but it doesn't have its own post here yet.

Darjah Utama Temasek (Order of Temasek, from Singapore), Riband and Star
Diamond Bracelet
Evening Watch

Sitting at the banquet table, the guest of honor has The Queen on one side and another female royal on the other (at least when the guest of honor is a male). It's usually Camilla, and when she's gone, the honor travels down the line. The Princess Royal was also absent this evening, and we ended up with a special treat: Sophie!
She sported her newest tiara, the Five Aquamarine Tiara from HM's collection, and I don't blame her for wearing it so often - it's my favorite of the ones she wears too.
Also present were Princess Michael of Kent, in her Kent Festoon Tiara, and Princess Alexandra of Kent, wearing the pearl version of her Ogilvy Tiara. Click here for that. In the Zimbio gallery linked above, it appears the Duchess of Gloucester is wearing the Cartier Indian Tiara.

Update: A couple videos are out of the banquet. The British Monarchy's video of The Queen's Speech is below; ChannelNewsAsia also offers some additional views. Screencaps have been added above.

Update Again: For those sore that the lovely Duchess of Gloucester did not get a proper close up at the state banquet, enjoy this look at HRH shining in the Gloucester Honeysuckle Tiara at tonight's (10/22) Guildhall banquet for the President and Mrs. Tan.

Photo:Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images, @MajestyMagazine, British Monarchy video, ChannelNewsAsia video
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06 June 2014

State Visit to France, State Banquet

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh attended a State Banquet hosted by President Hollande at Élysée Palace.
Video: The Queen's speech, delivered in both French and English. (For those of you wondering, yes, she does speak French, and apparently declined a translator for the trip.) For more: Article from the Daily Mail, gallery from Zimbio.
One Queen Mum brooch for the day, one for the evening - and a rarely seen ruby number too. I confess I had a sliver of hope that she might go the full Queen Mother, if you will, and give us an outing of the Oriental Circlet with the Crown Rubies. But alas, it was not to be. Regardless, it was nice to see her stick to a white tie dress code with her French order and tiara, even as the banquet was black tie. She did it up right.

We even got to see the bar brooch she wore on her back to secure her sash, courtesy of a tweet from banquet attendee, chef Raymond Blanc:

Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara
Coronation Necklace and Earrings
Queen Mother's Ruby and Diamond Bouquet Brooch
Diamond Bar Brooch (on back)
National Order of the Legion of Honour (France), Riband and Star
Diamond Bracelet (unidentified)
Evening Watch (seen previously, but not posted in depth yet)

Photos:Chesnot/Getty Images and @raymond_blanc Twitter
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02 June 2013

Flashback: The Coronation

Queen Elizabeth II was crowned at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953.
The 60th anniversary of the Queen's coronation is being marked with several celebrations, including the rebroadcasting of the coronation film and a service coming up this week. Last year, for the Diamond Jubilee, we had a series of posts on the other blog commemorating the coronation, including the Queen's ornate Norman Hartnell gown and some of the crown jewels used, so this flashback will be brief.
We haven't touched much on the crown jewels here, but we have covered the Imperial State Crown (which she wore after the actual crowning, which was done with St. Edward's Crown), and the Sovereign's Ring. She arrived wearing the George IV State Diadem and carrying her coronation bouquet. She followed tradition and wore the Coronation Necklace and Earrings, as well as her engagement and wedding rings and a petite Jaeger-LeCoultre watch. Her mantle was draped with the Collar and Great George of the Order of the Garter.

Above: The Coronation on YouTube, Part 1 of 7 (click through for more)
If you're in the mood for more coronation fun today, in addition to the film embedded above, The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II is a great documentary available on YouTube, as are many other gems.

Photos:Royal Collection/Hulton Archive/ITV/PA
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27 November 2012

State Visit from Kuwait, State Banquet

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, together with other members of the Royal Family, gave a state banquet in honor of the Emir of Kuwait at Windsor Castle.
Isn't that terribly kind, Her Maj saw we were reviewing some of her wedding gifts this month and now she's worn another to follow the Williamson Diamond worn earlier in the day: it's the Girls tiara! (My fave.) Bless her sparkly little heart, that's ever so helpful.


Photo: Getty Images
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28 September 2012

Australian Diamond Jubilee Portrait

A Diamond Jubilee portrait of the Queen was unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, Australia. The portrait by Australian artist Ralph Heimans is entitled "The Coronation Theatre, Westminster Abbey: A Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II".
This is breathtaking. The choice to paint her in her robe but without a crown on the spot she was crowned is genius: it allows her to have this humble and pensive look, as though she's looking back on the 60 years since and forward to the next all at once. What an impressive work, made all the more impressive when you learn that the artist had just one hour with the Queen total, and that one hour was in daylight at Buckingham Palace. A truly stunning and powerful portrait.

(And, since we are a jewel blog, I must note that he's managed to bring a tremendous amount of light to the diamonds, which is no easy feat.)

I like the above video as it gives you a sense of the scale of the work; click here for an article with more information on the painting and click here to see it close up at the artist's site.

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The Coronation Necklace and Earrings

The Coronation Necklace and Earrings are an important set in the Queen's collection not just because of overall diamond weight but because of historical significance.
The Coronation Necklace
The necklace was created for Queen Victoria in 1858 and has been worn by queens for every coronation after Queen Victoria's death, hence the name. It currently has 26 stones: 25 in the necklace itself, plus the 22.48 carat Lahore Diamond as a pendant.
The Coronation Earrings
The matching earrings were also made Queen Victoria in 1858 from reused stones - the pear drops were originally side stones in an armlet with the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond and were also used in a setting for the Timur Ruby Necklace. The two drops are slightly different sizes; one is about 12 carats, the other about 7.

The Queen usually wears the set together for formal events like the State Opening of Parliament and state dinners, or for portraits.

 Read more at Order of Splendor.

Appearances:
13 June 2016: Garter Day (Earrings only)
8 December 2015: Diplomatic Reception
27 May 2015: State Opening of Parliament 
26 March 2015: Canterbury Cathedral Statue (Earrings only) 
21 October 2014: State Visit from Singapore
6 June 2014: State Visit to France
27 November 2012: State Visit from Kuwait
28 September 2012: Australian Diamond Jubilee Portrait
2011: State Visit from Turkey (Necklace only) 
1998: State Visit from Japan  
1978: State Visit to Germany
1967: Visit to Malta (Necklace only)
1961: Commonwealth Visit to India and Pakistan 
1954: Visit to Australia, Parliament Opening
1954: Visit to New Zealand, Parliament Opening
1953: The Coronation 
Various Years: State Opening of Parliament  
Various Years: The Garter Service
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06 February 2012

Official Diamond Jubilee Portrait

Official portraits of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were released to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee.
Standing in front of Queen Victoria, wearing jewels she wore: that’s the way to do your Diamond Jubilee portrait, I’d say.


Photos:Royal Collection
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