Showing posts with label Pear Drop Diamond Demi-Parure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pear Drop Diamond Demi-Parure. Show all posts

14 November 2018

The Duchesses at The Prince of Wales' 70th Birthday Party

The Queen hosted a 70th birthday party for The Prince of Wales tonight at Buckingham Palace.
Chris Jackson/Clarence House

Tonight's party for Prince Charles was deemed a private event and no pictures were released from inside, mainly leaving us with a few car photos of guests arriving - except, of course, for the birthday boy himself. Charles and Camilla posed for a portrait before leaving Clarence House. 

The Duchess wore a new navy gown by Bruce Oldfield with her Pear Drop Diamond Demi-Parure and her favorite diamond bracelet. The necklace and earrings have been among her favorite jewels in her marriage, and with good reason. A fabulous glittering look for them both!


The Royal Family did publish The Queen's touching birthday toast to her son:

 “It is a privilege for any mother to be able to propose a toast to her son on his 70th birthday. It means that you have lived long enough to see your child grow up.

 It is rather like - to use an analogy I am certain will find favour - planting a tree and being able to watch it grow. My mother saw me turn 70, of course. And she was heard to observe that 70 is exactly the age when the number of candles on your cake finally exceeds the amount of breath you have to blow them out. 

Over his 70 years, Philip and I have seen Charles become a champion of conservation and the arts, a great charitable leader - a dedicated and respected heir to the throne to stand comparison with any in history - and a wonderful father. Most of all, sustained by his wife Camilla, he is his own man, passionate and creative. 

So this toast is to wish a happy birthday to my son, in every respect a duchy original. To you Charles. To the Prince of Wales.”


From the other two top duchesses in the family, we got a duo of mystery earrings.

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The Duchess of Sussex wore the pair of earrings she debuted at a dinner in Fiji on the couple's recent tour. It was said that they are borrowed - but the palace declined to specify from whom they were borrowed. Since they usually say when things come from The Queen, I'm inclined to believe these are not from HM's vault. Time might tell, I guess.

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The Duchess of Cambridge wore a big pair of pink-toned earrings last seen at the BAFTA Awards in 2016. There has been some question if these are costume pieces; I don't think so, particularly given their appearance here. These are in Kate's collection, not borrowed from The Queen.

As for the other guests: the Norwegian royal family posed for a photographer on their way to the party. That's about it so far. Car pictures all around! Typical of the Windsors, what can you say.
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26 October 2018

The Duchess of Cornwall at The Prince of Wales' 70th Birthday Concert

October 25: The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall attended a gala concert in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace to mark The Prince's 70th birthday and to recognize his commitment to, and patronage of, the arts.
Clarence House

Mega diamond alert! I had hoped to see the Greville Festoon Necklace at the Dutch State Banquet - because let's face it, you knew Queen Máxima was going to go big or go home, and this necklace would have fit right in - but The Duchess had other plans for it.

She wore all five glorious diamond strands to Prince Charles' birthday gala concert, with a fabulously flattering velvet dress. This is just the third time we've seen the necklace used by Camilla. It's fascinating to me that she has, thus far, only used all five strands (it's a smaller three strand necklace and a longer two strand necklace). I'm still hoping she'll start using the three strand option with the Greville Tiara.

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She paired it with the earrings from her Pear Drop Diamond Demi-Parure for one serious sparkling appearance.
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08 March 2018

Aga Khan Diamond Jubilee Dinner

The Queen hosted a private dinner at Windsor Castle in honor of the Diamond Jubilee of Prince Karim Aga Khan IV's leadership as Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslim Community. The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke of York, The Princess Royal, and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence were also present.
Embed from Getty Images
For more: Zimbio gallery.

This is a surprise, photos from something billed as a private dinner! It feels like it's been forever since we've seen Her Maj all gussied up in her evening best, and even longer since she's worn an evening gown with this much color. This is a treat.

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This colorful gown gets the full diamond treatment, including necklace, earrings, bracelet, watch, and the array of diamond rings she often wears for evening events. (Earrings are bracelet are particularly tough to make out, but my best guesses are below.) Any day with the King Khalid Diamond Necklace is a good day in my book.

Engagement and Wedding Rings 
 Diamond Rings

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We even get some glitter from The Duchess of Cornwall out of the deal. Dressed in an elegant black velvet gown, she too opted for the full diamond treatment.

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05 December 2017

The 2017 Diplomatic Reception (and a New Loan for The Duchess of Cambridge)

The Queen hosted the annual Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace. The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke of Cambridge, and The Duchess of Cambridge were among those present. 

It doesn't look like we're getting lucky again this year with a proper group shot inside of the palace like we did last year - you'll remember that pictures from inside this event are rare - but we do have a glimpse inside the cars carrying the other members of the Royal Family to the party. We've got some loans from The Queen, including a new loan, so we'll cover it here: 

The Duchess of Cornwall 
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Solid repeats for Camilla for the evening, as we've seen both this dress and this jewelry combination on more than one past occasion. 

Camilla will have worn the Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II, though it is obscured by her cape in the car   
Riband of the Royal Victorian Order, certainly accompanied by the Star and Badge which can't be seen here


The Duchess of Cambridge 
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We have another new loaner for Kate, a diamond collet (rivière) necklace! This necklace must be a loan from The Queen, who has several of these collet necklaces in her collection. I am THRILLED to see her wearing one of these luscious necklaces! They're a) gorgeous and b) so versatile. The little black dress of (massive diamond) necklaces. She paired this with the tiara and earrings she's worn before.

 Cambridge (or Queen Mary's) Lover's Knot Tiara 
Collingwood Pearl and Diamond Earrings (from the private collection of the late Diana, Princess of Wales)
Diamond Collet Necklace

(A note on the necklace: While some will try to make a determination on which specific diamond necklace this is, I'm not likely to follow suit without official confirmation. Judging the size of a stone from one wearer to the next is a problem because the scale changes, and these necklaces can be changed in length by altering the number of stones to suit a new wearer. There are a lot of variables.)
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03 April 2017

The Duchess of Cornwall at a Gala Dinner in Florence

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall attended a gala dinner in Florence, Italy, where The Prince was presented with the Renaissance Man of the Year Award. The couple are on an official visit to the country. 
Clarence House Instagram
For more: Zimbio gallery.

Serious diamond alert! Camilla's Pear Drop Diamond Demi-Parure made another appearance tonight, with a red Anna Valentine dress and a bracelet or watch which is new to me.


I'm surprised a gown that's not technically full length got the full necklace treatment, only because Cams has proven to be quite fond of using the Pear Drop Diamond Earrings with other things, like her collection of pearl chokers. Surprised but delighted, obviously. Sparkling diamonds and a colorful dress are all we need here.
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08 February 2017

The Duchess of Cornwall at the British Asian Trust Gala

February 2: The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall attended a reception and dinner for the British Asian Trust.
For more: Zimbio gallery.

After a year of white gowns and white jewels, The Duchess of Cornwall remembered that she has dresses in luscious colors and gems to match! What a treat! This diamond and emerald necklace is assumed to be among the jewels that she picked up on one profitable trip to Saudi Arabia, when her year end gift list included one parure each of rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. (We have not covered these hefty baubles on this blog - yet! - though they have been mentioned on the other blog.) This emerald set also includes a pair of earrings and a bracelet, but she's chosen to use the earrings from her Pear Drop Diamond Demi-Parure here. I'm thrilled to see this necklace in action again, and even more thrilled that color has returned to her evening gems. More, please!
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06 December 2016

The Duchess of Cornwall at the Royal Variety Performance

I'm here for the Camilla + diamond sightings. (And for Camilla informing Lady Gaga that she's also known as Gaga - to her grandkids.)

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall attended the Royal Variety Performance.
Ahhhhh, yes, those are some diamonds. This is the second time we've seen her Pear Drop Diamond Demi-Parure in full this year, and we also spotted the earrings at the recent state banquet. It never fails to dazzle in its simplicity, does it?
Funnily enough, the last time we saw this necklace - at the British Asian Trust Gala - we also saw this dress, pretty much, just in navy and black. As Kate stocks up on her Preen dresses, so Camilla stocks up on her lacy gowns, I guess. (This one must be by Bruce Oldfield too.)
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01 November 2016

State Visit from Colombia, Welcome Ceremony and State Banquet

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh welcomed the President of the Republic of Colombia and Mrs. Santos at the beginning of the President's State Visit to the United Kingdom.
This is one of those times when I would love to be privy to the reasons behind a particular brooch selection, because rubies - the Ruby and Gold Flower Brooch, which has no known connection to these guests - are the last thing I would have paired with this outfit. They're not really that noticeable, I guess.
ITN screencap
Usually, The Queen just takes off her coat once inside with her guests (and, later, inspecting the state banquet setup), but by the time they reviewed the special Royal Collection exhibit with their Colombian guests, she had a total outfit change. She went ahead and leaned into the ruby theme with the Grima Ruby Brooch.
Royal Family Twitter

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall also assisted with the welcome ceremony. Camilla's got the green stones The Queen was missing: 
This Prince of Wales Feathers Brooch is one we haven't had a chance to cover here yet (it comes from Queen Alexandra), but it's a perfect match for her deep green outfit. A winner, and paired with her favorite pearl pendant earrings and her usual assortment of bracelets. She did receive a pair of emerald earrings when she and The Prince of Wales visited Colombia a couple years ago, but these were on display with the rest of exhibits, so sadly weren't worn.


The Queen, along with other members of the Royal Family, gave a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace in the President's honor.
For more: Zimbio gallery.
We haven't seen a tiara event in a while, and I can't tell you how delighted I am that it's one of the colored stone options instead of one of the usual favorites! Her Maj's been dipping into those more often in the past couple years (she wore this one just last year for the China state banquet), and I love the variety. Her sapphire parure also picks up very nicely on the blue in the Order of Boyaca from Colombia, so that's well played.
(Many have also asked which orders the men are wearing. The Duke of Edinburgh also has the Order of Boyaca, I would imagine in a lower grade without the grand collar. The President has been given the Order of the Bath, which is often given to presidents when orders are exchanged.)

Collar and Star of the Order of Boyaca
Evening Watch


Besides, we've always got Camilla to hold down the white stone fort. Is it just me, or all these Greville Tiara + White Dress + Pearl Choker appearances starting to blend together?
British Monarchy screencaps
With the exception of the earrings, this is the same dress and jewels we saw at this year's State Opening of Parliament, which is the same as the State Opening the year before that. I mean, it suits her well, but I do like to complain.
Diamond Bracelet
Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II
Star, Riband, and Badge of the Royal Victorian Order


UPDATE: We now have video of The Queen's speech - observe her sparkly dress!

And with video comes a glimpse at some of the other royal ladies in attendance. (There are also additional tiaras in the video above worn by others, and maybe a glimpse of Princess Michael of Kent, but it's hard to tell.)

British Monarchy screencap
Princess Alexandra of Kent wore the Ogilvy Tiara in its pearl setting. She wears the sash of the Order of the Garter.

British Monarchy screencaps
I wish we had a better look at The Duchess of Gloucester, in the red dress, because she wore the Iveagh Tiara and we don't get to see that in use often. She's wearing the sash of the Royal Victorian Order.
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02 February 2016

The Duchess of Cornwall at the British Asian Trust Gala

We need some serious bling right now, wouldn't you agree? The Duchess of Cornwall has us covered:

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall attended a reception and dinner for the British Asian Trust at the Natural History Museum, London.
For more: Zimbio gallery.
I was extremely excited to see Camilla's full Pear Drop Diamond Demi-Parure back in action tonight! It's been entirely too long since we last saw that glorious diamond necklace on display. The Duchess also wore her favorite diamond bracelet, usually said to have been The Queen Mother's.
I'm not quite as sold on the lace Bruce Oldfield gown, which has a bit of an awkward waist transition from that blue underlay, but the overall sparkly feel just can't be beat, no?

Pear Drop Diamond Demi-Parure
Diamond Bracelet
Engagement and Wedding Rings 

Photos: via Getty Images
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18 June 2015

The Duchess of Cornwall at the Waterloo Banquet

Another tiara event that I wasn't expecting for The Duchess of Cornwall (her husband tagged along, too) and I am in seventh heaven! Another special Camilla event post is called for:

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall attended The Duke of Wellington's Waterloo Banquet at Apsley House, London, as part of the events marking the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo. 
Get a load of the diamond power on display here! This is only the second time that Camilla has worn the Greville Festoon Necklace (which is actually two necklaces, a two strand and a three strand) and it remains as spectacular as ever. A favorite of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, this necklace is my very favorite selection to see paired with the Greville Tiara. The fact that she can pull this much off is basically every reason I decided to cover Camilla on this blog in a nutshell, in case you were wondering.

Diamond Bracelet (said to have belonged to The Queen Mother)
Engagement and Wedding Rings

Charles is in his mess dress uniform, so he also has worn his orders and medals (including the Order of the Garter sash). His wife is sans orders for the evening, which fits in with the rest of the dress code.

Let's have one last moment of appreciation for The Duchess of Wellington, shall we? In addition to her wonderful necklace and earrings, she's wearing a hefty circlet tiara that is an heirloom of the Wellington family. Antonia, who was born a Princess of Prussia, also wore the diadem on her wedding day.

Click here for a gallery of their arrival.

Photos: John Phillips via Getty Images
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09 April 2015

The Duchess of Cornwall's Pear Drop Diamond Demi-Parure

The Duchess of Cornwall's Pear Drop Diamond Demi-Parure
Among the signature pieces in the collection of The Duchess of Cornwall is this demi-parure (matched set) of a diamond necklace and earrings. Each earring has a cluster of pear shape diamonds dangling in a long row, with perhaps one round diamond at the stud (always difficult to see the details on her earrings, because of her hair), for a total of 11 large diamonds apiece. The necklace features oval/marquise diamonds in an orderly arrangement of stacks of two diamonds separated by single diamonds on the necklace base and a series of pear drop diamond pendants that alternate between small and large sizes.
2005, First Appearance
The set is usually reported as having been made from the stones of a tiara purchased by The Prince of Wales which was dismantled to create these jewels for Camilla (said to have been the individual tiara shown here). I do not believe this has been officially confirmed; the large center pendant on the necklace does have a small hook underneath, though, which could be the remains of a previous setting (among other possibilities). The demi-parure first appeared on The Duchess in November 2005, during the couple's first tour of United States together.
Both pieces have been worn several times, but the earrings in particular have become favorites. They are often worn with other necklaces or when no necklace is worn, and are often seen at tiara events. The diamonds are individually quite large and well-matched in these pieces, an unusual feature that sets this demi-parure apart. It's even more luxurious close up than it seems from afar, and a positively drool-worthy addition to a royal collection.


Appearances (Earrings only, unless otherwise noted):
11 December 2019: Diplomatic Reception
25 October 2018: The Prince of Wales' 70th Birthday Concert
8 March 2018: Aga Khan Diamond Jubilee Dinner (with necklace)
5 December 2017: Diplomatic Reception
3 April 2017: Visit to Italy (with necklace)
2 February 2017: British Asian Trust Gala
8 December 2016: Diplomatic Reception
6 December 2016: Royal Variety Performance (with necklace)
1 November 2016: State Visit from Colombia, State Banquet
2 February 2016: British Asian Trust Gala (with necklace)
18 June 2015: The Duke of Wellington's Waterloo Banquet
2010: State Visit from South Africa
2007: CHOGM Dinner

Photos: via Getty Images
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