The Jordan Turquoise Demi-Parure

The Queen has been given plenty of interesting jewelry during her reign. This particular interesting set came from King Hussein of Jordan, who visited the United Kingdom on a state visit in 1966 and brought a gift of a modern demi-parure with a necklace and matching earrings made of turquoise, sapphires, and diamonds. The necklace has a cluster design of all three stones above a row of turquoise pendants, and the earrings echo that design with clusters of turquoise, sapphire, and diamond above turquoise pendants.

The Jordan Turquoise Demi-Parure

The mixing of stones is what makes this set unique. Most of the royal turquoise jewelry we see limits the stones to only turquoise and diamonds, such as the Teck Turquoise Parure owned by the Gloucesters or Princess Margaret's Persian Turquoise Parure, to name just two British examples. The amethyst and turquoise Cartier bib necklace made for the late Duchess of Windsor is the most prominent royal example of turquoise mixed with other colored stones that comes to mind. (In fact, depending on the picture, the stones in this Jordan set can look purple in color. Leslie Field's The Queen's Jewels identifies them as sapphire.)

View image | gettyimages.com

The Queen doesn't wear turquoise very often in any format (which was why her debut of the Turquoise and Diamond Brooch in 2014 came as such a surprise), and she has certainly used these pieces sparingly. They weren't publicly seen until she visited King Hussein on a state visit to Jordan in 1984, and we've only seen them a couple times since.

Appearances:
1992: State Visit to Germany

Photos: via Getty Images/Scanpix

Queen Mary's Turquoise and Diamond Brooch

Several pieces of turquoise jewelry were gifted to Princess Victoria Mary of Teck (the future Queen Mary) for her 1893 wedding to The Duke of York (the future King George V). Included among gems such as the Teck Turquoise Parure, a gift from Mary’s parents, was this brooch with a turquoise center and an ornate scrolling diamond surround. The brooch was a gift from Mary’s new in-laws, the future King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. They were, at the time, the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Queen Mary's Turquoise and Diamond Brooch

The brooch most likely passed to The Queen with many other jewels on Queen Mary’s death in 1953. The Queen – seemingly not a fan of turquoise stones, based on her rare use of the turquoise pieces at her disposal – waited until 2014 to wear it in public, making this another case of an extraordinary jewel waiting decades for a proper showcase.

Note: Provenance was initially unknown after the 2014 appearance, and the brooch was referred to here just as the Turquoise and Diamond Brooch. Commenter Franck’s theory of this brooch’s provenance was confirmed at the Royal Jewels of the World Message Board by poster Beth in 2016, who located an illustration of the wedding gift. Sincere thanks to them both.

Appearances:
16 May 2018: Victoria Cross and George Cross Association Reception
14 December 2017: Audiences at Buckingham Palace
15 May 2016: 90th Birthday Celebration at Windsor
28 November 2015: Visit to Malta, Day 3
28 September 2014: Church at Balmoral
10 July 2014: Visit to Derbyshire

Photo: PA