22 November 2012

The City of London Fringe Necklace

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.
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
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Visit to Bristol

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited Bristol.
Click above for an article with video and pictures from the Daily Mail.
And what did they do in Bristol? They took a ride in a motorhome. A motorhome named Mavis, no less! Well done, Bristol - I don't expect this visit will be easily forgotten.


Photos:Daily Mail screencaps
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21 November 2012

The Greville Chandelier Earrings

The Greville Chandelier Earrings
Mrs. Ronald Greville left her extensive jewel collection to Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) in 1942. Some have said King George VI was a bit uneasy about his wife collecting such a stash in such a way, but apparently he got over it, because the Greville collection provided jewels which still sparkle on the ladies of the royal family today.
Two items from the Greville jewels were gifted to Princess Elizabeth for her wedding in 1947: these chandelier earrings, and a large floral ruby and diamond necklace. The Greville Chandelier Earrings are made of platinum-set diamonds in a great variety of cuts (emerald, pear, square, half moon, trapeze, baguette, and more). Made by Cartier, they started out in a simpler form and evolved to what we see today by 1929.

The Queen used these often in her early years; after the wedding, they were her main showstopper earrings for formal events. They are not worn as often these days, but it's always a pleasant surprise when they are – they’re really quite pleasant and cohesive for a concept that seems a bit gimmicky at first (combining all the cuts of diamonds could have gone wrong in so many ways!). And the swing of the long earrings adds a tremendous amount of sparkle power.

Appearances:
2010: Visit to Canada 
1992: State Visit to Germany 
1986: State Visit from Spain
1983: State Visit to Sweden  
1978: State Visit to Germany
1967: Visit to Malta  
1958: State Visit from Germany
1958: State Visit to the Netherlands 

Photos: Leslie Field/Royal Collection/Getty Images
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The Diamond Bouquet Brooch

The Diamond Bouquet Brooch
This brooch of unknown provenance depicts a floral bouquet in diamonds, possibly of roses of some variation or forget-me-nots. I agree with readers that noted that the style of this piece and the worn appearance of the setting seem to indicate an antique, possibly Victorian.
When this brooch appeared during an audience with the High Commissioner for Belize I thought it was a "new" appearance, but it is not: it was also worn during the 2006 state visit from Brazil, at least. The timing of those two appearances suggests a gem from the late Queen Mother's collection to me, but of course it is entirely possible that this has belonged to the Queen for decades.

Appearances:
20 November 2012: Audience at Buckingham Palace

Photos: Getty Images/PA/Corbis
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Investiture at Buckingham Palace

The Queen held an Investiture at Buckingham Palace. Among the honors presented were an OBE for Gary Barlow, the musician that coordinated the Diamond Jubilee concert, and a CBE for actress Kate Winslet.
Click above for an article and video from the BBC.
I must say, Ms. Winslet certainly did look fierce fetching her gong in Alexander McQueen. She should get an award for that alone.


Photo: BBC screencap
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20 November 2012

Audience at Buckingham Palace

The Queen received Ms. Perla Perdomo, the High Commissioner for Belize, for a private audience at Buckingham Palace.
Another new-to-me-and-this-blog brooch! Lilibet, you spoil us.
Okay, we seem to have here a little bouquet with one predominant blossom. This looks like a wild rose to me, but I am not botanically inclined. Anybody else have thoughts on the type of flower here?

UPDATE: It is not a "new" brooch, I have located a previous appearance. Click below for details.


Photos:PA/Getty
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Flashback: The Wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Lt. Philip Mountbatten

Princess Elizabeth married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten on November 20, 1947, at Westminster Abbey in London.
Princess Elizabeth had enough problems on her wedding day to send any bride into a meltdown. Her bouquet went missing. The pearl necklaces given to her by her parents were already on display at St. James’ Palace, when the bride getting ready at Buckingham Palace wanted to wear them. The tiara broke as she was getting ready. Maybe that old adage about rain on your wedding day signaling a successful marriage is true after all: 65 years later, these two are still going strong.


For video and a look at some of the other royal women, click here.

Photos: Life
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