30 April 2014

Visit to Wales, Day 2

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh finished a two day visit to areas in South and West Wales.
For more: click the link in the tweet, or here for Zimbio.
Any day with the Flame Lily is a good day in my book! Loveliness all over here, with that pretty pink as a background for the delicate diamonds.

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29 April 2014

Visit to Wales, Day 1

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh began a two day visit to areas in South and West Wales.
She's back after a birthday rest, with a favorite brooch and some snazzy buttons on those bright blues.


Photo: ITV
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20 April 2014

Easter Service and a New Official Portrait

The Queen, accompanied by members of the Royal Family, attended Easter Service in Windsor.

Apparently there's some construction work going on that prevented the traditional photo op coming up the stairs and accepting flowers, so much of the Easter coverage is as above. My, doesn't Her Maj's back look well... But we did get to see, through the rain, a pair of Aqua Clips making a return appearance, click here for that. They were a bright spot on an outfit that reflected a dreary day with its muted shade of blue. Pretty much everyone except the Princess Royal in a rich green seemed determined to dress to blend in with the rain, the building, or maybe a bird crashing into the building (in the case of the Countess of Wessex's hat). Click here for plenty of photos, plus a video, from the Daily Mail.

Three Strand Pearl Necklace

Also today, a new official portrait of the Queen was released. The portrait by British photographer David Bailey was commissioned by the Government's GREAT Britain campaign. It was taken in March and released to mark Her Majesty's 88th birthday on Monday. 
What's great about this, from a jewel perspective, is how much dimension it gives the Cambridge Pearl Pendant Brooch. You typically have to catch this one from the side in order to tell that the pearl is much larger than it seems from a head-on shot. I'm loving it. Click here for more on the portrait from the BBC.
Three Strand Pearl Necklace

Photos:Daily Mail screencap/David Bailey via WPA Pool
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17 April 2014

Royal Maundy Service

The Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, attended the Royal Maundy Service at Blackburn Cathedral in Lancashire.
Why yes, a cerise cashmere coat from Stewart Parvin (with matching hat by Angela Kelly) does seem like the perfect background for the Rose Gold Brooch, one of our mysteries from 2012. Well played, Your Maj.


Photos:Telegraph/ITN Video, Lancashire Telegraph
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15 April 2014

Investiture at Windsor Castle

The Queen held an Investiture at Windsor Castle.
Click here for more pics from the Daily Mail.
Angela Lansbury is the BEST. Celebratory Murder, She Wrote marathon, anyone? (PSA: The series is available to stream on Netflix.) Anyway, back to the topic of this blog: the brooch is hard to positively identify here, probably one of the ones with a pearl at the center.

Unidentified Brooch

Photo: @_AngelaLansbury twitter
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13 April 2014

Flashback: Parliament Opening, Wellington, New Zealand, 1954

The Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, opened Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, in January 1954.
The Queen became the first reigning monarch ever to visit New Zealand when she arrived in December 1953. The New Zealand leg of the post-Coronation tour was more than a month long, beginning just before Christmas and ending at the end of January 1954.

To open a special session of Parliament, the Queen wore her glittering Coronation gown with a jewel combination that would also be seen opening Parliament in Australia: Queen Alexandra's Kokoshnik Tiara, the Coronation Necklace and Earrings, and a diamond watch, plus the Riband (secured with one of Queen Victoria's Bow Brooches), Star, and Lesser George of the Order of the Garter. Though she did not wear the New Zealand Fern Brooch she was given at Christmas for this event, her Coronation gown came complete with its own fern embroidery (seen above, top right).

This was the first of ten visits to New Zealand for the Queen. For a sense of how successful the tour was, have a look at the video below:

Video: The Royal Tour of New Zealand, 1953-54

Photos: NZ Parliament/Royal Collection/Archives NZ
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11 April 2014

State Visit from Ireland Farewell, and Newbury Races

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh bid farewell to President and Mrs. Higgins at Windsor Castle at the close of the Irish State Visit.
I'm surprised we didn't see any appearance of the brooch she received on her visit to Ireland in 2011, but instead the last brooch of the trip was one from the Queen Mother's collection. No complaints, though - this was state visit was quite a feast for those of us with sparkly interests (a new brooch, a parade of emeralds, and even an extra event).

Engagement and Wedding Rings 


And later in the day...
The Queen attended Newbury Races at Newbury Racecourse.
She lost the Shell Brooch, donned one we haven't seen since this blog started, added an unfortunate hat, and indulged in one of her favorite pastimes. Click here for photos from the Daily Mail.

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