Finally, a current event for us after Easter, and an actual brooch we can see to boot. The Cambridge Pearl is a perfect investiture brooch - plenty big to spot from the side.
BBC One joins in the birthday documentary fun with Elizabeth at 90 - A Family Tribute, airing on The Queen's actual birthday, April 21.
This one sounds interesting. The filmmaker, John Bridcut, was granted special access to The Queen's personal family films, including material never before seen by the public. These films were shot by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh as well as by her late parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Members of the Royal Family will add their comments to the tribute.
Members of the Royal family will share their own personal insights on @BBCOne's "Elizabeth At 90 – A Family Tribute" pic.twitter.com/dy8myFxQTx
Prince Harry: "I still view her more as the Queen than my grandmother. You have this huge amount of respect for your boss and I always view her as my boss – but occasionally as a grandmother."
The Princess Royal: "Don't forget there's a very double-edged sword. People tend to forget when she passed the longest reigning monarch, that was only because her father died so young. So you know for her that's a very mixed blessing, and you know it's a record that she would much rather not have been able to pass."
Princess Alexandra, who has never before given an interview (!), speaking about growing up with The Queen and Princess Margaret during World War II: "One thing I do remember is the hand-me-downs, which were invaluable. Because of the clothing coupons, it was quite difficult to get hold of clothes. So they were very kind to me, my cousins – I think it was Princess Elizabeth mainly – they let me have one or two of their dresses. There was one blue one, with seagulls all over it, and it's always stayed in my mind!"
The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge, and The Duke of Kent will also be interviewed.
Photo: Jonathan Partridge/Crux Productions/BBCOne
{By the way, this photo has brought it to my attention that we have no recorded outings for the Jardine Star Brooch since November of last year. Practically unthinkable for such a fave.}
It was made by Cartier in London as a gift from The Duke of York (later King George VI) to The Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother) in 1928. This was one of The Queen's wartime birthday gifts from her parents, one of a few jewels she received in this fashion. Re-gifting things, so to speak, was not at all unusual in a family where jewels regularly pass down the generations, and was a smart choice during the austerity of the war.
The Queen, 1954
The Queen Mother used the Leaf Brooch as a jaunty hat ornament in addition to a lapel brooch in her day, while The Queen tends to use it in regular brooch fashion. When she does wear it, that is - this is another piece of jewelry that would be rare to spot today. An appearance in 1997 may have been its last public outing. If it's a Cartier leaf brooch she's wearing today, odds are it will be the Queen Mother's Palm Leaf Brooch instead.
Following her elaborate tour of India in 1961, The Queen's next visit to India came in November of 1983. The state visit coincided with that year's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), held in New Delhi, and served as the tail end to a larger tour that included state visits to Kenya and Bangladesh.
There were at least two evening events during the trip (plus, of course, the traditional CHOGM banquet with all the present leaders), and both included wonderful colored stone sets without their usual tiara pairings. Depending on your tiara tastes, this might make for an improvement. You decide...
For the state banquet, The Queen left her sapphire tiara at home and instead paired the George VI Sapphire Necklace and Earrings with Queen Alexandra's Kokoshnik Tiara. I love this, perhaps even more than when she pairs these jewels with the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara - the simple lines of the Kokoshnik really let the sapphires stand out. Knowing that the Modern Sapphire Tiara isn't a favorite for one and all, I wonder if this match improves the sapphire set for you? (You can also just barely see what looks like her Sapphire Cluster Ring on her hand.)
I find myself in a similar situation with Her Maj's choice for another evening event, the necklace and earrings from the Brazilian Aquamarine Parure. Personally, I am really (okay, really) not a fan of the tiara that was created for this parure. Seeing the other pieces without it always increases my admiration for the stones themselves - because they are, no matter your design preferences, unimpeachably impressive. Agreed? Photos: via Getty Images
King George VI's apparent fondness for sapphires was notably documented through gifts to his wife and his eldest daughter, with examples like the Queen Mother's Sapphire Flower Brooch and the George VI Sapphire Suite still in use today. That preference for blue stones and the preference he and his wife had for Cartier jewels came together in this bracelet, which he gave to Princess Elizabeth in 1944 as an 18th birthday present.
The bracelet features square sapphire stones separated by diamond links and accented with diamond loop details, a delicate gem that could be used for special day events (such as the christening of Princess Anne in 1950, shown above) or for evening events.
Today, though, it seems to fall between categories when it comes to public appearances: dressier than what The Queen wears during the day now, but not as big as the sapphire bracelet she acquired to wear with her George VI and Modern Sapphire Parure. Plus, some of the sapphire sets she's been given over the years (the Dubai Looped Sapphire Demi-Parure, the Sapphire Tassel Demi-Parure) have their own matching bracelets. We don't see much of this birthday bracelet, and I think it's ripe for a resurgence.
Photos: Royal Collection/Queen Elizabeth II, via Getty Images
The Queen's visit to India and Pakistan in 1961 was the first of a reigning monarch since the countries won independence from the United Kingdom in 1947. She and The Duke of Edinburgh also visited Nepal and Iran in a trip that lasted from January through March.
The Queen's hat style was really getting interesting around this time, on a sartorial note, and her brooch style still included some fabulously large choices. The trip also highlights a time before The Queen was tied to the same earring and necklace combination every day. Two, three, and four strands of pearls can be seen in these reels, as well as her simple Pearl Stud Earrings.
And, of course, there were the tiaras. As was typical of trips at this time, there were multiple tiara occasions; I've highlighted only some of those with ties to our recent discussion about jewels with Indian connections. Given our discussion about the appropriateness of wearing such pieces in the region, it's interesting to see how The Queen herself handled it. In India, she wore the Ruby and Diamond Floral Bandeau Necklace, and in Pakistan, a few key pieces:
The Queen's favorite version of the Cambridge Emeralds and the Delhi Durbar Parure returned to the region for the first time since the 1911 Delhi Durbar for which pieces of the set were made. Of course, her favorite version happens to be heavy on the Cambridge emerald part of the equation and less on the same Delhi Durbar portion worn by Queen Mary in 1911. Mary's green stones were in the Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara, the Delhi Durbar Necklace and Earrings and Bracelet (not pictured), and the Round Cambridge Emerald Brooch. She's also wearing the Order of Pakistan (the sash has since changed). Personally, I don't expect to see any of these particular pieces loaned out anytime soon, but it is food for thought after our recent discussion.
On this blog, we've already covered several jewels given to The Queen as birthday gifts over the years (from her youth, really, since we're not often privy to what she receives today). As we mark Her Majesty's 90th birthday, we'll be looking at a few more presents from birthdays past, starting right here...
The Diplomatic Corps Diamond Floral Earrings
The Queen's jewel vault rapidly expanded in 1947, as gifts large and small poured in for her 21st birthday in April and for her wedding in November. These floral earrings, delicate designs with curved diamond petals around a central diamond stone, were a 21st birthday gift from the Diplomatic Corps. They featured prominently in a set of 1951 portraits by Yousef Karsh which have appeared on everything from Canadian money to biographies and beyond over the years.
In her younger years, the Diamond Floral Earrings were a solid choice for even her most formal tiara-clad occasions. They were an exceptionally lovely match for the jewels given to her as wedding presents by the Nizam of Hyderabad (with the necklace as seen above, or with the dismantled tiara as seen in this post), picking up on the floral motifs present in those Cartier designs.
Today, obviously, she has a great many more earring options at her
disposal, and the Diplomatic Corps Diamond Floral Earrings have been
mainly a black tie event selection in recent years. They are every bit as lovely on The Queen today as they were when they were received, and I only wish we could see them more often.
