19 January 2012

Women's Institute Badge

Women's Institute Badge
The Queen is President of the Sandringham branch of the Women's Institute, a position she took over from her mother. She pays them an annual visit while at Sandringham for her Christmas holiday, and she wears their badge while doing so.

Appearances:
19 January 2012: Sandringham Women's Institute

Photos: Getty Images/Belga/BBC
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Sandringham Women's Institute

The Queen, President, attended a meeting of the Sandringham Women's Institute.
Love it when she uses a badge occasion to make it a double brooch day!

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01 January 2012

January Church Services

The Queen can be seen attending church near Sandringham in Norfolk in January.
January 1
Sapphire Chrysanthemum Brooch
January 8


Photos:PA/Indigo/Getty Images/Bauer Griffin/edp24
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The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery Jubilee Badge

The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery Jubilee Badge
The Queen was presented with a special Jubilee version of a regimental badge by the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, of which she has been honorary Captain General since her accession in 1952. It includes a maple leaf background of 60 diamonds set in platinum; a gold cannon with the number 60 on top, and a crown with emeralds, rubies, and a sapphire. The regiment's motto, Ubique. Quo fas et gloria ducunt ("Everywhere. Whither right and glory lead") is set in gold around the central elements. The brooch was designed by Birks in Montreal and was given to the Queen in December 2011 in advance of her 2012 Diamond Jubilee. In the video below, you can see the brooch as it is made:

We have yet to see her wear it publicly; she typically wears such badges when she is at an event for the regiment in question.

Photo: Birks
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The Pearl and Diamond Button Earrings

The Queen has several variations of pearl and diamond earrings in her collection, but the two best known examples are shown here.

Queen Mary's Button Earrings
Despite the fact that she must have a plethora of earrings to pick from, The Queen almost always wears the same pair for her daytime official engagements: a single pearl with a small diamond on top.
Queen Mary (left) and the current Queen
These came, like so much of The Queen’s jewelry collection, from her grandmother Queen Mary. Photographs show that Mary wore these from fairly early on in her marriage.

Appearances: Since these are seen at most engagements, I will not link each post individually. Each event where the earrings are seen is tagged, and you may click here for those posts.


The Ladies of Devonshire Earrings
For her 1893 wedding to the future King George V, Princess May of Teck received a pair of pearl and diamond earrings from the Ladies of Devonshire. The Devonshire committee was headed by Lady Clinton, and the earrings they selected were made to match another of Princess May's wedding gifts, a pearl and diamond necklace given by the 'Ladies of England'. (The Ladies of England necklace can be seen here and was later dismantled by Queen Mary and used to create the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara.) This pair of earrings features a single round diamond above a single round pearl. They are similar to the everyday button earrings, but on a larger scale. Queen Mary gave the Devonshire Earrings to her granddaughter, Princess Elizabeth, as a wedding present in 1947. The Queen uses these earrings for fancier day events, such as her Diamond Jubilee service or the Order of the Garter service, and for evening occasions.
The larger pair worn by both queens
In both The Queen's Jewels by Leslie Field and The Queen's Jewellery by Sheila Young, the smaller pair of pearl and diamond button earrings (Queen Mary's Button Earrings) is identified as the Devonshire (or Devon) earrings. However, the Royal Collection has identified the larger pair as the gift from the Ladies of Devonshire, and photographs of the display of wedding gifts in 1947 do appear to show the larger pair as well.

As is the case with the smaller pair of earrings, these are a basic design, and it could be that multiple pairs of similar style exist in The Queen's collection.

Appearances:
10 June 2016: The Queen's 90th Birthday Service
8 November 2015: Remembrance Sunday
25 December 2014: Christmas Broadcast, 2014 
17 May 2014: Royal Windsor Horse Show 
10 November 2012: Festival of Remembrance
5 June 2012: Governors-General Reception
5 June 2012: Diamond Jubilee Thanksgiving Service
4 June 2012: Diamond Jubilee Concert
2000: State Visit to Italy, Papal Audience  
1999: Opening of the Scottish Parliament
1980: State Visit to Vatican City  
1960: Wedding of Princess Margaret and The Earl of Snowdon
Various Years: The Garter Service
Various Years: Remembrance Events  

Photos: Getty Images
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The Queen's Three Strand Pearl Necklaces

Pearl necklaces are part of The Queen's daily uniform, and a three strand version is her favorite for public events. In her book The Queen's Jewels, Leslie Field lists three different triple strand necklaces:
  1. A gift from her grandfather, King George V; this necklace is identified below. 
  2. One The Queen had made from graduated family pearls; this necklace is also identified below. 
  3. A gift for her coronation in 1953 from the Emir of Qatar, with a diamond clasp. We can only speculate which necklace this may be.
Observation of jewels worn by Her Majesty shows that she owns many more triple strands than those listed necklaces, but identification is difficult. The same necklace can appear differently based on the outfit, the photograph, or even just the year. The best way to differentiate between all these similar pieces is by the necklace clasp, but those aren’t usually pictured.  Two can be identified in particular:

The Queen's Three Strand Necklace of Family Pearls 
This is the necklace that we see most frequently. As identified by description in The Queen’s Jewels and by photograph in Sheila Young’s earlier book, The Queen’s Jewellery, it was made to The Queen’s order from family pearls shortly after she came to the throne in 1952. The pearls are graduated in size with a warm, creamy color, and the necklace is fastened with a small diamond clasp. The Queen had more variety in her everyday jewel selections earlier in her reign, but today, this necklace is worn for almost all official daytime engagements.

The King George V Three Strand Pearl Necklace 
In celebration of his Silver Jubilee in 1935, George V gave his two granddaughters a pearl necklace each: a double strand for Princess Margaret and a triple strand for Princess Elizabeth. The Queen's version is made of evenly sized pearls, and was worn by her primarily as a young woman. She has continued to wear it throughout the years, but today it is a rare sight.

Other Three Strand Pearl Necklaces 
The Queen's collection also includes several other variations on the triple strand theme, including longer and larger necklaces worn for evening occasions. The coronation gift from Qatar referenced above is likely among these, and Angela Kelly's book, Dressing the Queen, pictures one triple strand with an ornate pearl and diamond clasp. The examples below are some that I believe to be different from each other; there are certainly more of them that I do not show here. Because of the difficulties in differentiating between pearl necklaces as discussed above, I do not attempt to give these individual identifications on this blog.

There is a diamond and pearl clasp on this particular three strand necklace that I believe corresponds to the necklace shown in the Kelly book:

 This option looks a little longer, with closely spaced pearls of a mostly even size. It appears to have a diamond (and possibly pearl) clasp:

These pearls are graduated, with large gaps between the strands:

 These pearls are longer, with fewer gaps between strands:

And this is the longest triple strand I’ve seen The Queen wear, with huge spaces between the strands:

Just a selection, a few of who knows how many possible options, given all The Queen has been given and has inherited over the years.

My thanks to reader Franck and to posters on the Royal Jewels of the World Message Board, particularly Baxter, for sharing research on these necklaces, and to Jelena for calling attention to the RJWMB post here.

Appearances: The Queen's Three Strand Necklace of Family Pearls is seen almost every day, and so those appearances not listed individually here (they are all tagged, and can be seen by clicking here). The events listed below are those at which a different three strand pearl necklace was worn, but as stated above, I rarely try to identify them beyond that.

14 February 2019: GCHQ Centenary
13 February 2019: Audiences at Buckingham Palace
21 April 2018: The Queen's Birthday Party
21 March 2016: Dinner at Bellamy's
7 February 2016: Church in Norfolk
5 February 2016: Visit from The Emir of Kuwait
24 January 2016: Church at Sandringham
4 December 2013: Audiences at Buckingham Palace
27 November 2013: Audiences at Buckingham Palace
9 November 2013: Festival of Remembrance
3 June 2013: Royal National Institute of Blind People Reception
13 May 2012: Windsor Horse Show Diamond Jubilee Pageant
2000: State Visit to Italy, Papal Audience
1961: Commonwealth Visit to India and Pakistan
Various Years: Festival of Remembrance
Various Years: Christmas Broadcast

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated; British Monarchy, PA
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