The Personal Jewel Collection of Elizabeth II
Encyclopedia
The Queen's Jewels are a historic collection of jewels owned personally by the monarch of the Commonwealth realm
s; currently Elizabeth II. The jewels are separate from the British Crown Jewels. The origin of a royal jewel collection distinct from the official crown jewels is vague, though it is thought that the jewels have their origin somewhere in the sixteenth century. Many of the pieces are from far away lands which were brought back to the United Kingdom as a result of civil war, coups and revolutions.
The official Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom are only worn at coronations (the St. Edward Crown used to crown the monarch) and the state opening of parliament (the Imperial State Crown). On all other formal occasions tiara
s are worn. British law prohibits the British Crown Jewels leaving the United Kingdom. When Her Majesty The Queen goes abroad she wears at formal events a tiara from her personal collection.
fetched higher than expected prices due to their royal connection.
and the Kingdom of Hanover
both came to be ruled in personal union by the British monarchs of the House of Hanover
. Early Hanoverian monarchs were careful to keep the respective heirlooms separate. George III
gave half his British heirlooms to his bride, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
, as a wedding present. In her will, Charlotte left the jewels to the 'House of Hanover'. In the meantime the Kingdom of Hanover adopted the Salic Law
s, stipulating that succession descended only through males. Thus when Victoria
acceded to the throne of the United Kingdom, Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale
, became King of Hanover. King Ernest demanded a portion of the jewelry, not only as the monarch of Hanover but also as the son of Queen Charlotte. Victoria flatly declined, claiming that the jewels had been bought with British money. Ernest's son George V of Hanover
continued to press the claim. Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, suggested she make a financial settlement with the Hanoverian monarch to keep the jewels, but the Parliament of the United Kingdom
informed the Queen they would neither purchase the jewels nor loan funds for the purpose. A Parliamentary commission was set up to investigate the matter, and in 1857 they found in favour of the House of Hanover. On 28 January 1858 the jewels were handed to the Hanoverian Ambassador, Count Kielmansegge.
The George IV State Diadem (also known as the "Diamond Diadem") was made in 1820 by the Royal Goldsmiths Rundell, Bridge and Rundell for the coronation of George IV. It was designed to encircle the King's velvet Cap of Estate that he wore in the procession to Westminster Abbey. The diadem includes 1333 diamonds weighing 325.75 carats (65.15 g), and 169 pearls along its base. Its design features roses, thistles and shamrocks, the floral symbols of England, Scotland and Ireland respectively.
The diadem was also worn during the coronation procession of Queen Victoria, and later Elizabeth II. It is also worn by Elizabeth II in the procession to the State Opening of Parliament. It has featured in many portraits of the Queen, including one by Raphael Maklouf. The diadem featured on the world's first postage stamp, the "Penny Black
" of 1840. Even now, the diadem can be seen on banknotes and coins throughout the Commonwealth realms. In her will, Queen Victoria left the diadem to the Crown, not only ensuring the diadem would be worn by future monarchs but thereby also making the diadem part of the British Crown Jewels.
, the future Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
. In a delicate veiled reference to the adoration of the Magi, The Duke of Wellington
can be seen presenting the young prince with a gift, while Prince Albert looks on.
in 1919. It is not, as has sometimes been claimed, made with diamonds that had belonged to George III but re-uses diamonds taken from a necklace/tiara purchased by Queen Victoria from Collingwood & Co as a wedding present for Queen Mary in 1893. In August 1936, Queen Mary gave the tiara to Queen Elizabeth.
When Queen Elizabeth, consort of George VI
, first wore the tiara, Sir Henry "Chips" Channon
called it 'an ugly spiked tiara'. Queen Elizabeth later loaned it to her daughter, Princess Elizabeth, the future Elizabeth II as "something borrowed" for her wedding in 1947. As Princess Elizabeth was getting dressed at Buckingham Palace
before leaving for Westminster Abbey
the tiara snapped. Luckily the court jeweller was standing by in case of emergency. The jeweller was rushed to his work room by a police escort. Queen Elizabeth reassured her daughter that it would be fixed in time, and it was. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother later also loaned it to her granddaughter The Princess Anne
for her marriage to Capt Mark Phillips
in 1973. It was put on show with a number of other royal tiaras in 2001.
The Vladimir Tiara, sometimes referred to as the Diamond and Pearl Tiara, was purchased in 1921 by Queen Mary
, who bought it from Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia
. Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna, after her marriage to Prince Nicholas of Greece, known always as Princess Nicholas of Greece, had inherited it from her mother Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna. The tiara had been smuggled out of Russia by a British diplomat during the 1917 revolution. Over the years Princess Nicholas of Greece sold various pieces of jewellery from her personal collection; as a refugee, she had to sell the pieces to support her family and various charities.
Queen Mary had the tiara adapted to accommodate the attachment of fifteen of the Cambridge cabochon
emeralds. The original Teardrop pearls, originally in the Vladimir Tiara, could be replaced easily as an alternative to the emeralds. Elizabeth II inherited the piece directly from her grandmother. The Diamond and Pearl Tiara is almost exclusively worn with the Cambridge and Delhi Durbar Parure, which also features large emeralds. Elizabeth II wore this tiara for her official photograph as Queen of Canada, as none of the Commonwealth realms besides the United Kingdom has its own crown jewels.
. Clusters of rubies and gold form the centre of each flower while diamonds and silver form the petals. A total of 96 diamonds are set into the tiara. Both the rubies and the diamonds came from Elizabeth's private collection. The rubies were a wedding present by the Burmese people, after whom the tiara was named. The number of rubies represent the number of diseases that the people of Burma believe can affect the human body. They credit the rubies with having the ability to protect their owner from sickness and evil. The diamonds were also a wedding present by the Nizam of Hyderabad and Berar who at the time also possessed a vast jewellery collection.
The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara was a gift from the girls of Great Britain and Ireland to Queen Mary in 1893. The diamond tiara was purchased from Garrard, the London jeweller, by a committee organised by Lady Eve Greville. In 1947, Mary gave the tiara to her granddaughter, the future Elizabeth II, as a wedding present.
The tiara was described by Leslie Field as "a diamond festoon-and-scroll design surmounted by nine large oriental pearls on diamond spikes and set on a bandeau base of alternate round and lozenge collets between two plain bands of diamonds". Elizabeth II usually wore the tiara without the base or pearls, however in recent years the base has been seen to have been reattached.
. She knew the design well from a similar tiara belonging to her sister Marie Feodorovna, the Empress of Russia. The tiara was made by Garrard Jewellers and supervised by Lady Salisbury. It is made up of 61 platinum
bars and encrusted with 488 diamonds, the largest of which being 3.25 carat (0.65 g) each. Princess Alexandra wrote to her aunt, the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz "The presents are quite magnificent. The ladies of society gave a lovely diamond spiked tiara".
(the seventh son of George III
). In her will Queen Mary left the tiara to her granddaughter Elizabeth II. The Queen later gave it to Diana, Princess of Wales
as a wedding present. She wore it often during her marriage however on her divorce from HRH The Prince of Wales
, it was returned to HM The Queen.
(born Princess Alice of Battenberg). The meander tiara is in the classical Greek 'key pattern' featuring a large brilliant cut diamond in the centre surrounded by a diamond wreath. The tiara also incorporates a central wreath of leaves and scrolls on either side. The Queen has never worn it in public and it was given to Princess Anne around 1972. Princess Anne has frequently worn the tiara in public, notably during her engagement to Mark Phillips. In July 2011 the Princess Royal
lent the meander tiara to her daughter Zara Philips for her wedding to Mike Tindall
.
, before the Queen gave Margaret the Persian Turquoise Tiara. The tiara was then presented to Margaret's sister, Princess Elizabeth (later Elizabeth II), by her mother on the occasion of her 18th birthday. Elizabeth II later lent the tiara to her daughter Princess Anne
before she received the Greek Meander Tiara from her mother in 1972. The tiara was lent to Catherine Middleton for her wedding to Prince William on 29 April 2011.
In 1947, George VI commissioned a three strand diamond necklace containing over 150 brilliant cut diamonds to get rid of some of the loose diamonds he had inherited. The necklace consists of three small rows of diamonds with a triangle motif. The minimum weight of this necklace is 170 carats (34 g).
in 1979, the necklace is of the sunray design and contains round and pear shaped diamonds. The necklace was also made by Harry Winston and often loaned to Diana, Princess of Wales by the Queen.
The pearls together are estimated at over £4,000,000 for the pair. Both necklaces consist of a single row of large graduated pearls with pearl clasps. The Queen Anne necklace is said to have belonged to Queen Anne, the last British monarch of the Stuart dynasty. Horace Walpole wrote in his diary: "Queen Anne had but few jewels and those indifferent, except one pearl necklace given to her by Prince George". Queen Caroline
on the other hand had a great deal of valuable jewellery including no less than four fine pearl necklaces. She wore all of her pearl necklaces to her coronation but afterwards had the fifty finest selected to make one larger necklace. In 1947 both necklaces were given to then Princess Elizabeth by her father as a wedding present. On 20 November 1947, the day the then Princess Elizabeth was to get married to Prince Philip, she realised she had left her pearls at St James's Palace. Elizabeth particularly wished to wear the pearls and asked her Private Secretary John Colville to travel there to retrieve them. Colville ended up in the quadrangle where he commandeered Haakon VII
of Norway's big Daimler. Traffic that morning had stopped so even the King of Norway's car with its royal flag flying could not get anywhere. Colville continued his journey to the palace on foot. When he arrived there he had to explain his odd story to the guards who were now guarding the Princess's over 2,660 wedding presents. After finding the Private Secretary's name on a wedding programme they admitted him and Colville was able to get the pearls to the Princess in time for her portrait in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace.
in 1905. The large diamond found in South Africa was presented to Edward VII
on his birthday. Two of the stones cut from the diamond were the 94.4 carats (18.9 g) Cullinan III, a clear pear shaped stone. The other a 63.6 carats (12.7 g) cushion shaped stone. Queen Mary
had these stones made into a brooch with the Cullinan IV hanging from the III. Elizabeth II inherited the piece from her grandmother in 1953. The brooch is the most valuable brooch in the world with a value of over £50,000,000.
The Prince Albert sapphire brooch was given by Prince Albert to Queen Victoria at Buckingham Palace on 9 February 1840. It was the day before their wedding and Queen Victoria wrote in her diary that Albert came to her sitting room and gave her 'a beautiful sapphire and diamond brooch. The centre stone is a large oblong perfect blue sapphire surrounded by twelve round diamonds. It came to the Queen on her accession to the throne in 1952. The carat weight of the Sapphire has never been disclosed but by the size it is estermated to be around 20-30 Carats. The current price per carat of a unique sapphire is in the range of £120,000 this results in a price range from around £4 Million not taking in too account its status as being Royaly owned which would no doubt add much more to the price.
The Brazil Parure is one of the most modern jewels in the collection. In 1953 the President and people of Brazil presented Elizabeth II with the coronation gift of a necklace and matching pendant earings of aquamarines and diamonds. It had taken an entire year to collect the perfectly matched stones. The necklace consists of nine large oblong aquamarines with an even bigger aquamarine pendant drop. The Queen has since had the drop set in a more decorative diamond cluster and it is now detachable. Her Majesty was so delighted with the gift that in 1957 she had a matching tiara made. The tiara is surmounted by three vertically set aquamarines. In August 1958 the Brazilian Government added to their gift by presenting the Queen with a bracelet of seven oblong aquamarines set in a cluster of diamonds and a square aquamarine and diamond brooch to match.
to his daughter Princess Elizabeth in 1947. The suite consists of a long necklace of oblong sapphires surrounded by diamonds and a pair of matching square sapphire earrings also bordered with diamonds. The suite was originally made in 1850. The colour of the stones exactly matched the colour of the robes of the Order of the Garter
, although this may have been a coincidence on George's part. In 1952 Elizabeth had the largest sapphire of the necklace removed in order to shorten it. In 1959 she had a new pendant made using the removed stone. When Sir Noël Peirce Coward saw the Queen wearing the suite at the Royal Command Performance
in 1954 he wrote: "After the show we were lined up and presented to the Queen, Prince Philip and Princess Margaret. The Queen looked luminously lovely and was wearing the largest sapphires I have ever seen". In 1963 a new sapphire and diamond tiara and bracelet were made to match the original pieces. In 1969, the Queen wore the complete parure when she and the Duke of Edinburgh attended a charity concert.
Commissioned by Queen Victoria in 1858 from the diamonds from an old Garter badge this necklace and earrings were first seen in the Queen's Winterhalter portrait. The necklace consists of twenty-nine collet diamonds adding up to a weight of over 160 carats (32 g) of diamonds. The necklace contains a famous stone as the pendant named the Lahore Diamond which weights 22.48 carats (4.5 g). The earrings are of typical design, large brilliant followed by a smaller one, with a large pear shaped drop.
of their parents, it was decided that the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret should receive coronets to wear during the event. Elaborate coronets of gold lined with crimson and edged with ermine were designed by the crown jeweller and brought to the royal couple for inspection. The king and queen decided the coronets were too cumbersome and too ornate to be appropriate. Queen Mary suggested the coronets be simple circlets of silver gilt in a mediaeval style. The king agreed and the two coronets were designed with Maltese crosses and fleur-de-lys. After the coronation Queen Mary wrote "Lilibet [Elizabeth] and Margaret looked too sweet in their lace dresses and robes, especially when they put on their coronets.
, upon her engagement. In August 1935, Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott, the daughter of the 7th Duke of Buccleuch
, became engaged to Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
. On the announcement of the soon to be marriage wedding gifts were poured onto the happy couple. After her death the current Duchess of Gloucester has worn every parure known to have been given to her late mother-in-law Princess Alice.
The Queen Mary turquoise parure
was given to the young Princess Mary of Teck (Queen Mary) by her parents the Duke and Duchess of Teck when she became engaged to the future George V in 1893. During the beginning of the 20th century turquoise was a very fashionable stone and Queen Mary was aware of the Duchesses fondness of them. The parure consisted of:
A diamond and turquoise tiara arranged as rococo scrolls and a sunburst centre piece. The centre of the tiara contains the largest turquoise in the piece surrounds by a “burst” of diamonds and turquoise pear shaped stones, quite similar to the famous Persian tiaras of Empress Farah of Iran.
The Teck turquoise earrings are a set of diamond drop earrings with a turquoise centre surrounded by 13 diamond brilliants and a pear shaped turquoise drop, in the middle of diamond scrolls.
A long necklace of twenty-six turquoise and diamond clusters. This necklace was given to Queen Mary's mother Princess Mary Adelaide
and was worn at her first debutante review at Buckingham Palace.
Other pieces given to the Duchess of Gloucester that not much is known about most likely they are pieces commissioned by her husband,
A diamond & turquoise suite,
a diamond & turquoise and gold bangle,
two diamond and turquoise bow-brooches,
a smaller diamond and turquoise bow-brooch with diamond and turquoise tassel,
two alternate diamond and turquoise collets,
four-row chain bracelets with diamond wheat-ear on turquoise background snaps,
a turquoise and diamond ring and
a pair of turquoise and fancy cluster earrings.
Commonwealth Realm
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations that has Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state. The sixteen current realms have a combined land area of 18.8 million km² , and a population of 134 million, of which all, except about two million, live in the six...
s; currently Elizabeth II. The jewels are separate from the British Crown Jewels. The origin of a royal jewel collection distinct from the official crown jewels is vague, though it is thought that the jewels have their origin somewhere in the sixteenth century. Many of the pieces are from far away lands which were brought back to the United Kingdom as a result of civil war, coups and revolutions.
The official Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom are only worn at coronations (the St. Edward Crown used to crown the monarch) and the state opening of parliament (the Imperial State Crown). On all other formal occasions tiara
Tiara
A tiara is a form of crown. There are two possible types of crown that this word can refer to.Traditionally, the word "tiara" refers to a high crown, often with the shape of a cylinder narrowed at its top, made of fabric or leather, and richly ornamented. It was used by the kings and emperors of...
s are worn. British law prohibits the British Crown Jewels leaving the United Kingdom. When Her Majesty The Queen goes abroad she wears at formal events a tiara from her personal collection.
Value
There has never been a large scale valuation of the royal family’s personal collection of jewels. In 1989, Mr Laurence Krashes, for sixteen years the senior assessor to Harry Winston, attempted to make one. Its worth is dubious as he was denied access to any of the jewels and his valuations of their worth are strictly guess work. The Queen has never allowed any gemological study of her collection. Krashes assessment was based on the cut, setting and quality of the stones from pictures and records. Sales of jewellery from the estate of the late Princess Margaret, Countess of SnowdonPrincess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon was the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II and the younger daughter of King George VI....
fetched higher than expected prices due to their royal connection.
General history
Unlike the British Crown jewels which mainly date from the accession of King Charles II, the jewels in the Queen's personal collection are not crown regalia, or insignia of state. Most pieces in the collection were designed for female monarchs or consorts, although some male monarchs have also contributed to the collection. Some of the pieces from far away lands were brought back to the United Kingdom as a result of civil war and revolutions. In more recent years the monarch has worn pieces of the collection as head of state of her Commonwealth realms as the removal of the British Crown Jewels from the United Kingdom is prohibited. Elizabeth II can be seen wearing jewels from the her personal collection in official portraits in her capacity as Queen of Australia, Canada and New Zealand (see external links).The House of Hanover dispute
In 1714 when the Stuart line was forced to abandon the Throne, the Kingdom of Great BritainKingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
and the Kingdom of Hanover
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg , and joined with 38 other sovereign states in the German...
both came to be ruled in personal union by the British monarchs of the House of Hanover
House of Hanover
The House of Hanover is a deposed German royal dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , the Kingdom of Hanover, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
. Early Hanoverian monarchs were careful to keep the respective heirlooms separate. George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
gave half his British heirlooms to his bride, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was the Queen consort of the United Kingdom as the wife of King George III...
, as a wedding present. In her will, Charlotte left the jewels to the 'House of Hanover'. In the meantime the Kingdom of Hanover adopted the Salic Law
Salic law
Salic law was a body of traditional law codified for governing the Salian Franks in the early Middle Ages during the reign of King Clovis I in the 6th century...
s, stipulating that succession descended only through males. Thus when Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
acceded to the throne of the United Kingdom, Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale
Ernest Augustus I of Hanover
Ernest Augustus I was King of Hanover from 20 June 1837 until his death. He was the fifth son and eighth child of George III, who reigned in both the United Kingdom and Hanover...
, became King of Hanover. King Ernest demanded a portion of the jewelry, not only as the monarch of Hanover but also as the son of Queen Charlotte. Victoria flatly declined, claiming that the jewels had been bought with British money. Ernest's son George V of Hanover
George V of Hanover
George V was King of Hanover, the only child of Ernest Augustus I, and a grandchild of King George III of the United Kingdom. In the peerage of Great Britain, he was 2nd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, 2nd Earl of Armagh...
continued to press the claim. Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, suggested she make a financial settlement with the Hanoverian monarch to keep the jewels, but the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
informed the Queen they would neither purchase the jewels nor loan funds for the purpose. A Parliamentary commission was set up to investigate the matter, and in 1857 they found in favour of the House of Hanover. On 28 January 1858 the jewels were handed to the Hanoverian Ambassador, Count Kielmansegge.
The King George IV State Diadem
The diadem was also worn during the coronation procession of Queen Victoria, and later Elizabeth II. It is also worn by Elizabeth II in the procession to the State Opening of Parliament. It has featured in many portraits of the Queen, including one by Raphael Maklouf. The diadem featured on the world's first postage stamp, the "Penny Black
Penny Black
The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was issued in Britain on 1 May 1840, for official use from 6 May of that year....
" of 1840. Even now, the diadem can be seen on banknotes and coins throughout the Commonwealth realms. In her will, Queen Victoria left the diadem to the Crown, not only ensuring the diadem would be worn by future monarchs but thereby also making the diadem part of the British Crown Jewels.
The George III Tiara
The George III tiara (also known as the Russian Fringe Tiara) is a circlet incorporating brilliant diamonds that were formerly owned by George III. Originally commissioned in 1830, the tiara has since been worn by many Queens Consort. Originally it could be worn as a collar or necklace or mounted on a wire to form the tiara. Victoria first wore it as a tiara during a visit to the Royal Opera in 1839. In Franz Xaver Winterhalter's painting 'The First of May', made in 1851, Victoria can be seen wearing it as she holds Prince ArthurPrince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a member of the shared British and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha royal family who served as the Governor General of Canada, the 10th since Canadian Confederation.Born the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and...
, the future Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
The title Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was granted by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to her third son, Prince Arthur....
. In a delicate veiled reference to the adoration of the Magi, The Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
can be seen presenting the young prince with a gift, while Prince Albert looks on.
Queen Mary Fringe Tiara
This tiara (which can also be worn as a necklace) was made for Queen MaryMary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
in 1919. It is not, as has sometimes been claimed, made with diamonds that had belonged to George III but re-uses diamonds taken from a necklace/tiara purchased by Queen Victoria from Collingwood & Co as a wedding present for Queen Mary in 1893. In August 1936, Queen Mary gave the tiara to Queen Elizabeth.
When Queen Elizabeth, consort of George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
, first wore the tiara, Sir Henry "Chips" Channon
Henry Channon
Sir Henry "Chips" Channon was an American-born British Conservative politician, author and diarist. Channon moved to England in 1920 and became strongly anti-American, feeling that American cultural and economic views threatened traditional European and British civilisation. He wrote extensively...
called it 'an ugly spiked tiara'. Queen Elizabeth later loaned it to her daughter, Princess Elizabeth, the future Elizabeth II as "something borrowed" for her wedding in 1947. As Princess Elizabeth was getting dressed at Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
before leaving for Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
the tiara snapped. Luckily the court jeweller was standing by in case of emergency. The jeweller was rushed to his work room by a police escort. Queen Elizabeth reassured her daughter that it would be fixed in time, and it was. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother later also loaned it to her granddaughter The Princess Anne
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
for her marriage to Capt Mark Phillips
Mark Phillips
-Ancestry:-Issue:-Sources:...
in 1973. It was put on show with a number of other royal tiaras in 2001.
The Vladimir Tiara
Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
, who bought it from Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia
Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia
Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia 17 January 1882 – 13 March 1957, sometimes known as Helen, Helena, Helene, Ellen, Yelena, Hélène, or Eleni, was a Russian grand duchess as the daughter of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia and Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin...
. Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna, after her marriage to Prince Nicholas of Greece, known always as Princess Nicholas of Greece, had inherited it from her mother Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna. The tiara had been smuggled out of Russia by a British diplomat during the 1917 revolution. Over the years Princess Nicholas of Greece sold various pieces of jewellery from her personal collection; as a refugee, she had to sell the pieces to support her family and various charities.
Queen Mary had the tiara adapted to accommodate the attachment of fifteen of the Cambridge cabochon
Cabochon
A cabochon , from the Middle French caboche , is a gemstone which has been shaped and polished as opposed to faceted. The resulting form is usually a convex top with a flat bottom. Cutting en cabochon is usually applied to opaque gems, while faceting is usually applied to transparent stones...
emeralds. The original Teardrop pearls, originally in the Vladimir Tiara, could be replaced easily as an alternative to the emeralds. Elizabeth II inherited the piece directly from her grandmother. The Diamond and Pearl Tiara is almost exclusively worn with the Cambridge and Delhi Durbar Parure, which also features large emeralds. Elizabeth II wore this tiara for her official photograph as Queen of Canada, as none of the Commonwealth realms besides the United Kingdom has its own crown jewels.
The Burmese Ruby Tiara
The Burmese Ruby Tiara was ordered by Elizabeth II in 1973. The design is in the form of a wreath of red roses and like many other pieces in the collection, made by Garrard & CoGarrard & Co
Garrard & Co is a luxury jewellery and silver company founded by George Wickesin London in 1735. Its current base is at Albemarle Street in Mayfair, London, its USA flagship store is in New York. The company also has a presence in Tokyo, New York, Dubai, Moscow and Hong Kong...
. Clusters of rubies and gold form the centre of each flower while diamonds and silver form the petals. A total of 96 diamonds are set into the tiara. Both the rubies and the diamonds came from Elizabeth's private collection. The rubies were a wedding present by the Burmese people, after whom the tiara was named. The number of rubies represent the number of diseases that the people of Burma believe can affect the human body. They credit the rubies with having the ability to protect their owner from sickness and evil. The diamonds were also a wedding present by the Nizam of Hyderabad and Berar who at the time also possessed a vast jewellery collection.
The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara
The tiara was described by Leslie Field as "a diamond festoon-and-scroll design surmounted by nine large oriental pearls on diamond spikes and set on a bandeau base of alternate round and lozenge collets between two plain bands of diamonds". Elizabeth II usually wore the tiara without the base or pearls, however in recent years the base has been seen to have been reattached.
The Russian Kokoshnik Tiara
The Russian Kokoshnik Tiara was presented to Princess Alexandra, Princess of Wales, in 1888 by Lady Salisbury on behalf of 365 peeresses of the United Kingdom. Alexandra had requested that the tiara be in the fashionable design of a Russian girl's headdress, a kokoshnikKokoshnik
The kokoshnik is a traditional Russian head-dress worn by women and girls to accompany the sarafan. It is patterned to match the style of the sarafan and can be pointed or round. It is tied at the back of the head with long thick ribbons in a large bow. The forehead is sometimes decorated with...
. She knew the design well from a similar tiara belonging to her sister Marie Feodorovna, the Empress of Russia. The tiara was made by Garrard Jewellers and supervised by Lady Salisbury. It is made up of 61 platinum
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...
bars and encrusted with 488 diamonds, the largest of which being 3.25 carat (0.65 g) each. Princess Alexandra wrote to her aunt, the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz "The presents are quite magnificent. The ladies of society gave a lovely diamond spiked tiara".
Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara
Garrard was commissioned by Queen Mary in 1914 to create a copy of a tiara owned by her maternal grandmother Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel. The design for the tiara was changed by Queen Mary slightly. The tiara was made using diamonds and pearls already in the Queen's possession. Extremely French in its neo-classical design, the tiara consists of 19 openwork diamond frames each with a large oriental pearl drop. Each arch is below a lovers knot bow each centred with a large brilliant. The design is based on the tiara owned by Mary's grandmother, Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel, who married Prince Adolphus, Duke of CambridgePrince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge
The Prince Adolphus, 1st Duke of Cambridge , was the tenth child and seventh son of George III and Queen Charlotte. He held the title of Duke of Cambridge from 1801 until his death. He also served as Viceroy of Hanover on behalf of his brothers George IV and William IV...
(the seventh son of George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
). In her will Queen Mary left the tiara to her granddaughter Elizabeth II. The Queen later gave it to Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
as a wedding present. She wore it often during her marriage however on her divorce from HRH The Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
, it was returned to HM The Queen.
Princess Andrew of Greece's Meander Tiara
This tiara was wedding gift to then Princess Elizabeth from her mother-in-law Princess Andrew of Greece and DenmarkPrincess Alice of Battenberg
Princess Alice of Battenberg, later Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark was the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and mother-in-law of Elizabeth II....
(born Princess Alice of Battenberg). The meander tiara is in the classical Greek 'key pattern' featuring a large brilliant cut diamond in the centre surrounded by a diamond wreath. The tiara also incorporates a central wreath of leaves and scrolls on either side. The Queen has never worn it in public and it was given to Princess Anne around 1972. Princess Anne has frequently worn the tiara in public, notably during her engagement to Mark Phillips. In July 2011 the Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
lent the meander tiara to her daughter Zara Philips for her wedding to Mike Tindall
Mike Tindall
Michael James Tindall, MBE is an English rugby player who plays outside centre for Gloucester Rugby and has captained the England team...
.
1936 Cartier Halo Tiara
This tiara was purchased by The Duke of York (later George VI) for his Duchess (later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother) three weeks before he succeeded his brother as King. It is a rolling cascade of scrolls that converge in a central ornament surmounted by a brilliant diamond. The tiara was borrowed by her daughter, Princess MargaretPrincess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon was the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II and the younger daughter of King George VI....
, before the Queen gave Margaret the Persian Turquoise Tiara. The tiara was then presented to Margaret's sister, Princess Elizabeth (later Elizabeth II), by her mother on the occasion of her 18th birthday. Elizabeth II later lent the tiara to her daughter Princess Anne
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
before she received the Greek Meander Tiara from her mother in 1972. The tiara was lent to Catherine Middleton for her wedding to Prince William on 29 April 2011.
Queen Victoria's Stud Earrings
A pair of large, perfectly matched brilliant cut diamonds which Queen Victoria had set as earstuds.Diamond Pear Drop Earrings
A set of gold and diamond earrings consisting of two large brilliant diamonds as the studs, below a smaller brilliant followed by a large pear shaped diamond drop. The diamonds were family stones. Diana, Princess of Wales borrowed them from Queen Elizabeth in 1983 during her first official visit to Australia. At a banquet she wore the earrings along with a tiara of her family's collection.The King George VI Chandelier Earrings
These earrings are long chandelier earrings consisting of every cut of diamond. The earrings end in three large drops displaying every known modern cut of diamond. They were a wedding present in 1947 to Princess Elizabeth from her father and mother, the King and Queen. Elizabeth was not able to wear them until she had her ears pierced. When it was noticed that she had had her ears pierced doctors and jewellers found themselves inundated with women anxious to have their ears pierced too. Elizabeth was ordered to have her ears pierced as a young adult, which in today's world would be becoming a teenager. Women in Great Britain followed her lead of elegance.Festoon Necklace
The Queen Mother's Collet Necklace
For the coronation of her husband, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother wore Queen Victoria's collet necklace along with a much larger one. Details of the necklace weight have not been disclosed. It is clear from photos that this necklace contains approximately 45 large diamond collets.King Faisal of Saudi Arabia Necklace
Given to the Queen in 1967 by King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, the necklace is a fringe necklace in design and is set with brilliant and baguette diamonds. Made by Harry Winston, King Faisal bought the necklace and presented it to her on a state visit to the United Kingdom in 1967. The Queen wore this necklace when King Faisal gave a banquet in honour of Elizabeth in the Dorchester hotel before his departure. The Queen also loaned this necklace to Diana, Princess of Wales during a state visit to Australia in 1983.The King Khalid of Saudi Arabia Necklace
Another gift from Saudi Arabia this necklace was given to the Queen by King Khalid of Saudi ArabiaKhalid of Saudi Arabia
Khalid bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud was King of Saudi Arabia from 1975 to 1982. He ruled during Saudi Arabia's oil boom years. In 1979, he had to deal with the Grand Mosque Seizure...
in 1979, the necklace is of the sunray design and contains round and pear shaped diamonds. The necklace was also made by Harry Winston and often loaned to Diana, Princess of Wales by the Queen.
The Queen Anne and Queen Caroline Pearl Necklaces
Caroline of Ansbach
Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach was the queen consort of King George II of Great Britain.Her father, John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, was the ruler of a small German state...
on the other hand had a great deal of valuable jewellery including no less than four fine pearl necklaces. She wore all of her pearl necklaces to her coronation but afterwards had the fifty finest selected to make one larger necklace. In 1947 both necklaces were given to then Princess Elizabeth by her father as a wedding present. On 20 November 1947, the day the then Princess Elizabeth was to get married to Prince Philip, she realised she had left her pearls at St James's Palace. Elizabeth particularly wished to wear the pearls and asked her Private Secretary John Colville to travel there to retrieve them. Colville ended up in the quadrangle where he commandeered Haakon VII
Haakon VII of Norway
Haakon VII , known as Prince Carl of Denmark until 1905, was the first king of Norway after the 1905 dissolution of the personal union with Sweden. He was a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg...
of Norway's big Daimler. Traffic that morning had stopped so even the King of Norway's car with its royal flag flying could not get anywhere. Colville continued his journey to the palace on foot. When he arrived there he had to explain his odd story to the guards who were now guarding the Princess's over 2,660 wedding presents. After finding the Private Secretary's name on a wedding programme they admitted him and Colville was able to get the pearls to the Princess in time for her portrait in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace.
"Granny's Chips" - Cullinan III & IV
Known as "Granny's Chips", the Cullinan III and Cullinan IV were two of several stones cut from the Cullinan DiamondCullinan Diamond
The Cullinan diamond is the largest rough gem-quality diamond ever found, at .The largest polished gem from the stone is named Cullinan I or the Great Star of Africa, and at was the largest polished diamond in the world until the 1985 discovery of the Golden Jubilee Diamond, , also from the...
in 1905. The large diamond found in South Africa was presented to Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
on his birthday. Two of the stones cut from the diamond were the 94.4 carats (18.9 g) Cullinan III, a clear pear shaped stone. The other a 63.6 carats (12.7 g) cushion shaped stone. Queen Mary
Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
had these stones made into a brooch with the Cullinan IV hanging from the III. Elizabeth II inherited the piece from her grandmother in 1953. The brooch is the most valuable brooch in the world with a value of over £50,000,000.
Queen Victoria's Bow Brooches
Commissioned by Queen Victoria in 1858, Garrards made a set of three large bow brooches containing more 506 diamonds. There is no record or picture of Queen Victoria ever wearing them; Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and the Queen were seen wearing them frequently. The brooches are often adjusted to contain a large pearl or emerald diamond drop. Queen Mary was pictured on more than one occasion with the Lesser-Cullinan diamonds as the drops. Estimated at £75,000 each by Mr Krashes in 1989, resulting in an approximate value for the set of £225,000.The Prince Albert Sapphire Brooch
Brazil Parure
The George VI Victorian Suite
The George VI Victorian Suite was originally a wedding present by George VIGeorge VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
to his daughter Princess Elizabeth in 1947. The suite consists of a long necklace of oblong sapphires surrounded by diamonds and a pair of matching square sapphire earrings also bordered with diamonds. The suite was originally made in 1850. The colour of the stones exactly matched the colour of the robes of the Order of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
, although this may have been a coincidence on George's part. In 1952 Elizabeth had the largest sapphire of the necklace removed in order to shorten it. In 1959 she had a new pendant made using the removed stone. When Sir Noël Peirce Coward saw the Queen wearing the suite at the Royal Command Performance
Royal Command Performance
For the annual Royal Variety Performance performed in Britain for the benefit of the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund, see Royal Variety Performance...
in 1954 he wrote: "After the show we were lined up and presented to the Queen, Prince Philip and Princess Margaret. The Queen looked luminously lovely and was wearing the largest sapphires I have ever seen". In 1963 a new sapphire and diamond tiara and bracelet were made to match the original pieces. In 1969, the Queen wore the complete parure when she and the Duke of Edinburgh attended a charity concert.
Queen Victoria's Collet Necklace and Earrings
The Coronation Coronets
In 1937 before the coronationCoronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
of their parents, it was decided that the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret should receive coronets to wear during the event. Elaborate coronets of gold lined with crimson and edged with ermine were designed by the crown jeweller and brought to the royal couple for inspection. The king and queen decided the coronets were too cumbersome and too ornate to be appropriate. Queen Mary suggested the coronets be simple circlets of silver gilt in a mediaeval style. The king agreed and the two coronets were designed with Maltese crosses and fleur-de-lys. After the coronation Queen Mary wrote "Lilibet [Elizabeth] and Margaret looked too sweet in their lace dresses and robes, especially when they put on their coronets.
Introduction
The collection known as the “Gloucester Jewels” is mainly the collection of jewels given to Princess Alice, Duchess of GloucesterPrincess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester
Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester was a member of the British Royal Family, the wife and then widow of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the third son of George V and Queen Mary.The daughter of the 7th Duke of Buccleuch & Queensberry, Scotland’s largest landowner, her brothers Walter and...
, upon her engagement. In August 1935, Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott, the daughter of the 7th Duke of Buccleuch
John Montagu Douglas Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch
John Charles Montagu Douglas Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch and 9th Duke of Queensberry KT GCVO was a Scottish Member of Parliament and peer.-Early life, marriage and family:...
, became engaged to Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
The Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester was a soldier and member of the British Royal Family, the third son of George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary....
. On the announcement of the soon to be marriage wedding gifts were poured onto the happy couple. After her death the current Duchess of Gloucester has worn every parure known to have been given to her late mother-in-law Princess Alice.
Mary of Teck Turquoise Parure
Parure
A parure is a set of various items of matching jewelry, which rose to popularity in 17th century Europe.Beyond various items of matching jewelry, a parure is an entire wardrobe, or suite, of matching jewelry...
was given to the young Princess Mary of Teck (Queen Mary) by her parents the Duke and Duchess of Teck when she became engaged to the future George V in 1893. During the beginning of the 20th century turquoise was a very fashionable stone and Queen Mary was aware of the Duchesses fondness of them. The parure consisted of:
A diamond and turquoise tiara arranged as rococo scrolls and a sunburst centre piece. The centre of the tiara contains the largest turquoise in the piece surrounds by a “burst” of diamonds and turquoise pear shaped stones, quite similar to the famous Persian tiaras of Empress Farah of Iran.
The Teck turquoise earrings are a set of diamond drop earrings with a turquoise centre surrounded by 13 diamond brilliants and a pear shaped turquoise drop, in the middle of diamond scrolls.
A long necklace of twenty-six turquoise and diamond clusters. This necklace was given to Queen Mary's mother Princess Mary Adelaide
Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge
Princess Mary Adelaide Wilhelmina Elizabeth of Cambridge was a member of the British Royal Family, a granddaughter of George III, and great-grandmother of Elizabeth II. She held the title of Duchess of Teck through marriage.Mary Adelaide is remembered as the mother of Queen Mary, the consort of...
and was worn at her first debutante review at Buckingham Palace.
Other pieces given to the Duchess of Gloucester that not much is known about most likely they are pieces commissioned by her husband,
A diamond & turquoise suite,
a diamond & turquoise and gold bangle,
two diamond and turquoise bow-brooches,
a smaller diamond and turquoise bow-brooch with diamond and turquoise tassel,
two alternate diamond and turquoise collets,
four-row chain bracelets with diamond wheat-ear on turquoise background snaps,
a turquoise and diamond ring and
a pair of turquoise and fancy cluster earrings.
External links
- Elizabeth II wearing the George IV State Diadem
- Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret wearing their Coronation Coronets
- Elizabeth II wearing the Kokoshnik Tiara
- Elizabeth II wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara
- Elizabeth II wearing the Burmese Ruby Tiara
- Elizabeth II New Zealand State Portrait
- Elizabeth II Canada State Portrait
