Thursday, March 14, 2013

Focus on... Camilla's Jewels: Faberge Lily of the Valley Brooch

Nikita Khrushchev, then First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, presented British royal ladies with several exquisite gifts during his 1956 visit to the United Kingdom.
Fabergé Lily of the Valley Brooch
The jewellery gifts included a diamond and sapphire brooch for Queen Elizabeth, a smaller diamond and sapphire brooch for Princess Margaret, and a Lily of the Valley Brooch for the Queen Mother (the non-jewellery gifts included a bear cub for Princess Anne, an Arabian horse for Prince Charles, and an Akhal Teke horse for Prince Philip). 

It is the Queen Mother’s gift that is the focus of this article. The Lily of the Valley Brooch was created by Fabergé the stem was made of white gold adorned with diamonds, while the rest of the brooch bears unmistakable Fabergé characteristics.
Camilla wearing the brooch for Laura's wedding in 2006 (left), to Battle of Britain Service in 2007 (middle), and to Trooping the Colour 2008 (right)
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother never wore the brooch in public to the best of my knowledge, however her granddaughter-in-law has had a very good use of it. In fact, this beautiful brooch is one of Camilla’s most favourite and often-worn pieces. 

The Duchess has worn it to numerous events since joining the Royal Family, most notably to the wedding of her daughter, Laura Parker Bowles and Harry Lopes, Battle of Britain Service in 2006, official visit to Egypt in 2006, Trooping the Colour 2008, and official visit to Spain in 2011. 
Other occasions Camilla wore Lily of the Valley Brooch to
I can see why is Camilla so fond of this lovely brooch; it’s both delicate and very beautiful.

Remember, this whole week is dedicated to the Duchess of Cornwall’s jewellery collection. You can always check out jewels already covered here.

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for this series, Artemisia! I had never paid much attention to Camilla's jewels until this week. Thanks for the blog--I check it every day.

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    1. I am really glad you enjoy the series, and thanks for visiting the blog regularly! I hope there will always be new content of interest for you. :)

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