Requests Sunday: The Spanish Mellerio Shell Tiara

I was really glad to receive requests for this particular tiara because it happens to be my favourite in the Spanish collection. 

Mellerio Shell Tiara

This tiara was created Mellerio jewellery house in 1867. It is known as the Shell Tiara because of its shape. It is also sometimes called La Chata because the tiara’s first owner, Infanta Isabel, was known by that nickname. 

This beautiful Mellerio creation resembles a shell full of pearl and diamond drops that move with the wearer’s moves, creating a rather mesmerising effect. It also bears a resemblance to ocean waves. Seven beautiful pearls and a number of quite large, pear-shape diamonds adorn the “inside” of the shell. There is also a removable diamond drop suspended from the bottom centre of the tiara, but it is rarely attached nowadays.

Requests Sunday: Crown Princess Margaret's Egyptian Necklace

I missed the last two Requests Sunday (sorry for that) so, as promised, today we have three entries. The first article is dedicated to Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden's Egyptian Necklace - a piece that has been requested several times since Princess Lilian's death on 10 March.

Crown Princess Margaret's Egyptian Necklace

This interesting an unusual necklace is adorned with rubies, emeralds, diamonds and a sapphire, and decorated with scarabs. It was made by Jeweller Koch of Frankfurt in 1905. 

The necklace was a wedding gift to Margaret of Connaught from King Gustaf V of Sweden and Victoria of Baden on the occasion of Margaret’s marriage to their son, Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf (future Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden).

British Royal Jewels: Queen Elizabeth's Jardine Star Brooch

The Jardine Star Brooch is one of the Queen's most frequently worn jewels of late.

The Jardine Star Brooch

Very little is actually known about this jewel. The scarce information that we do possess comes mainly from Leslie Field’s ‘The Queen’s Jewels’: "In 1981 the Queen was left a late-Victorian diamond star brooch by Lady Jardine, which she has worn on many occasions. It has a collet diamond on a knife-wire between each of its eight points." 

Lady Jardine was a Scottish aristocrat, a member of the old Clan Jardine of Scotland; most probably, she was the wife of the Chief of the Clan. Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be more information about this lady, or reasons why she chose to leave the brooch to the Queen.

Jewel of the Day - March 31: The Queen wears the Jardine Star Brooch

We début our “Jewel of the Day” series with one of the Queen’s most worn brooches as of late. For today’s Sunday Easter Service, the Queen wore the beautiful Jardine Star brooch.

The Jardine Star Brooch is a late-Victorian diamond star brooch, which was gifted to Queen Elizabeth by Lady Jardine in 1981. More on the brooch here - Queen Elizabeth's Jardine Star Brooch.

Don't forget to check the other jewels worn by Queen Elizabeth in 2013 (so far), which includes a handy "Leaderboard" of her brooches! At this point, the Gold Dahlia Brooch is in the lead, although the Jardine Star isn't far behind!

British Royal Jewels: Queen Mary's Larger Pearl Button Earrings

Queen Elizabeth has inherited from Queen Mary a larger pair of pearl button earrings, which are very similar to Ladies of Devonshire Earrings, which also belonged to Queen Mary.

Larger Pearl Button Earrings

The main difference between the two earrings is the size and setting of the diamond: this pair has a slightly larger diamond (hence the name) in a claw setting, whereas the Devonshire Earrings feature a tiny round brilliant. 

There is some confusion between the two because the Royal Collection website refers to this pair the Ladies of Devonshire Earrings, while Leslie Field’s “The Queen’s Jewels” identifies the smaller pearl button earrings as the Devonshire pair.

British Royal Jewels: Queen Mary's Ladies of Devonshire Earrings

The Ladies of Devonshire Earrings are the ones Queen Elizabeth wears on virtually all daytime engagements.

Ladies of Devonshire Earrings

In 1893 a fund was opened by Lady Elizabeth Biddulph to raise money for a wedding present for Princess May of Teck. A pearl and diamond necklace, which could be converted into a tiara, was designed and made by the jewellers Hunt and Roskell. The presentation was made on behalf of “Ladies of England”. 

A subsidiary committee, chaired by Lady Clinton, had raised enough money from the “Ladies of Devonshire” to add this matching pair of pearl button earrings, each with a small diamond on top.

British Royal Jewels: Queen Elizabeth’s Engagement and Wedding Rings

We don’t get to see much of the Queen’s Engagement Ring because it is usually hidden under her trademark white gloves. Every woman’s engagement ring is special but the Queen’s ring is among her most important jewels sentiments-wise because of its provenance as well.

Queen Elizabeth's Engagement Ring

When Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten proposed to Princess Elizabeth, he presented her with a simple yet timeless ring: a 3 carat diamond solitaire as a centrepiece, flanked by five smaller diamonds on each side, all set in platinum. 

Princess Alice wearing the tiara diamonds from which were used to create Queen Elizabeth's engagement ring

The diamonds were taken from a tiara owned by Prince Philip’s mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg. Prince Philip personally designed the ring which was eventually created by London jeweller Philip Antrobus LTD.

Jewels worn by Queen Elizabeth in 2013 (so far)

Most of the times, the Queen wears the same jewellery with the exception of her trademark brooches, which she does change quite often. Inevitably, that means the main focus will be on the brooches, with occasional surprises during State Banquets and similar events.

Worn at all events unless otherwise mentioned

Queen Mary’s Ladies of Devonshire Earrings
Wedding and Engagement Rings
Three-Strand Pearl Necklace

January 
Amethyst Bouquet Brooch for a Church Service at Sandringham on January 6
Trefoil Brooch for a Church Service at Sandringham on January 13
Delhi Durbar Emerald Brooch for a Church Service at Sandringham on January 20
Jardine Star Brooch for a meeting of the Sandringham Women's Institute on January 24
Grapes Brooch for a Church Service at Sandringham on January 27

And the the last regular feature...

As some of you might have noticed, I was a bit inactive during this past week. Firstly, my apologies for that, especially to all of you guys who submitted requests for Requests Sunday. I know I've missed two of those in a row, but I'll make up with not one but three entries this Sunday. I am also a bit behind the Focus On... series dedicated to the Duchess of Cornwall's jewels. Again, sorry for that!

My inactivity was mainly due to the fact I was busy reorganising my notes and personal pictures database to introduce the latest and, at this point, final regular feature of this blog - Jewel of the Day.

The title pretty much sums it up, really: it will introduce jewels as and when worn by royal ladies. If the said jewel doesn't already have a post dedicated to it, one will be promptly made (which is one I needed to bring my notes into order). Now, covering all ladies of all Royal Houses would be pretty much impossible, so the main focus of this feature will be British royal ladies (mainly, the Queen and the Duchess of Cornwall), with occasional honorary mentions from other Royal Houses.

Since we are nearing the end of March, and there have already been quite a few appearances by royals, I'll sum them up in a post that will follow this one, while all new jewellery sightings will get a much more detailed notice.

Jewel of the Day will join Focus On... and Requests Sunday as a regular feature of this blog. Just as a reminder, Focus On... is dedicated to the jewellery collection of an individual, a Royal House or a branch of a Royal House, while Requests Sunday covers jewels you want to see.

Anyway, hope you enjoy the regular features and the blog in general! :)
As usual, if you have any questions or requests, just send me a message: I'll try to respond as soon as possible.

Artemisia

Focus on. Camilla's Jewels: Van Cleef & Arpels Magic Alhambra Earrings

Another Van Cleef & Arpels pieces from the Duchess of Cornwall’s collection are these beautiful earrings.

Van Cleef & Arpels Magic Alhambra Earrings

Ever since 1968, Alhambra – Van Cleef & Arpels’ symbol of luck – has appeared in a variety of elegant guises, inspired by different materials and occasions. All of these Magic Alhambra pieces are individually numbered and signed by Van Cleef & Arpels.

Egyptian Royal Jewels: Queen Nazli's Diamond Rose Necklace and Clips

The stunning set was commissioned by Queen Nazli of Egypt in 1938. 

Queen Nazli of Egypt's Diamond Roses Necklace

The demi-parure consisted of a necklace that featured two large roses and several leaves, pave-set with diamonds and in a platinum frame. There were also matching dress clips which could also be worn as hair ornaments. 

Along with quite a few other stunning pieces from the Queen’s jewellery collection, this set is believed to have been sold while Nazli was in exile in the United States during the reign of her son, Farouk I. Unfortunately, because of Egypt’s somewhat turbulent history, it is very hard to trace the fate of most of the royal jewels. 

Focus on... Camilla's Jewels: Boucheron Honeycomb Tiara

The Boucheron Honeycomb Tiara used to be one of the Queen Mother’s signature jewels and has become an equally signature piece of the Duchess of Cornwall.

Boucheron Honeycomb Tiara in its current form

The tiara consists of diamonds set in platinum in a contemporary honeycomb and lozenge design. Originally a strictly symmetrical piece, it was remodelled to add several brilliant-cut diamonds and a single marquise-cut one. 

Boucheron created the original diadem for Mrs Greville in 1901 using diamonds from her own collection. By 1920s, that design of the tiara grew out of fashion and so Mrs Greville commissioned the same firm to make a more contemporary piece using the stone from the old tiara. The work was done by Lucien Hirtz, chief designer of Boucheron in Paris. The new tiara was executed in strict geometrical honeycomb style.

Focus on... Camilla's Jewels: Van Cleef & Arpels Ballerina Brooch

The Duchess of Cornwall has quite a few stunning pieces from Van Cleef & Arpels but my favourite among her collection is this lovely ballerina brooch.

In the 1940s, Van Cleef & Arpels created widely-copied, beautiful ballerina brooches. The inspiration for this High Jewellery collection was the collaboration between Claude Arpels and the renowned choreographer George Balanchine, which gave rise to the ballet Jewels in 1967. 

Van Cleef & Arpels Ballerina Brooch

An ode to femininity, the ballet series is dedicated to three exceptional gemstones and three different styles of ballet: emeralds with Fauré, rubies with Stravinsky, and diamonds with Tchaikovsky. 

Focus on... Camilla's Jewels: Pearl and Aquamarine Choker

One of the Duchess of Cornwall favourite pieces is undoubtedly her aquamarine choker.

The Duchess of Cornwall's Aquamarine Choker

The three-string pearl choker features a spectacular detachable step-cut aquamarine pendant with brooch fitting. The aquamarine nests in an elaborate yellow gold scrollwork frame which also features ten brilliants.

The provenance of the choker was long disputed; some said it was a gift from the Prince Charles, while others claimed she got it from her first husband, Andrew Parker Bowles. However, it was eventually revealed that the choker is actually a family heirloom which the Duchess had inherited from her mother, the Honourable Rosalind Cubitt.

British Royal Jewels: Queen's Gold Dahlia (Frosted Sunflower) Brooch

The Frosted Sunflower Brooch is one of the Queen’s favourites, and one of the few pieces especially designed for her.

Frosted Sunflower Brooch

The brooch, also known as the Sunflower Brooch or the Gold Dahlia Brooch was commissioned by Garrard & Co in early 1970s. The brooch is made of gold in the form of a sunflower or dahlia. The centre of the brooch and the petals are adorned with 31 diamonds; the largest diamond is in the middle and is surrounded by nine smaller pear-shaped stones.

Focus on... Camilla's Jewels: The Diamond Serpent Necklace

One of the Duchess of Cornwall’s signature jewels is her diamond serpent necklace.

The Diamond Serpent Necklace

The necklace consists of round and square-cut diamonds that adorn the serpent’s body, set in a platinum frame. The head of the snake is decked with smaller round diamonds, with two tiny rubies for the eyes. The Serpent Necklace is purported to be a gift from the Prince of Wales, presented before their wedding. Camilla has been wearing the necklace since at least 2001

Focus on... Camilla's Jewels: The Cartier Watch

The Duchess of Cornwall is inseparable from her Cartier watch, which she wears to virtually all of her daytime engagements.

Must de Cartier watch (left), and the watch as worn by the Duchess of Cornwall (right)

The watch is a vintage Must de Cartier Vermeil one. Based on the design and the inscriptions inside, it was probably made in 1980s. This watch features a vermeil case (a solid sterling silver case with heavy gold plating), a 17-jewel manual-wind movement, and a cream coloured dial with black Roman numerals.

Focus on... Camilla's Jewels: Diamond Necklace and Earrings

One of the most-worn necklaces in Camilla’s collection is this gorgeous necklace and matching earrings.

The Diamond Necklace

The necklace is composed of pear, marquise and oval-shaped diamonds of varying sizes. It alternates between two rows of larger diamonds and three rows of smaller ones. The ear pendants consist of seven pear shaped diamonds. The largest diamond hangs from the centre. 

These jewels, like many in the Duchess’s collection, were purchased by her husband. Prince Charles bought a diamond tiara for the specific purpose of creating a stunning necklace for Camilla. Whether the earrings were also made from the stones of that tiara or they are just a well-matched pair of an entirely different origin, isn't known.

Serbian Royal Jewels: Marie of Romania’s Golden Diadem with Cross

Yugoslavian Royals once had one of the most magnificent collections of jewels among the Royal Houses, so it is somewhat sad to discuss the few remnants of the former glory. 

Marie of Romania's Golden Diadem

Queen Marie of Romania had truly fantastic jewels that originated from the Yugoslavian Royal Family (mostly, made or purchased especially for her), and from the Russian Imperial Family (her mother was Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, daughter of Alexander II), and even some pieces from the British Royal House (her father was Prince Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the second son of Queen Victoria). 

This golden diadem was made for Queen Marie of Romania in late 1910s. It is composed of flower motifs with a large Orthodox Cross in the middle. There are no precious stones, no additional decorations – just a plain solid gold. 

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.

Focus on... Camilla's Jewels: The Keppel Ruby and Diamond Tiara

The Keppel Tiara is a family heirloom that belongs personally to the Duchess of Cornwall.

The Keppel Tiara/Necklace

It was originally a gift from Edward VII to his most famous favourite, Alice Keppel – Camilla’s great-grandmother. Alice received many gifts of jewellery from the King, most of which were inherited by her younger daughter Sonia (later, Baroness Ashcombe). 

The tiara is made of gold and platinum set with diamonds and synthetic rubies. The choice of synthetic and not real rubies may be explained by the fact that synthetic tones were relatively new at the time and were in high demand. The tiara can be converted into a necklace, and the only known occasion of Camilla wearing this piece is in that form.

Focus on... Camilla's Jewels: Hesse Diamond Jubilee Brooch

This lovely brooch is a family heirloom that once belonged to Queen Victoria.

Hesse Diamond Jubilee Brooch

The Diamond and Sapphire Brooch was given to Victoria by her Hesse grandchildren – namely, Princess Victoria (later, Marchioness of Milford Haven - the Duke of Edinburgh’s grandmother), Princess Elizabeth (later, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia), Princess Irene (later, Princess Henry of Prussia), Prince Ernst Ludwig (later, Grand Duke of Hesse), and Princess Alix (later, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia). 

At the time the gift was made, it was described as a "brooch with an open pendant heart of diamonds bearing in the centre the number "60" in Slavonic characters. It has on the top a cabochon sapphire and two large sapphire drops." The description matches this brooch perfectly, so there is no doubt in my mind it is one and the same (thanks to Noel Q. for noticing the third sapphire on the top which I somehow missed).

Focus On... Camilla's Jewels

Time for our next Focus On... series installation dedicated to the wonderful and ever-growing collection of the Duchess of Cornwall. Before posting articles on actual jewels, a little introduction is in order.

Not all jewels that are to be covered actually belong to the Duchess. Some of them, such as the Delhi Durbar, Boucheron, and Teck Crescent Tiaras are a loan from Her Majesty. Others, such as the Saudi Parures, may have been gifted to Camilla but they don’t actually belong to her (gifts received on official engagements automatically become Crown property and are on a lifelong loan to the person they were gifted to). 

The jewels the Queen loans to the Duchess are mainly from the late Queen Mother’s collection. Mind you, Camilla has also worn pieces from the collection of most other British Queens including Victoria (the Diamond and Sapphire Brooch), Alexandra (the Heart-Shaped Amethyst Brooch), and Mary (Delhi Durbar Tiara). 

The jewels that come from her family collection may also sometimes have a royal connection through Alice Keppel, the most famous of Edward VII’s favourites and Camilla’s direct ancestress. One such piece is the Keppel tiara/necklace – a gift from King Edward. Prince Charles has also bought back a lot of Keppel pieces sold over the years for Camilla. 

The fact the Duchess has worn quite a few pieces from the famous Greville bequest may at first glance seem insignificant: after all, Camilla has use of many of the jewels that formerly belonged to the Queen Mother. But there is actually another reason too - Mrs Greville was a close friend of Sonia Keppel and a godmother to Sonia’s daughter, Rosalind Cubitt. The latter is of course the Duchess of Cornwall’s mother. Although Mrs Greville left most of her immensely valuable jewellery collection to Queen Elizabeth (The Queen Mother), she didn't forget her goddaughter either. In her will, she specifically mentioned Rosalind: “...to my goddaughter Rosalind Cubitt, a legacy of £500, my cultured pearls, and all my wearing apparel including my laces, furs and all my trinkets”. I wonder whether we have seen Camilla wearing some of those trinkets without realising. 

Requests Sunday: Empress Maria Feodorovna's Sapphire Parure

As promised, today I present you the most requested piece ever since I started this blog. Hope you'll enjoy it!

Empress Maria Feodorovna's Sapphire Parure

The Romanovs had one of the most impressive jewellery collections of all times. None of the current Houses, not even the British one, can match the splendour of the Romanov Court. One of the most interesting and, unfortunately, mysterious parures belonged to Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia, wife of Alexander III and mother of Nicholas II. 

The Empress is depicted wearing this parure (most of it anyway) of the famous portrait by Konstantin Makovsky. The sketch for the portrait was actually drawn at the wedding celebrations of Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna, the daughter of Emperor Alexander II (and thus Maria Feodorovna’s sister-in-law) who married Prince Alfred, the son of Queen Victoria. 

Maria Feodorovna wearing her sapphire parure

British Royal Jewels: Queen Victoria’s Turkish Rosette Necklace

Queen Victoria was given a personal gift of a large number of diamonds by Sultan Mahmud of Turkey in 1838. The following year, the Queen commissioned Rundell & Bridge, the firm that held the royal warrant at the time, to create a necklace and earrings using some of the diamonds. Because of the provenance of the stones, Victoria referred to the set as “my Turkish diamond necklace and earrings”. 

Turkish Rosette Necklace

The necklace featured three diamond rosettes – one large and two smaller ones – connected to each other by three strands of diamonds. At the back, two large oval diamonds connected via two rows of diamonds to the smaller rosettes on one side, and to the clasp on the other. The clasp itself featured a massive diamond in a frame of smaller stones. 

Swedish Royal Jewels: Queen Josephine's Pearl and Ruby Brooch

Just as with the Bernadotte Diamond Rose Brooch, this jewel is nowadays most often worn as a hair ornament as well.

Queen Josephine's Pearl and Ruby Brooch

As the name suggests, this pearl and ruby brooch originally belonged to Josephine of Leuchtenberg, wife of King Oscar I of Sweden. It is in a form of a flower; five pearls nest in a frame of rubies, while the rest of the jewel is encrusted with diamonds.

King Oscar presented this brooch to his wife in 1830s. It was a symbolic present since the five pearls in the brooch represented the couple's five children - Carl (future Carl XV), Gustaf, Oscar (future Oscar II), Eugenie, and August.

Swedish Royal Jewels: Bernadotte Diamodn Rose Brooch

The Swedish Royal ladies are known for their inventive ways of incorporating jewels into their hairstyles. Not content with the huge number of tiaras and hairpieces, they adapt other jewels for the purpose.

Bernadotte Rose Brooch

Among such jewels is the Bernadotte Diamond Rose Brooch. It is the form of a beautiful rose on a short stem, surrounded by leaves and rosebuds, all encrusted with diamonds.

New feature and the next Jewels of the Week

Hello everyone!

I am exited to announce a new feature for this blog, as well as who the next Jewels of the Week will be dedicated to.

New feature - Requests Sunday
Ever since this blog launched, I have received a greater support from the readers than I could ever hope or anticipate. Many of you have made brilliant suggestions about topics and individual jewels: some of them I have already covered, and the others will be written about in due course. The covering has been a bit chaotic though so I decided to dedicate a whole day just to the pieces that you would like to see covered.

Requests Sunday is going to be that day. Every Sunday, starting tomorrow, I will write about the jewels you would like to see featured in this blog. The very first Requests Sunday will be dedicated to the single most requested piece ever - Maria Feodorovna's Sapphire Parure. Ever since I wrote an entry on Empress Maria Feodorovna's Sapphire Choker, many of you contacted me with a request to write about the parure that featured in one of the portraits of that post. Tomorrow I'll do just that, so stay tuned!

Jewels of the Week
The next installation of our Jewels of the Week series will be dedicated to the collection of the Duchess of Cornwall.
The following jewels will be covered:
- Camilla's Tiaras (both those loaned to her by the Queen and the ones from her family)
- Camilla's Necklaces (with special attention to her magnificent chokers and the Saudi sets)
- Camilla's Brooches (not all of them, I'm afraid, but certainly the most important or interesting ones)
- Camilla's Other Jewels (some of the other pieces such as the engagement ring, the watches, bracelets, earrings, and so on).

The Duchess's jewels will be the focus of this blog from March 13 to March 20, although I may cheat a bit and extend the "week" for a couple of additional days (as I did with the Kent Jewels). As usual, other pieces will be covered in between articles on Camilla's collection.

You are always welcome to leave a message for me in the blog, via mail, twitter or Facebook: I read every single one of them and try to respond to them as soon as possible.

Artemisia

British Royal Jewels: Queen Victoria's Orange Blossom Parure

This parure is not by any means among the grandest or most important jewels in the royal collection, but it is definitely one of the most symbolic and sentimental ones. One of the very first jewellery gifts Prince Albert gave his then fiancée was a gold and porcelain brooch in the form of a sprig of orange blossom.

The Orange Blossom Parure

It was a thoughtful gift because orange blossom is a symbol of chastity and has traditionally been been associated with betrothal in both England and Germany. Perhaps for that reason, Queen Victoria wore sprays of real orange blossom in her hair and on her bodice on the day of her wedding.

Danish Royal Jewels: Queen Margrethe's Naasut Tiara and Parure

Since we have just discussed Queen Margrethe’s Poppies, I suppose now it’s the turn of its close cousin look wise – the Naasut Tiara (also known as the Jubilee Tiara). 

The Naasut Tiara

Queen Margrethe’s already very impressive jewellery collection got a boost in her Jubilee year (Elizabeth II wasn't the only one with a Jubilee last year: Queen Margrethe’s celebrated 40 years on the Throne as well) with the addition of a demi-parure of a tiara and earrings. 

The parure was a gift from Greenland and is made of gold, diamond and rubies (however hard I squinted and magnified the pictures, I could find no trace of the latter anywhere though). The tiara is adorned by flowers and other plants of Greenland; five of the largest flowers can be converted into brooches. The tiara is named Naasut Tiara for a very simple reason: "naasut" means "flowers" in Greenlandic. 

Danish Royal Jewels: Queen Margrethe's Golden Poppies Tiara and Parure

I seem to have covered unusual-jewellery only yesterday so it is only fitting to cover the most unusual hairpiece in Queen Margrethe's collection – her Golden Poppies.

Queen Margrethe's Golden Poppies

The Queen commissioned it from Danish jewellery designer Arje Griegst in 1976. Although sometimes it is suggested Queen Margrethe had a hand in designing it, that is almost certainly not the case. Griegst was already famous for a series of unconventional jewellery which broke the tradition of the more rigorous Danish jewels of the time.

Swedish Royal Jewels: Queen Desideria’s Malachite Parure

Time to cover one of the most under-appreciated parures of all times - Queen Desideria’s Malachite Parure.

The malachite parure consists of a tiara, necklace, brooch, two bracelets, and a pair of earrings, all set with carved malachite. The cameos carved on the stones represent classical scenes. For instance, the cameos in the necklace depict Asclepius (god of medicine) and Hygeia (his daughter, goddess of health), Hercules (the Ancient Greek hero) and Hebe (daughter of Zeus and Hera who becomes Hercules’s wife). The central cameo of the tiara symbolises day, while the central stone of the brooch depicts the night, and so on.

British Nobility Jewels: Edwina Mountbatten's Tutti Frutti Bandeau

Since we are discussing tutti frutti jewellery (namely, Princess Maxima’s set) another magnificent jewel in a similar style must be mentioned. I am talking about Edwina Mountbatten’s Tutti-Frutti Bandeau.

Countess Mountbatten of Burma's Tutti Frutti Bandeau 

Edwina, the Countess Mountbatten of Burma was described as one of the “six best dressed women in the world” and was a fashion icon between the two World Wars. Her jewellery collection was appropriately impressive.

Dutch Royal Jewels: Princess Maxima's "Tutti Frutti" Set

One of the more unusual jewels in Princess Maxima’s collection is her Tutti Frutti set.

Maxima's Tutti Frutti Necklace

The name derives from the famous and very similar looking Cartier necklace created for Daisy Fellowes (a picture and brief description of that jewel is at the end of the article). 

Although the provenance of this necklace is unknown, it is almost certainly not Cartier: similar Cartier creations usually have a far higher price tag, and are generally very well-known.

Nobility Jewels: The Chaumet Ice Frost (Stalactite) Tiara

Today, I present you one of my most favourite tiaras of all time – the Chaumet Frost Tiara.

Chaumet Ice Frost (Stalactite) TIara

The tiara consists of stalactite-shaped fringes; some are pointed, while others resemble melting stalactite with drops of water (in the form of pear-shaped diamonds) hanging from them. The diamond stalactites are suspended from two-rows of brilliants, which itself hang from a base of round diamonds. 

For quite a while, I wasn’t sure whether it would be right to post an entry on this one for a very simple reason: virtually no information exists on it. Nevertheless, I was quite determined to include this work of art among the posts here, and embarked on a real detective work.

British Royal Jewels: The Delhi Durbar Necklace

The Delhi Durbar Necklace, part of the Delhi Durbar and Cambridge parure, is one of the Queen’s most important and jewels (and given the gems in Her Majesty’s collection, that says something).

The Delhi Durbar Necklace

The cabochon emeralds are surrounded by diamonds, set in two chains of small diamonds, with a single big diamond between each emerald. Originally, a detachable pendant with a pear-shaped emerald was attached to the cushion-shaped emerald centrepiece of the necklace. Later, Queen Mary added a diamond pendant. 

Spanish Royal Jewels: Queen Sofia’s “The Eye of Time” Brooch

Queen Sofia of Spain has quite an impressive collection of brooches which could probably rival Queen Elizabeth’s. However, while the British Queen’s collection mostly consists of family heirlooms and historical pieces, the brooches of the Spanish Queen present a far more diverse assortment. 

Original "The Eye of Time" Pendant

One of such pieces is her “The Eye of Time” brooch. I can’t really tell whether it is paste (Queen Sofia has always been quite fond of wearing bijou) or studded with real diamonds.