Duchess of Cambridge Jewellery 1: April-December 2011

[Baroness of Books]

Ha, so the princess wears paste! Thanks for the statement, Ayvee. I guess I'll wait for a confirmation first before assuming that Kate always wears genuine stones. I'm somewhat disappointed although these still are lovely earrings. Kate seems to like the art-deco style.

 

[Tarlita]

Oh well thats a shame. I was getting a little excited thinking she has been given some lovely diamonds as wedding presents, and that we might see more wonderful pieces. I guess we will over time. But it will be difficult to know whether a piece is genuine or not.

 

[Baroness of Books]

I feel the same way because now every time I see Kate wear diamonds, I'll also be wondering whether or not they're genuine. Again, we have no idea what jewels she may have received as wedding gifts or regular gifts from the RF, so it'll always be a guessing game now about the origin of whatever she wears (except for the reworked diamond and sapphire earrings that belonged to Diana). And now, do we know for sure that the art-deco earring and bracelet set is genuine? It was never verified from whom Kate got those pieces.

 

[MARG]

You know it's strange, but when you have access to the real thing, wearing paste to a formal engagement seems "fake" in itself. Is the jewellery she wore to her last engagement, earrings and bracelet, are they paste too?

What a let-down. Instead of enjoying the sight of lovely "new" pieces, she's giving commercial firms free advertising. So next time it will be, "high street" and jewellery by "However claims fame on the next working day"!

 

[Baroness of Books]

Yes, as we see, loud pronouncements on the company websites are certainly broadcasting that Kate is wearing their wares!

 

[ayvee]

Yes, as we see, loud pronouncements on the company websites are certainly broadcasting that Kate is wearing their wares!

A good consequence of this is she helps the economy, because lots of other women are interested in buying what she wears - clothes, shoes, bags, belts, hats and jewelry.

 

[Baroness of Books]

True, there is the upside to Kate giving a boost to the economy, but for me I'm hoping that when it comes to the jewelry she'll start wearing more of the genuine pieces gifted to her.

 

[MARG]

OK we all knew Catherine would be turned into a show pony but why is it worse when it is fake jewellery she is wearing? Is it because clothing, whether high street or couture, is real?

Paste diamond jewellery at gala events is just tacky and cheap! It is presenting a false face to the world. Others may not be able to afford the "real thing" and use paste, but the BRF not only can afford it, they have a more that adequate supply stashed in the vaults and so do not even need to buy it.

Wearing paste diamond jewellery does not resonate with ordinary working class women, it is condescending, "Oh, the Duchess wears paste"? Like she can't afford the real thing? Yeah right!

That is what makes the whole thing fake!

 

[Baroness of Books]

I suppose my own feeling to wearing these "fabulous fakes" is that if you have the real thing, wear it, because we know the RF does have it and personally, I don't begrudge any of the royals digging out their priceless gems and wearing them at the appropriate occasions. I personally feel it would be a shame to keep them under wraps and wasting money buying paste bijoux in, what, the name of austerity? That doesn't make much sense to me. I know there's certainly no prohibition against a royal wearing costume jewelry - Diana did it -but nothing gratifies me more than to see gems that have been in the royal collection for a long time with provenance and historic worth to be brought out to be admired, especially those that haven't been worn in ages. I would have just loved those latest earrings to have been part of the massive Greville art deco jewel collection gifted to the QM by her very wealthy friend Mrs. Greville and finally dusted off and worn. One can always dream.... I just hope we will see some more of the real things soon, and not have to play the guessing game of, "Is it real, or is it paste?" Just my thoughts on the matter.

 

[Tarlita]

Her majesty has many jewels not seen or used in a long time and should have some of these pieces reworked into modern settings for Kate. Queen Mary certainly did.
And I would expect that many of the Arab Shiekhs and Emirs would have sent gifts of real jewels. They are known for their genorosity in this area. And this is what we would love to see.

 

[Baroness of Books]

Queen Mary was very creative when reworking jewels into different settings, and she made sure she wore just about all of them at the same time! Seriously, though, she was a master at resuscitating life back into jewels languishing in the royal vault, and maybe some of that practice can be applied today for some of those that may need a modern facelift.

 

[yvr girl]

Her majesty has many jewels not seen or used in a long time and should have some of these pieces reworked into modern settings for Kate. Queen Mary certainly did.
And I would expect that many of the Arab Shiekhs and Emirs would have sent gifts of real jewels. They are known for their genorosity in this area. And this is what we would love to see.

You might have hit on the problem. Much of the RF jewels are rather heavy and old-fashioned. Certainly not appropriate for a youngish woman such as Kate.

 

[Baroness of Books]

But there are the more modern jewels gifted by the sheikhs and emirs, as Tarlita pointed out, that might be appropriate for current wear. The art-deco design goes back decades and if Kate likes the style enough to purchase a fake art-deco version, surely there are plenty of genuine earrings she could choose from i.e. the Greville collection or something similar. What about those delicate chandelier earrings she wore in LA at the BAFTA event? That was supposedly loaned by the Queen, if that's to be believed now. I can't believe everything in that vault is too old-fashioned or heavy to wear.

 

[blauerengel]

Princess Diana received some great pieces of jewellery from Saudi Arabia and Qatar,the Qatari earrings were with huge pearls and dimaonds and she wore them a lot.
I really like the style of Kate´s Art Deco-earrings,no matter if they are real or not,but I was also a little bit underwhelmed at first because you expect a royal to wear genuine jewels
Maybe she doesn´t want to wear so-called "blood diamonds" because they often come from uncertain places and might support authoritarian regimes in Africa? (Blood diamond - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

 

[Rosapru]

I just checked the Jenny Packmann website in the jewelry department. I really really love the bracelets and earrings. And I loved Kate earrings before and after knowing they were not real diamonds.

 

[daisygoogles]

I just checked the Jenny Packmann website in the jewelry department. I really really love the bracelets and earrings. And I loved Kate earrings before and after knowing they were not real diamonds.

Which earrings do you mean?

 

[Kit]

Now I wonder if the bracelet and the earrings from the reception when Kate stood in for Charles are real or not ;-) I still can't believe the earrings from Thursday are paste. I'm somewhat underwhelmed I have to confess .....

 

[bethaliz6894]

Love these earrings!

I think i may have missed something, why are they wearing red flower pins?

 

[Lumutqueen]

I think i may have missed something, why are they wearing red flower pins?

Those red flower pins are called poppies and the royal family as with the majority of the UK and most commonwealth countries wear them after each years Poppy launch appeal. They are to commemorate the men and women who have died in the military and armed forces worldwide since 1918.

 

[scooter]

You might have hit on the problem. Much of the RF jewels are rather heavy and old-fashioned. Certainly not appropriate for a youngish woman such as Kate.

She's about to turn 30. Old enough to wear the bigger bling and tall enough to pull it off.

 

[Mermaid1962]

I think that we'll see a lot more "bling" when William becomes the Duke of Cornwall.

 

[MARG]

Why wait? Catherine is out there in the public eye representing the BRF now. Good jewellery is essential to "finish" her (appropriate) look and it is not as if there is a shortage of either jewellery or cash.

 

[Daria_S]

I'm going to go out on a limb here, but perhaps Catherine feels uncomfortable in more bigger and grander pieces. She doesn't strike me as someone who wants to stand out and get attention, so she may choose to go with a more understated look when it comes to her jewels. I think we'll see more and more grander pieces as Catherine becomes more active in her role, but right now, she's still getting used to the whole thing and may feel that anything grand may be too much.

Again, just my thoughts.

 

[Mermaid1962]

I think that Catherine is essentially modest in her appearance, in the sense that she doesn't dress as expensively or as flamboyantly as she could. I don't think that ostentatious displays of wealth are wise now, given the economic uncertainties and that the UK's been at war for a number of years. Many people are suffering, and it makes sense not to pull out all the sartorial stops until things improve.

 

[Baroness of Books]

I'm not saying Kate should raid the vaults and pile on the jewels; just borrow a pair of earrings and wear them for the appropriate occasion. The way she wore the paste earrings the other night - and they were lovely, don't get me wrong - she could have worn a genuine pair from the jewel collection that was just as appropriate. Given the vastness of the collection, something had to be there for her to choose. The chandelier earrings she wore to the BAFTA event that was supposedly loaned by the Queen would have been a nice choice, or something equally suitable. As the saying goes, it's quality not quanity.

 

[muriel]

I can't see what the issue is if every now and then, cAtherine wore a piece of jeweller that did not cost tens of thousands of pounds. Surely she is entitled to wear what she would like to, as long as it is not offensive to anybody else?

 

[blauerengel]

I completely agree,I would rather see tasteful,delicate pieces of jewellery with a good design than something which has cost a fortune but looks overstated and bulky.Personally I like both genuine and fake jewels as long as they look special and beautiful to me.
Additional to what Mermaid 1962 said about the difficult economic situation she might as well try to keep less expensive outfits in order not to be critisised for exploiting her position because she is still regarded as a "social climber" and golddigger by some snobbish people.
Maybe she will change her attititude towards wearing real jewels when she is more comfortable and confident in her role,but I believe her personal style is "less is more", understated elegance without trying too hard, and therefore we probably won´t see her wearing the big tiaras and extravagant jewels like Camilla does.

 

[KittyAtlanta]

Princess Diana received some great pieces of jewellery from Saudi Arabia and Qatar,the Qatari earrings were with huge pearls and dimaonds and she wore them a lot.
I really like the style of Kate´s Art Deco-earrings,no matter if they are real or not,but I was also a little bit underwhelmed at first because you expect a royal to wear genuine jewels
Maybe she doesn´t want to wear so-called "blood diamonds" because they often come from uncertain places and might support authoritarian regimes in Africa? (Blood diamond - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

She most likely wore "bloods" in her wedding tiara and in her engagement ring, and quite possibly in the earrings her family had made for her. If they were conflict free, I'm sure it would have been mentioned.

 

[NGalitzine]

Diana existed in the over the top 80's where the bigger the bling the better,now such a display would be considered in bad taste. Also, Diana frequently wore costume jewels by themselves or mixed with real stones.
In the end they are different women, living in a different era, living different lives and having different roles within the BRF. I think it unfair for people to expect Catherine to copy Diana;s way of doing things.

 

[JennahPc]

Wishful thinking on my part, but I would love to see her in a formal portrait in an evening gown with little embellishment wearing one of Queen Alexandra's Diamond Collier Resille (if it is still in the vaults) or something similar with chandelier earrings and the Queen Alexandra's tassel brooch a la HQM in the black velvet dress shot by Cecil Beaton...or Diana, Princess of Wales in her engagement portrait with that puffy green taffetta dress and the chandelier earrings and diamond necklace from Collingwood. The DofC seems very unassuming and with austerity measures in place...a girl can only dream

On another note, the DofC's bracelet looks like a modified version of HM's 21st birthday present from the Government and Union of South Africa. It looks like they have had another row of diamonds added to top and bottom to have a more art deco feel. Just speculation on my part.