How Much is Too Much??

[constance]

i am not aware if there's a royal protocol in the manner that they should wear their jewels.

but i personally feel that most of the royals wear too much jewelry such as:
grand tiara WITH
major-bling necklace WITH
mega-carat earrings WITH
huge brooch WITH
bracelets (several of them!) WITH
ice rink-size ring

so the question is how much is too much?

secondly, do you prefer royals wearings their jewelery sets together or mixing them (for example emerald tiara with ruby earrings or sapphire necklace with ruby brooch)? which combinations are glamorous/stylish and which are totally unacceptable?

kindly share your thoughts.

 

[Freedom]

Constance, I agree with you. I think 'less is more'. Imo, jewelry is meant to accentuate an appearance, not camouflage or distract from it.

As far as mixing jewels, as long as it looks good, I'd say anything goes.

 

[Incas]

I also think the size of the jewels needs to be proportional to the wearer. There is nothing more comical, and distracting, than a petite lady wearing chuncky jewelry that appears to outweight her.

 

[Little_star]

It's incredibly easy to wear too much jewellery, but with exception of some of the more extravagant and opulent Royals, like the Brunei Royals, I think most people manage the balance ok.

 

[Marengo]

The more jewels the better, if you can pull it of. Queen Mary is the perfect example of how to wear as much as possible and still look incredible royal.

 

[Warren]

More is better

The more jewels the better, if you can pull it of. Queen Mary is the perfect example of how to wear as much as possible and still look incredible royal.

Quite. These pics demonstrate how it should be done, modelled by two of the foremost experts in the field.
pics courtesy Corbis.

Queen Alexandra 1902 Coronation . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . and Queen Mary

. . .

 

[ysbel]

For the rest of us, less is more but for royals, I say the more the better.

Warren, those are two excellent pics of very regal royal women. I love the jewels. I love the diamond chokers leading to the cascading rows of ever bigger diamonds.

 

[Josefine]

but can we compare past royals with todays royals
there were more jewllery in the fashion in the past

who of the todays royal ladies can have to much jewllery on them

 

[norwegianne]

I think that Alexandra could wear that many jewels, but I think that any royal attempting to emulate her today, might be called out for being overly flaunting. It worked with the style then, I don't think it would work with the current style.

 

[Gita]

Queen Alexandra was a very beautiful lady, she pulled off wearing that much jewels but that was the fashion at the time. I don't think any royal could get away with it today though.

Personally I think less is more.

 

[HRHAmy]

I think Queen Elizabeth II is a good example, she can wear the huge jewelry without it looking overloaded on her. Today there are too many royals over doing it such as Queen Sonja of Norway and Queen Silvia of Sweden. I think of the royals as 'royals' so I expect them to show off some impressive jewelry but there is always a limit on these things too. I like Mette-Marit's style.

As for your second question, no I do not like when royals mismatch different color jewelry, I think one should stay in a color scheme and keep it that way. Caroline of Monaco (when she was still 'of Monao') is a great example of this, her style was too gaudy and mismatched for my taste.

 

[Warren]

Warren, those are two excellent pics of very regal royal women. I love the jewels. I love the diamond chokers leading to the cascading rows of ever bigger diamonds.

Something to note in the pic of Queen Alexandra: running parallel with her right arm (above the thick diamond bracelet) is a fringe 'girdle'. It is a diamond fringe. Can you imagine?

 

[GlitteringTiaras]

I would topple over wearing, all those beautiful jewels, if I were Queen Alexandra.

Fantastic photos, Warren, thank you.

For me, I believe less is more, but for royals the more the merrier.

 

[semisquare]

i think less is more for example. say i own a tons of jewels. i would wear a tiara with a brooche and bracelet and two rings.i think that would be enought(of couse this would never happen)
or maybe for a day look a nice pair of earrings with a necklace and a bracelet and a couple of rings, i think pearls are a nice stone to wear during the day.

 

[nayeli0016]

I don't think its important to wear a lot of jewelries to highlight a majestic persona.

 

[Warren]

Here is a detail of Queen Alexandra's Coronation costume (Corbis) showing some of her amazing array of jewels, and more particularly the fringe 'girdle' or bordeur. Also note the huge diamond sunburst brooch in the centre of her décolletage.

Queen Alexandra's Diamond Bordeur

 

[ysbel]

Thanks Warren! Queen Alexandra knew how to wear the jewels so as to give us lots of hidden treasures to look for. I didn't notice the diamond sunburst or girdle before.

That was a coronation pic so it was probably required for her to wear a lot of significant jewels but the Leslie Fields book on jewels has a charming pic of Alexandra, her mother, and her daughter at Queen Mary's wedding which showed how well they really could pull off wearing a lot of jewels in a 'normal' situation.

Here is Alexandra, her mother, the Queen of Denmark and her daughter, the Duchess of Fife at Queen Mary's wedding.

Alexandra as usual is quite stunning:

But her mother Queen Luise really has the most impressive turnout.

note the size of the diamonds on her necklace

she decided not to wear the earrings that went with the necklace and decided instead to wear them as brooches

This is an excellent example of using something that in its original form would seem a little gaudy in a less attention getting manner.

Alexandra must have learned it from her mother.

 

[Warren]

Faced with the dilemma of which of the Cullinan Diamonds I to IV to wear, Queen Mary, being practical, decided to wear them all. At the same time.

Another old Corbis pic showing the Cullinans: in the Maltese cross of her Coronation circlet (arches removed); hanging from the lower collet necklace; and two hanging from her breast. Her gown would have required special reinforcement to bear the weight. All four diamonds are massive.

Queen Mary: Cullinans I to IV
(more is better)

 

[Marengo]

Oh thank you Warren and Ysabel. Although I can understand that Alexandra's coronation extravagance (I just love the fringe-gurdle) is a bit to much for todays royals, I think many of them could wear the same amount as Queen Mary, provided they keep their backs straight and their head high, without looking rediculous.

Crownprincess Mary of Denmark is the only younger royal who dared to wear a lot of jewels these days, I hope more will follow her example.

BTW, does Queen Elizabeth II wear the cullinans often (or 'granny's chips, as they are called at the royal jewels MB)?

 

[Toledo]

Every time I see Queen Mary comes to mind how strong her genes were, the Windsors that descended from her inherited the strong features on her face instead Alexandra's more soft ones. The most noticeable part is the area between the nose and the chin and the wide separation between the lips and nose (no offense but think of Fred Flinstone's), that's the main trait that identifies them. Speaking of English Royals, I'm watching right now on the DVD Elizabeth R, the episode were she is about to marry Catherine De Medici's wild youngest son!

Now, on jewels, I thought some of them came in sets, you know, matching earrings, necklace and tiara. But on an official event the mix and match looks fine as long as the gems are either the same color or the same stone.

 

[Warren]

does Queen Elizabeth II wear the Cullinans often (or 'granny's chips, as they are called at the royal jewels MB)?

Granny's Chips have not been sighted for many years. "Too ostentatious", and banished to the vaults.

Now, on jewels, I thought some of them came in sets, you know, matching earrings, necklace and tiara.

Some come as parures, some are matching pieces that have been acquired over time or reset from older discards, and some are separate items.

 

[ysbel]

Now those Cullinan's don't look ostentatious at all on Queen Mary!

I like how the brooch echos the pendant in a larger size. If you look at Queen Mary from top to bottom, her diamonds get successive bigger as you go down while repeating the basic shape. I think the repetition of similar shapes pulls the look together without looking gaudy.

 

[Toledo]

Here is one of the best placed tiaras I've ever seen on a Royal/Imperial head. It's Empress Farah Pahlavi's perfect tiara:
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/254158/photo3.html

Of course, it helps out that Empress Farah Pahlavi was (and still is) an exquisite beauty that resembles Sofia Loren.

Here is she again with a matching set of jewels http://www.worldisround.com/articles/254158/photo174.html

 

[ysbel]

Marengo, you bring up an interesting point about Princess Mary. The Danish Royal House has always been able to pull off a regal look with lots of jewels. Queen Margrethe does it best but even she isn't as splendid in royal jewels as Queen Ingrid.

I wonder if this is just the Danish way inherited from Queen Luise, herself a daughter of the old Danish regime. The two royal beauties of the 19th century who were known for their jewels were Luise's daughters Alexandra and Marie Feodorovna of Russia. Some of Marie's jewels are even more spectacular than Alexandra's.

Happilly this tradition has lived on in the Danish royal family.

 

[ysbel]

Every time I see Queen Mary comes to mind how strong her genes were, the Windsors that descended from her inherited the strong features on her face instead Alexandra's more soft ones.

I think the Royal House of Norway has inherited more of Alexandra's soft features than the Windsors. Maud, Queen of Norway, Alexandra's daughter, looked very much like her. You can really tell it in King Harald, Princess Ragnhild, and Princess Astrid but even Martha-Louise and Haakon have some of the delicate features.

In the House of Windsor, only Prince Michael seems to have inherited the softer features.

 

[Toledo]

Empress Farah's other tiaras
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/254158/photo33.html


This one resembles spider eyeballs more than a peacock's tail:
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/254158/photo32.html


Another image of Farah's collection with a different outfit
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/254158/photo96.html


the emerald tiara by itself: http://www.worldisround.com/articles/254158/photo182.html

 

[Toledo]

Thanks Ysabel and Warren.

And my question of the day: Anyone knows when it's okay to wear the jewels?

When Felipe and Letizia and Frederick and Mary did their respective overseas visits they had to attend official gala dinners. But none wore the tiaras or the men their official miltary outfits. So, when do they use the mega jewels? When is proper for a Royal Princess to wear the tiara in public or a private event?

 

[Jackswife]

I agree that certain royal ladies can pull off the "maxed-out bling" look to perfection. I've seen Queen Margrethe do it, as well as QEII. Farah Pahlavi also seemed to be able to wear a quantity of jewels without appearing overdone and vulgar. I guess it's true that some ladies were just absolutely born to wear jewels (Queen Mary, Alexandra, Dowager Empress Marie, just to mention a few from history) and others should probably stick to one or two pieces at most. Nothing worse than seeing someone being worn by the jewels, instead of the other way around.

 

[HRH Kerry]

Times have changed. More was the standard during the turn of the last century and beyond but today it is deemed as vulgar and excessive. The royality of the past were untouchable and unapproachable. They hid their emotions behind a iron mask and ramrod posture. No one could compete with them. The "impression" was that they had this endless pot of money (for the majority I think that was true) and could and would flaunt their wealth. It wasn't just a fashion statement.

I think many of them could wear the same amount as Queen Mary, provided they keep their backs straight and their head high, without looking rediculous.

I don't think that rings true since the royals of today don't lead the lives of yesteryear. Today's royals mix more amongst everyday people whether it be to sway public opinion or for charitable events, etc. Hell, you can even shake their hands.

Times have changed and so have fashion; it is a never ending evolution. Too much is excessive but jmo.

 

[Elspeth]

I don't think the Queen wears Granny's chips all that often.

Maybe they'll get an outing on the occasion of her diamond jubilee; who knows?