Queen Elizabeth II: Tiaras, Necklaces etc 2: Nov 2007-Dec 2015

[dbarn67]

I had no idea that she wore this tiara. Does anyone know the history?

I believe the tiara and a bracelet were made (1963..according the books The Queen's Jewels by Leslie Field) of leftover jewels to match the sapphire necklace and earrings to he given to her by her father.

 

[muriel]

I had no idea that she wore this tiara. Does anyone know the history?

I believe the tiara and a bracelet were made (1963..according the books The Queen's Jewels by Leslie Field) of leftover jewels to match the sapphire necklace and earrings to he given to her by her father.

My understanding is that the tiara was derived from a necklace of Belgian royal origin acquired on behalf of HM in the early 1960s, to match with the sapphire demi-parure from King George VI

 

[Tilia C.]

My understanding is that the tiara was derived from a necklace of Belgian royal origin acquired on behalf of HM in the early 1960s, to match with the sapphire demi-parure from King George VI

Here is a link with more information about the tiara and the Belgian necklace. I believe that the connection with the necklace was only discovered a couple of years ago. It wasn't known when Field puplished her book.

 

[EIIR]

Tilia C, I don't see a link there. Could be just me though.

I'd personally take this tiara to pieces and start again. I just don't think it works.

 

[RoyalMess]

Tilia C, I don't see a link there. Could be just me though.

I'd personally take this tiara to pieces and start again. I just don't think it works.

I agree, especially since this is only one of two sapphire tiaras we know the BRF owns.

 

[ldmemail]

I agree, especially since this is only one of two sapphire tiaras we know the BRF owns.

There are at least 7 sapphire tiaras owned by the British Royal Family;

HM the Queen owns at least three - the one that completes the Victorian parure from her late Father Hm King George VI, the Empress Marie Feodorovna tiara with sapphire which Princess Margaret used to wear and a further one of Queen Mary's.
HRH the Duchess of Gloucester owns the Princess Marie Louise Indian inspired tiara. HRH the Duchess of Kent owns the Cambridge Sapphires Tiara, the Countess of St Andrews wears a tiara with sapphires and of course HRH the Princess Alexandra has sapphires for her tiara!

 

[dbarn67]

There are at least 7 sapphire tiaras owned by the British Royal Family;

HM the Queen owns at least three - the one that completes the Victorian parure from her late Father Hm King George VI, the Empress Marie Feodorovna tiara with sapphire which Princess Margaret used to wear and a further one of Queen Mary's.
HRH the Duchess of Gloucester owns the Princess Marie Louise Indian inspired tiara. HRH the Duchess of Kent owns the Cambridge Sapphires Tiara, the Countess of St Andrews wears a tiara with sapphires and of course HRH the Princess Alexandra has sapphires for her tiara!

I believe the Kent's auctions off the Cambridge Sapphire Tiara awhile back. Check the Kent Jewelry Thread.

 

[ldmemail]

I believe the Kent's auctions off the Cambridge Sapphire Tiara awhile back. Check the Kent Jewelry Thread.

Yes they did, but made another tiara from the necklace clusters.

 

[Artemisia]

I had no idea that she wore this tiara. Does anyone know the history?

That tiara is often called George VI Victorian Sapphire Tiara (despite the fact George VI had nothing to do with its creation).

The tiara was made in 1963 to to match a sapphire demi-parure given to Princess Elizabeth by George VI on the occasion of her 1947 wedding. It was most probably made from a sapphire necklace bought by Queen Elizabeth in 1963 that had belonged to Princess Louise of Belgium, Princess of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha. A bracelet was also made to complete the parure, while the neckalce was modified slightly.

- The tiara worn by Princess Louise (as a necklace)
- The Queen wearing the parure

 

[Tilia C.]

Tilia C, I don't see a link there. Could be just me though.

I'd personally take this tiara to pieces and start again. I just don't think it works.

Oooops, sorry, my fault
Queen Elisabeth Sapphire Tiara | Saphir Jewels

 

[EIIR]

Thanks for the link Tilia! That site is so interesting.

I think perhaps if the 'gaps' were filled in on the tiara with diamonds it would improve it quite a bit. The large sapphire ( the one with the 3 smaller sapphires on top) I would leave out of a newly amended tiara altogether. It reminds me of the square emerald on Sonja's Emerald and Diamond Tiara - it just looks out of place.

 

[Vecchiolarry]

Hi,

This sapphire parure was worn by Her Majesty in Calgary in 1990 at a concert. It was worn with a gold lace evening gown and white fur stole.

I saw her (up close) depart from the Concert Hall and she came over and talked to a young boy, who gave her flowers...

The jewels sparkled in the moonlight and looked beautiful. Everyone commented on how wonderful she and the dress and the jewels looked...

Larry

 

[RoyalMess]

There are at least 7 sapphire tiaras owned by the British Royal Family;

HM the Queen owns at least three - the one that completes the Victorian parure from her late Father Hm King George VI, the Empress Marie Feodorovna tiara with sapphire which Princess Margaret used to wear and a further one of Queen Mary's.
HRH the Duchess of Gloucester owns the Princess Marie Louise Indian inspired tiara. HRH the Duchess of Kent owns the Cambridge Sapphires Tiara, the Countess of St Andrews wears a tiara with sapphires and of course HRH the Princess Alexandra has sapphires for her tiara!

I wasn't thinking about the extended Royal Family when I made my post. I was thinking specifically of the ones the main branch owns. I never heard of the third one that belonged to Queen Mary. Do you have a picture of it?

 

[ldmemail]

I wasn't thinking about the extended Royal Family when I made my post. I was thinking specifically of the ones the main branch owns. I never heard of the third one that belonged to Queen Mary. Do you have a picture of it?

I imagine there will be one somewhere - I will try and find it and post it.

 

[Stefan]

the Countess of St Andrews wears a tiara with sapphires

Actually the tiara with sapphires was not worn by the Countess of St. Andrews but by her sister-in-law Lady Nicholas Windsor.

 

[muriel]

My understanding is that the tiara was derived from a necklace of Belgian royal origin acquired on behalf of HM in the early 1960s, to match with the sapphire demi-parure from King George VI

Here is a link with more information about the tiara and the Belgian necklace. I believe that the connection with the necklace was only discovered a couple of years ago. It wasn't known when Field puplished her book.

I'd personally take this tiara to pieces and start again. I just don't think it works.

In the past, I have never been a fan of HMs sapphire tiara. To me, it always seemed a bit incomplete. However, more recently, as I have seen some of the Dutch tiaras in more detail, I can see the similarities. Also now that the link to the Belgian necklace is better known, I can understand why the tiara looks the way it does.

That said, I think some simple modifications could substantially improve the tiara. Firstly, I think it could do with some extra height. Perhaps the tiara could be adapted to be compatible with the base of the GGB&I tiara. Secondly, I think some of the gaps do need to be filled with additional diamonds and sapphires. Perhaps an alternative to all of this could be to introduce some pearls into the design? Thoughts welcome.

 

[ldmemail]

Actually the tiara with sapphires was not worn by the Countess of St. Andrews but by her sister-in-law Lady Nicholas Windsor.

I had forgotten about Lady Nicholas Windsor!! But I am not mistaken - the Countess of St Andrews is definitely who I meant !

 

[Baroness of Books]

That tiara is often called George VI Victorian Sapphire Tiara (despite the fact George VI had nothing to do with its creation).

The tiara was made in 1963 to to match a sapphire demi-parure given to Princess Elizabeth by George VI on the occasion of her 1947 wedding. It was most probably made from a sapphire necklace bought by Queen Elizabeth in 1963 that had belonged to Princess Louise of Belgium, Princess of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha. A bracelet was also made to complete the parure, while the neckalce was modified slightly.

- The tiara worn by Princess Louise (as a necklace)
- The Queen wearing the parure

Thanks for all these photos, Artemisia. I like the tiara worn better as a necklace as shown with Princess Louise and as other posters have commented, it needs to have a better base and more stones to fill in the gaps and some diamond loops to add to the existing ones to give it height. But the color of those sapphires are just stunning!

 

[Jenafran]

I guess I'm in the minority as I like the tiara as it is. But, then I love sapphires.

 

[ldmemail]

I guess I'm in the minority as I like the tiara as it is. But, then I love sapphires.

Yes but what a minority - Her Majesty the Queen loves it !

 

[IloveCP]

The Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor: Flashback Friday: State Opening Bling

I love every necklace here of course. They are all stunning! Queen Victoria's necklace is exquisite!

 

[Baroness of Books]

That triple-row diamond necklace is incredible; wish I had loose stones lying around to create a sumptuous necklace like that! Thanks, CP.

 

[Artemisia]

All the necklaces are quite amazing but Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee Necklace is definitely a winner for me.
Absolutely love its style; you can hardly go more regal than that with a necklace.

 

[Artemisia]

The Queen's bling-bling of a jubilee! Priceless tiaras, necklaces and brooches. The ultimate diamond collection is revealed for the first time

Some had to be smuggled past a revolutionary mob. Some had to be prised from the grasp of a royal mistress. The majority were presented as tokens of esteem, reverence and — for the most part — love. Together, they comprise surely the finest collection of diamonds in the world. And now, in honour of her Diamond Jubilee, the Queen has authorised the first public study and display of these dazzling symbols of majesty.

Most, if not all pieces in this article are well-known but it does contain some of the best and clearest pictures of them I've seen.

- The Greville Tiara
- The Vladimir Tiara
- The Girls Of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara

- Queen Mary's stomacher
​

- The Flame Lily Brooch
- The Maple Leaf Brooch
- The Lover's Knot Brooch
- The Emperor of Austria Brooch
- The Williamson Pink Diamond Brooch
- The Nizam of Hyderbad Rose Brooch

- The Delhi Durbar Necklace
- The Nizam of Hyderbad Necklace

 

[Baroness of Books]

Finally, the royal jewel vault is thrown open! This sounds like a wonderful book to add to any jewelophile's collection. I've never seen the Emperor of Austria brooch and can only imagine what other jewels must be stored away. And, on another note, I didn't know that HM's dress designer, Angela Kelly, was also curator of the Queen's jewels.

Thank you, Artemisia!

 

[Artemisia]

You are welcome.
I'd really love to have a glimpse at Her Majesty's entire private jewellery collection; my imagination just goes overboard trying to imagine the stunning pieces doomed to see the daylight only a couple of times a decade, if that. Those beauties should be permanently on display. Now, Queen Mary understood that; shame no one has taken her mantle! I had high hopes for Camilla (she chose to wear some pretty stunning tiaras, necklaces and brooches, most from royal collection), but lately she just wears her the same trusty pieces.

 

[Baroness of Books]

I have high hopes for Camilla in the future and hope that she dusts off seldom-seen pieces and trots them out for us to drool over. Imagine having all those jewels at your disposal, but just wearing the tried-and-true pieces. There just aren't the grand occasions now as there were back in the days of Queens Alexandra and Mary to wear these jewels. Hopefully, this book will be a complete inventory and will finally solve some of the mysteries of what happened to long-missing items.

 

[ldmemail]

The "Emperor of Austria" brooch looks like it is the Duchess of Teck's tassel brooch, apparently the Queen knows it as her "happy brooch"! HM has worn it countless times over the years. Notably in the official photographs taken by Beaton after the birth of Prince Andrew.
Angela Kelly is the Queen's Dresser so I guess she must look after the jewels - Bobo MacDonald always did too. I had never read this before either.

 

[EIIR]

Those pictures are drool-worthy.

This may be an unpopular opinion, but given that stomachers aren't worn nowadays, I'd take Queen Mary's stomacher apart and make a new tiara out of it. Otherwise, it's just likely to sit in BP's underground vault.

 

[ldmemail]

What a good idea!