Unidentified, Mystery and Lost Royal Jewels

[Olka]

Originally Posted by Warren

This one's neither unidentified, mysterious nor lost, although its current whereabouts are unknown. It was last seen worn by Queen Frederika of Greece.

Queen Helen of Romania (neé Princess of Greece) 1934
Queen Sophie of Greece Diamond Tiara

Wow, that is a piece of art....I'm impressed.

[MARG]

Originally Posted by Warren

.....So maybe the Queen is well-aware of the problem of generational dispersal, and her solution is to not give them out in the first place.

Eminently sensible!

However, if that is indeed the case, I wish she would be a little more generous with the "on loan" collection.

I think it is way past time for a "Family Foundation" or some such thing. These fabulous jewels are not just beautiful in and of themselves, they are almost a national treasure (pardon the pun) and as such should see the glorious light of day.

In these dreary and positively pedestrian days I think it would be wonderful to see occassions when these treasures were on display they way they were meant to be, on real people!

At present we are relegated to the Hollywood "Red Carpet" parade of gaudy and tasteless excess. If we're going there, lets go for the real deal. Queen Elizabeth dripping in diamonds, The Princess Royal swimming in pearls, Camilla, Sophie, even Beatrice and Eugenie wallowing in the "good' stuff.

......Diamonds, Emeralds, Rubies, Sapphires, Aquamarines, Pearls..... Tiara's, earrings, necklaces, parures..... Bring them all on. Enough of this dreary egalitarian political correctness.

Lets see the BRF give them something to talk about! Go Large!

(excuse me, I have to stop for a moment and fan myself )

[Warren]

Originally Posted by MARG

......Diamonds, Emeralds, Rubies, Sapphires, Aquamarines, Pearls..... Tiara's, earrings, necklaces, parures..... Bring them all on. Enough of this dreary egalitarian political correctness. Lets see the BRF give them something to talk about! Go Large!

Quite.
Enough of this false modesty. If they've got it (and we know they have), they shoud flaunt it. "Dripping in diamonds" should be the theme.
Sunglasses on, we are waiting to be dazzled.

[Thomas Parkman]

Dear Members,

Coould not agree with you more!!! It really is a question of having the courage of your convictions. WE need people with fearlessness. These people are not repulicans and should quit acting like they are. The dreary age of dull boredom has set in with its grey colorlessness and drab conformity. We live in an age of and culture of ugliness and depression.

So instead of apoligizing to the very ideologues who have made such a mess of the world perhaps we should have all those jewels etc with the pomp and circumstance out in the open and live those convictions that made the world if not necesaarily a better place but certainly a more colorful and cheerful one. Cheers.

[jcbcode99]

I can only applaud and second what I have just read. If you've got it, flaunt it! Bring back the days of Queen Mary and Alexandra. It is a sin that the jewels just lay around Buckingham Palace waiting to be worn. However, Warren, you made an excellent point. Perhaps Queen Elizabeth is a bit miserly about the jewels because she has seen what has occurred over time as pieces were given to family members and then sold--so, perhaps she is trying to keep that from happening again. If so, I applaud her because is some ways that is a foundation. However, I do agree that she needs to loan some pieces out. Poor Sophie needs something much more elegant, but the Queen has done it right with Camilla! I am hoping that in some way, Camilla may revive some of the flair the Queen Mary possessed. Camilla looks fantastic in those massive tiaras--Delhi and Honeycomb. And, she has big hair. I would love to see the Teck Crescent Tiara make a reappearance. Tiara QEII I know that not a lot people like it, but I think it is probably stunning--and it has such a history to it!
And while I'm at it, the Wedding Tiara of Princess Alexandra would be nice to see, too. http://www.mag-nolia.tmfweb.nl/Unite...ara%20QEIIrest.

And, I leave you with this thought--Camilla in the Boucheron Honeycomb tiara with the Queen Mother's FIVE strand diamond necklace. I can only dream......
Janet

[iowabelle]

I have to agree with all of you, I'd like to see more jewelry! But it is a shame that the royal heritage gets auctioned off by the more remote, less well-to-do members of the family. A foundation that loans the jewels out but retains ownership sounds like an excellent idea.

And what was Princess Beatrice thinking when she created her Greek key tiara? Yikes.

[wymanda]

At least, given the fact that Linley didn't sell them, it appears that the tiaras that Princess Margaret had with royal provenance have been returned to the vaults. It seems safe to assume that Lady Sarah has the Snowdon Floral Tiara & Lady Linley has the Fan Tiara that she wore at her wedding. Therefore the Flames of Love Turquoise Tiara, The Scroll Tiara & the Teck Circle necklace/tiara have gone back to the BP vaults.

[qui mal y pense]

Also in the the pictures of Queen Alexandra in this link:
Queen Alexandra pictures from fashion photos on webshots
(I hope I posted right) there is a photo of Alexandra wearing a tiara with several ovals. Where is that tiara and was it the predecessor of the necklace that diana used to wear that looked like amethyst beads with an oval center piece of diamonds?[/quote]

The picture is on the third page, second row, second from left.


I was actually quite shocked to see the Delhi Durbar tiara after all these years. I was sure it had been quietly sold off along with many other royal pieces. If the BRF actually still owns even a portion of the pieces that Queen Mary, Queen Alexandra and the Queen Mum used to wear but have not seen daylight in decades- then that is QUITE a stash. It would undoubtedly mean that the BRF has the most vast jewel collection in the world- which is probably why it doesn't see the light of day - TAXES!

I don't understand why Sophie cannot borrow pieces for occasions and return them, without a family foundation being created?

[Warren]

In that picture Queen Alexandra is wearing what is said to be a diamond and emerald tiara. Someone may have more details.

The Delhi Durbar tiara worn by Camilla is one of the last things they would sell off; in effect it is Queen Mary's Empress of India 'coronation diadem'.

Most of the serious British jewels which have been unsighted for decades are more than likely to be found in the vaults underneath Buckingham Palace, an unimaginable treasure trove indeed. When jewels and other objet d'art pass from 'sovereign to sovereign' (eg Queen Mary to EIIR, Queen Mother to EIIR) there are no death duties or taxes.

Sophie could no doubt borrow jewels if she so desired, but it depends on the Queen's willingness to lend them. Realistically, as Sophie has three tiaras that we know of (more than Diana and Sarah combined!), it's unlikely she would be asking HM for more.

[qui mal y pense]

Thanks for the info. Wonder where that tiara is now? Tell me, do they dust down there? If yes, I'd like to apply for the job.

Sophie doesn't need tiaras, she needs necklaces, pearls, earrings and bracelets. She has been very loyal to the performance of her royal duties in the absence of more royal ladies and I think she needs more pizzaz.

[Prince of Chota]

The BRF is very good about using pieces that connect them to their immediate ancestors and past monarchs. However, I do wonder how many tiaras are shoved away in vaults somewhere. I read once that HM the Queen didn't know about the base of the Ladies of GB and Ireland tiara until it was "discovered" in a vault years later--and now she's worn it many times. I wonder how many more items are simply forgotten such as that...and, for that matter, how many of the tiaras we look at in old photographs have been dismantled to create some of the more recent fabulous jewels we drool over.

[qui mal y pense]

I would imagine that there are catalogues of the Jewels. I know Queen Mary had catalogues. Otherwise it would be hard to keep track of just the brooches alone.

[Thomas Parkman]

Dear Members,

If I may throw my two pence in (ie four cents American), I think part of the problem (and what a "problem") is that the dear Queen has worn all these jewels all her life. It is like putting on another pair of shoes or your dress uniform. You just get used to it. Queen Mary of the Brazen Slendor whom we all love and adore was known to complain bitterly about how heavy her tiara was.

So you have all these vaults and vaults of jewels gathered over centuries of being empire and world superpower and those seeing these goodies, unlike the fresh eyed and innocent members of the RF, have become jaded. "What, doesn't everybody have at least two tiaras?" is the unspoken assumption. So they take all of the for granted and forget just what it is exactly that they have. And so I do not doubt all kinds of goodies are stored away and may someday again see the light. I personally would love to see somebody, Camilla???, wearing the lovely Teck crescent moon (???) tiara. But Queen EII has her favorites that she keeps on wearing, just like her favorite and most comfortable shoes. But wouldn't you just love to see a complete catalogue or better still have a guided tour. Cheers.

[jcbcode99]

Oh Thomas, I love to hear a reference to one of my very favorite tiaras, the Teck Crescent Moon (See my avatar!). I know that it isn't the typical design for a tiara, but it is a stunner and you are quite right--dear Camilla has the hair and presence to pull the piece off right. Sophie can't pull it off (not enough hair) but Camilla has the presence AND the hair. I also would love to see the Surrey tiara make a re-emergence, but who knows?

[LadyK]

I get the hint !

[Prince of Chota]

While I agree somewhat, I highly doubt that royals assume that everyone has access to tiaras. We are seeing that many royal families have opted to use tiaras less frequently, so as not to appear ostentatious or out of touch. Tiaras are a symbol of the monarchy as well, and so it is understandable that the British monarch should choose her tiaras--and those of her family--very carefully. Her Majesty has faced criticism during her reign, as well, so every choice down to wardrobe (and especially jewels) must be made with much consideration. I doubt that she actually assumes that anyone has a collection of tiaras like her own...but at the same time, it is not really the job of the queen to know each piece in her catalogue. Care of the jewels belongs to someone else entirely, so chances are if the queen is not already familiar with a piece, she doesn't know everything about it. I don't imagine all the jewels in the royal collection are displayed in glass cases in some room where she might stop and consider them; in all likelihood they are in their respective boxes in some sort of vault, perhaps even many separate vaults. I would guess that HM considers several of her tiaras rather like signature pieces, and is saving the others less seen for members of the family yet to come. As far as specific pieces (like the Teck tiara), one can conjecture possible reasons why it has not been seen of late. My own guess is that it has a very wide base (as many tiaras of the period do), and is therefore difficult to wear with the more modern hairstyles of to-day. I believe that this was the reason that the Queen Mother rarely wore this tiara as well. However, I think that the possibility of it coming back into the spotlight within a decade or so are very good, and I do look forward to that.

[jcbcode99]

Lady K, were we that obvious??? I'm afraid I don't hide my intense need to see Camilla in that wonderful tiara!