Duchess of Cornwall Jewellery 7: September 2011- December 2015


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AdmirerUS said:
My inner lepidopterist wants me to mention that Butterfly antennae are clubbed at the end (as in this brooch). Most moths have antennae that look a bit like fern fronds.
On the other hand, most moths rest with wings open and most butterflies rest with wings closed.
Perhaps the brooch designer just saw the butterfly as he or she had wings open. ;)
Click to expand...

Perhaps the brooch designer just saw the butterfly pinned in a cabinet under glass.

Thank you for the info about the antennae. I will add it to my trivia folder in my brain. :butterfly:
 
This tiara is one of my favorite and what joy to Camilla who has at her disposal. But I wonder why do not ever worn by Queen Elizabeth?

:previous:That is the late Queen Elizabeth chose and left instructions to Queen Elizabeth for the particular tiara and other jewels to available to the Prince Charles? Perhaps this is a logical reason since not never wore the same.

All the jewelry worn by Camilla was dreaming. From tiara,earrings or necklace what to let go?
 
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eya said:
This tiara is one of my favorite and what joy to Camilla who has at her disposal. But I wonder why do not ever worn by Queen Elizabeth?
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Dame Margaret Greville bequeathed all her jewels to the late Queen Elizabeth, so these were never owned by Queen Elizabeth II herself. On her turn the late Queen Elizabeth has left her entire estate to her daughter, The Queen. That was clever as inheritances from a 'sovereign to sovereign' or the consort of a sovereign to a reigning monarch are exempt from the 40% tax, above a £250,000 threshold.

The late Queen Elizabeth has left instructions to her daughter, paired with her Will. For an example certain bequests were made to members of her staff and to others. It is very well possible that the jewels went to Queen Elizabeth II (to avoid the 40% tax) but that there was an instruction for the use of items by her her favourite grandson, The Prince of Wales. Who knows.
 
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It is not known if the Queen Mother left instructions about the honeycomb tiara, it is just a possibility. The Queen Mother died in 2002, Camilla wore the tiara for the first time in 2006. So that was just four years later. Imagine the situation: Camilla became member of the Royal family, a tiara was needed, the Queen Mother's gems were available and unused, the honeycomb looked good on her new daughter-in-law, so let her her have it.;)

Considering that the Queen hardly wears the other tiaras of her mother (Oriental circlet only worn once, fringe tiara worn twice after her mother's death, other tiaras never worn by the Queen), so it might be that the Queen is content with the jewels she has worn throughout her life.
 
IloveCP said:
The Greville Tiara | The Court Jeweller
This tiara is very stunning and an interesting design.
Click to expand...

The 4th picture down, of Camilla in the tiara taken when she is in a coach (looks like), is an outstanding picture. :flowers: The tiara is perfectly lighted imo. Really shows off it's beauty (and I'm not a tiara person). Very impressive. Very beautiful.
 
Camilla looked wonderful at the CHOGM Banquet, not surprisingly, she was wearing the Greville Honeycomb. But it was her pairing of it with her gorgeous pink amethyst pearl choker that really caught the eye.

On the face of it that may have seemed an odd pairing, but she also gave us a rare sighting of the gorgeous matching pink amethyst earrings which looked quite magnificent and tied the whole look together and really looked good with her grey lace gown.

http://media.gettyimages.com/photos...ied-by-camilla-duchess-of-picture-id499038662
 
The earrings and necklace are exquisite.
 
I love that grey gown that Camilla wore. I wouldn't have called it lace, but that may be the technical term. I think the sparkly decoration is far more interesting than traditional lace. And that particular colour works beautifully with the pink of the choker and earrings. It makes them glow. And the amethysts and pearls and the diamonds of the tiara combined, with the RFO, to create a fabulous look. The photo of Charles and Camilla looking at each other is lovely. It reveals so much depth of feeling I almost feel I'm intruding on a private moment and should look away.

Does anyone know if there is a reason why HM wasn't wearing her RFOs?
 
Lady Nimue said:
The 4th picture down, of Camilla in the tiara taken when she is in a coach (looks like), is an outstanding picture. :flowers: The tiara is perfectly lighted imo. Really shows off it's beauty (and I'm not a tiara person). Very impressive. Very beautiful.
Click to expand...

Lighting is everything. Especially when diamonds are not brilliant cut (that technique became en vogue in the 20th C) it needs a gentle lighting, for an example from candelabras and chandeliers to unfold all their magic sparkle and splendour. In modern times with modern lighting, diamonds often have no chance to cactch, reflect and refract the light because the lighting is too good, too omnipresent.

In that picture of the Duchess of Cornwall seated in the carriage, she was in daylight, seated in a darker environment (the carriage) but there is a little chrystal lamp inside the carriage above Camilla's head. Ideal circumstances for making a splendid picture. Sometimes, when the sun is very low, going down (like on the early evening of April 29st 2013) and when the diamonds have the quality to "catch" it, it is possible to see some sparkle from rose-cut diamonds in daylight: picture.
 
Roslyn said:
Does anyone know if there is a reason why HM wasn't wearing her RFOs?
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It was a black-tie dresscode, so ladies and gentlemen usually do not wear Orders. In the British Commonwealth however, gentlemen tend to wear (smaller) Orders with their smoking however but ladies remained without Order.

On itself the Queen was correctly dressed without any Order. Maybe the Duchess wanted to express her adherence to her mother-in-law, the Queen, by wearing her miniature?

When you look for images of the Queen during black-tie dinners, you never see a RFO. When you look for images of the Duchess of Cornwall, you see no RFO either, except.... when she is joining the Queen.... for an example the previous Commonwealth banquet in Uganda.

I think it is a lovely gesture by Camilla.
 
Interesting point about the RFO. Here is a pic from the Uganda meeting in 2007:
Uganda - Day 3 | Getty Images


I must say that I prefer the jewels from this years Commonwealth meeting. The combination was beautiful and tasteful.
 
I'm going off topic, I know, but this has piqued my curiosity. Maybe it should be put somewhere else.

At the CHOGM banquet dinner in Perth in 2011, which was a black tie event, HM wore the insignia of a Dame of the Order of Australia: http://www.jthonline.com/WordPress/wp-content/uploads/CHOGM-banquet-608.jpg No RFOs though. But she did wear her RFOs in 1997 when the Queen Mother also attended and she, too, wore RFOs. And on other occasions HM has worn the Garter Star and once - probably in New Zealand - a New Zealand order. From Her Majesty's Jewel Vault: Flashback: CHOGM Dinners They all seem to be black tie events. Curious.
 
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MARG said:
Camilla looked wonderful at the CHOGM Banquet, not surprisingly, she was wearing the Greville Honeycomb. But it was her pairing of it with her gorgeous pink amethyst pearl choker that really caught the eye.

On the face of it that may have seemed an odd pairing, but she also gave us a rare sighting of the gorgeous matching pink amethyst earrings which looked quite magnificent and tied the whole look together and really looked good with her grey lace gown.

http://media.gettyimages.com/photos...ied-by-camilla-duchess-of-picture-id499038662
Click to expand...

The necklace always appeared to be a new setting and finally seeing the earrings clearly, it look like the clasp/brooch had the diamonds added at a later date.
IMO, the clasp/brooch might look better without the diamonds.
Hopefully they are detachable and the older brooch only sits insides the diamonds.

The earrings are very pretty.

The 'new' diamonds always made the clasp look like costume jewelry.

She should have the diamonds removed and make a simple diamond brooch/pin out of the them.

Hopefully she has 10 extra pearls in her jewelry box that match the necklace so she 'restore' the necklace/brooch.

It would be shame if the reason for the diamonds was because she was short a few pearls.:lol:
 
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Roslyn said:
I love that grey gown that Camilla wore. I wouldn't have called it lace, but that may be the technical term. I think the sparkly decoration is far more interesting than traditional lace. And that particular colour works beautifully with the pink of the choker and earrings. It makes them glow. And the amethysts and pearls and the diamonds of the tiara combined, with the RFO, to create a fabulous look. The photo of Charles and Camilla looking at each other is lovely. It reveals so much depth of feeling I almost feel I'm intruding on a private moment and should look away.

Does anyone know if there is a reason why HM wasn't wearing her RFOs?
Click to expand...
Pink stones are topazes.
 
I thought Camilla looked beautiful. The Jewels were excellent, but I wish she would explore the other tiara's in the vaults.
 
:previous: I can only second that! Where has the Durbar tiara disappeared to? How come that Roberst reveals in his book that the Teck tiara was loaned to her, and she never wore it? How I would love to see her wear them (again).
 
Duc_et_Pair said:
Lighting is everything. Especially when diamonds are not brilliant cut (that technique became en vogue in the 20th C) it needs a gentle lighting, for an example from candelabras and chandeliers to unfold all their magic sparkle and splendour. In modern times with modern lighting, diamonds often have no chance to cactch, reflect and refract the light because the lighting is too good, too omnipresent.

In that picture of the Duchess of Cornwall seated in the carriage, she was in daylight, seated in a darker environment (the carriage) but there is a little chrystal lamp inside the carriage above Camilla's head. Ideal circumstances for making a splendid picture. Sometimes, when the sun is very low, going down (like on the early evening of April 29st 2013) and when the diamonds have the quality to "catch" it, it is possible to see some sparkle from rose-cut diamonds in daylight: picture.
Click to expand...

Many thanks, Duc_et_Pair, for these insights. :flowers: Adds a new dimension of understanding regarding how fabulous those 'glittering' dinners, balls and galas must have been in the age of the candelabra. Versailles! with the mirrors!
 
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MARG said:
Camilla looked wonderful at the CHOGM Banquet, not surprisingly, she was wearing the Greville Honeycomb. But it was her pairing of it with her gorgeous pink amethyst pearl choker that really caught the eye.

On the face of it that may have seemed an odd pairing, but she also gave us a rare sighting of the gorgeous matching pink amethyst earrings which looked quite magnificent and tied the whole look together and really looked good with her grey lace gown.

http://media.gettyimages.com/photos...ied-by-camilla-duchess-of-picture-id499038662
Click to expand...

Such a wonderful photo of the two of them. There are no words that could adequately describe the looks they are giving each other.
 
To all those who pointed out the obvious, the stones are, of course, pink topazes! (I was obviously suffering from brain fade when I posted).

Now to that gorgeous brooch turned into a pearl choker clasp, I must say that Charles picked the most beautiful pearls with the slightest blush tinge to pair with the clasp and, to all those raging about restoring it to it's original incarnation with pearls instead of diamonds . . . well, the only thing that has changed was the purpose for which it was originally designed. The brooch/clasp remains intact as indeed have the earrings and are as listed in Southby's!

http://i62.tinypic.com/b9is6u.jpg

This incarnation with three strands of pearls appears to be the first shot at a necklace, but from the look of it, I should imagine it would be too large and heavy to easily wear it with the clasp anywhere but dead centre and thus the change to a five string choker.

http://i61.tinypic.com/30sd5dg.jpg
 
MARG said:
Now to that gorgeous brooch turned into a pearl choker clasp, I must say that Charles picked the most beautiful pearls with the slightest blush tinge to pair with the clasp and, to all those raging about restoring it to it's original incarnation with pearls instead of diamonds . . . well, the only thing that has changed was the purpose for which it was originally designed. The brooch/clasp remains intact as indeed have the earrings and are as listed in Southby's!
Click to expand...

Marg, I believe you misread my post or I was not clear.

The outer row of diamonds should be removed.
They are clearly not original.

The string of pearls should be extended in order to make up for the collet row of diamonds.

The rose diamonds in the earrings match the rose diamonds in the brooch. The extra row of diamonds in the brooch does not match.

If the outer row of 26 diamonds can be removed with their current setting intact, that will make a nice new diamond brooch for Camilla.

Found another website with info from the sale. The text is a bit light.

Royal Jewels of the World Message Board: Re: Duchess of Cornwall. Necklace, pendant and earrings
 
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Queen Camilla said:
Marg, I believe you misread my post or I was not clear.

The outer row of diamonds should be removed.
They are clearly not original.

The string of pearls should be extended in order to make up for the collet row of diamonds.

The rose diamonds in the earrings match the rose diamonds in the brooch. The extra row of diamonds in the brooch does not match.

If the outer row of 26 diamonds can be removed with their current setting intact, that will make a nice new diamond brooch for Camilla.

Found another website with info from the sale. The text is a bit light.

Royal Jewels of the World Message Board: Re: Duchess of Cornwall. Necklace, pendant and earrings
Click to expand...

I see what you mean I believe. I suppose the previous owner before Camilla added the diamonds. I think it is beautiful either way.
 
:previous: I see what you are getting at Queen Camilla, but I think the diamonds are original.

The reason is the diamond surrounds of the central stones of both the earrings and the brooch appear to be the same size. The diamonds at the base of the earrings are larger yet balanced for the size of the central stones of the earrings.

Had the topaz of the brooch only been surrounded by the filigree outside the initial diamond surround without the larger frame of diamonds, it would look would look decidedly odd surrounding what really is a humongous central stone.
 
MARG said:
The reason is the diamond surrounds of the central stones of both the earrings and the brooch appear to be the same size. The diamonds at the base of the earrings are larger yet balanced for the size of the central stones of the earrings.

Had the topaz of the brooch only been surrounded by the filigree outside the initial diamond surround without the larger frame of diamonds, it would look would look decidedly odd surrounding what really is a humongous central stone.
Click to expand...

The set appears to have had several additions over the years.

Although the base of the earring look like a later addition and are not an exact match to the filigree of the brooch, the colors match.

The extra ring of diamond are white and do not match.

IMO, the set started out as a topaz with just one row of diamonds in both the brooch & earrings.

Then they added the base to the earrings and did the filigree on the brooch.

The wire around the filigree and the white diamonds were probably added much later. They look new and stand out.

I 'removed' the extra row of diamonds from the brooch and I think it looks much better. (Not a good photoshop job so cannot post picture.)
 
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