Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Jewellery

[Dman]

I would say The Teck Tiara's:

The Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor: Tiara Thursday: The Teck Tiaras

I think these jewels have been locked away too long. I'm thinking The Duchess of Cambridge should pull these jewels out.

 

[IloveCP]

I found a great photo of all the tiaras the Queen Mother wore:

The Queen Mother's Tiaras

Not sure if these are all the tiaras she's worn. But if so, I wonder why she never wore the Russian Kokoshnik tiara, the George IV diadem, and the Girls of Great Britain tiara.

Though, she had a magnificent collection!

 

[RoyalMess]

Not sure if these are all the tiaras she's worn. But if so, I wonder why she never wore the Russian Kokoshnik tiara, the George IV diadem, and the Girls of Great Britain tiara.

Well, the Kokoshnik and GGB&I tiaras were Queen Mary's personal property and passed directly to Queen Elizabeth II (the Girls as a wedding gift and the Kokoshnik through inheritance). As for the George IV Diadem, your guess is as good as mine.

 

[andrew]

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In this video, shot during Queen Julianna's state visit, QEQM seems to be wearing the Greville tiara, but I'm not completely sure cause the footage is blurry. Does anybody have another photo from event? She also seems to be wearing the 5 strand diamond necklace.
Princess Elizabeth is wearing the Nyzam's parure.

Holland's Queen Juliana in London | Standard View | Archive Footage | ITN Source

 

[Artemisia]

You are right, The Queen is wearing the Boucheron Honeycomb Tiara (aka Greville Tiara). I have attached two pictures where you can see the tiara more or less clearly. And her necklace is indeed all five rows of the Greville collier.

Incidentally, I had never seen pictures of Princess Elizabeth from that event (wearing the Nizam parure), so thanks for posting the video!

Cropped and resized from larger images.

 

[muriel]

Interesting to see pictures of the Greville Boucheron tiara in use before it was altered by QEQM.
Also, these pictures also debunk the theory that QEQM did not really use the Greville jewels during the life of George VI as he did not approve of them.

 

[MARG]

I love the original configuration of the Bucheron. It was somehow neater, more Kokosnik shaped and not as cumbersome as the present style. It's shape is also far more sympathetic to the five row Greville collier which now doesn't harmonise they way it used to.

 

[muriel]

I love the original configuration of the Bucheron. It was somehow neater, more Kokosnik shaped and not as cumbersome as the present style. It's shape is also far more sympathetic to the five row Greville collier which now doesn't harmonise they way it used to.

I can see your point about the 5 row Greville being more in synch with the Boucheron tiara before it was altered by QEQM.

That said, a few thoughts:

1) The Greville 5-string has hardly been used in this reign, so if the wearers of the Boucheron tiara preferred to alter it for their "general use", then I think thats fine

2) I think the altered tiara gave QEQM some extra, and much needed, height

3) As there are other Kokoshnik style tiaras in the BRF, I suspect the Queen Mother was happy to experiment

 

[Warren]

The Hon. Mrs Greville's Boucheron Tiara

v Comparisons
1. the 'Empire style' original, as ordered by Mrs Greville from Boucheron in 1921. Made in Paris using her own stones from a dismantled tiara;
2. after the 1953 Cartier alterations with additional brilliant-cut diamonds and one marquise-cut diamond to add extra height;
3. current (same, but in colour!)

 

[muriel]

Very helpful, as usual, Warren!
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[IloveCP]

The Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor: Tiara Thursday: The Boucheron Honeycomb Tiara

At first I did not like this tiara but it has grown on me. I much prefer the tiara after the alterations. It's a very grand and regal tiara, I love the unique design. That wall of diamonds is simply stunning .

 

[An Ard Ri]

That tiara really suited the Quee Mother,though I'm not really a fan of big tiarra's I do like this one!

 

[padams2359]

PAPR has the hair and presence do to pull this one off. Once D of C gets her hands on the big haul, she should lend PAPR this tiara for life.

 

[Dman]

The Queen Mother had such an elegant way of carrying off such a big tiara. I think Camilla do pretty well with this tiara but I didn't like the large 5 row Greville necklace once worn by Camilla with this tiara. I think it looked like it was dragging her down. Better to let a younger woman wear that.

 

[IloveCP]

Recently, I read that the Queen Mother had two engagement rings. The first, a sapphire ring, and then she switched her ring for a large pearl surrounded by diamonds in the 1950's.

The Queen Mother's Engagement Rings

Both rings look lovely but I wish we could see better pictures of them. Well, the Queen Mother sure is lucky to have two engagement rings from one husband!

On another note, all this time I thought Camilla's engagement ring was the Queen Mother's engagement ring. But no, it is said to have been a gift from her husband to mark the birth of Elizabeth II. Here is a photo of the Queen Mother wearing it.

Again, the Queen Mother is very lucky to get a big diamond for giving birth!

 

[branchg]

Actually, I believe the diamond ring was an anniversary gift from The King if I recall correctly.

 

[tangoskater]

Papyrus Tiara

I really like the Papyrus Tiara - wish we could see it more often!

 

[padams2359]

I wonder if there was some resentment by the Queen Mother towards Queen Mary over the fact that many of the bigger jewels were past from Queen Mary directly to QE2? Both of these women were known to like the occasional bobble or two.

 

[Baroness of Books]

I'm guessing that because Elizabeth was now Queen, those jewels would have been expected to be passed to the reigning monarch. And it's my understanding that the QM did continue to wear some large pieces that HM was happy to have her do so until her death. I'm pretty sure the Greville tiara was one of them.

 

[cepe]

I wonder if there was some resentment by the Queen Mother towards Queen Mary over the fact that many of the bigger jewels were past from Queen Mary directly to QE2? Both of these women were known to like the occasional bobble or two.

Interesting question which, in my mind, leads to whether HMQ was "put out" by jewellery being left to Charles rather than going into the big pot.

 

[NGalitzine]

Somehow I don't see QEII as much of a jewel magpie and regards them as more of a tool of the trade. It is not like she has ever suffered from a jewel shortage anyway.

 

[ldmemail]

I'm guessing that because Elizabeth was now Queen, those jewels would have been expected to be passed to the reigning monarch. And it's my understanding that the QM did continue to wear some large pieces that HM was happy to have her do so until her death. I'm pretty sure the Greville tiara was one of them.

By the time Queen Mary died, the majority of her jewels were her own personal property and we can read excerpts from her journals where she talks if 'divesting herself' of those jewels pertaining to the crown and passing them on to the new Queen Elizabeth, saying it was sad to see them go !
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother did indeed retain some crown pieces - such as the Oriental Circlet and necklace and earrings en suite, as well as a few brooches from the State Collection. The Greville Jewels in their entirety were left to her personally and therefore hers to do with as she pleased. In the end all of her jewels were left to the Queen.
When thinking of the Queen Mother's jewellery I always remember the quote that someone made about the sale of the late Princess Royal's jewellery - commenting on such vast collection sold at auction, how much larger must the collection of the Queen Mother be? I suppose now we shall never know as she tended to wear her favourite pieces !

 

[MARG]

It was my understanding that HM QM left everything to her daughter in a direct Sovereign to Sovereign transfer, thus keeping everything in the "family" and not being decimated by death duties.

 

[ldmemail]

It was my understanding that HM QM left everything to her daughter in a direct Sovereign to Sovereign transfer, thus keeping everything in the "family" and not being decimated by death duties.

You are absolutely correct, apart from a few bequests, the bulk of Her Late Majesty's estate was left to her daughter - HM the Queen.

 

[snowflower]

I' ve been wondering lately why the QMother didn't receive a "historic" piece of jewellery as a wedding present from her mother - in -law , when her sisters -in-law did (except Mrs Simpson of course). Mary - she got her great -grandmother Victoria's sapphire coronet( actually,, striclty speaking, that was the King's gift , not the Queen's). Marina - she got the sapphires that QMary had inherited from her aunt the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg - Strelitz who had inherited them from her mother Augusta . Alice - she got the turquoises that where her wedding gift from her parents and where previously owned by her mother. All these pieces have important family history behind them and passed down from one family memeber to another for a few generations. The Queen Mother, however, got a newly purchased turquoise parure, and a contemporary suite of sapphires, nothing as historical as the rest. I don't know if the riviere she got had any family history behind (all three brides marrying into the family got a riviere from the King, but these jewellery is not easy to identify). Any ideas why this happened?

 

[ldmemail]

There were family pieces given to the then Duchess of York - they mainly seem to be brooches - but you are right, although there are exquisite pieces of jewellery there is no grand parure -,apart from the suite of turquoises.
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[Baroness of Books]

By the time Queen Mary died, the majority of her jewels were her own personal property...

Thank you for the explanation; it's interesting to read how such pieces were handled between HM and QM.

 

[ldmemail]

Oh it's so interesting isn't it! I wish we could see the wills to see which piece was left to whom!

 

[padams2359]

The Queen Mother was a sitting queen for many years with much of the jewels major pieces were still with Queen Mary. The Cullinans, etc. they were presented to a monarch, to be worn by a monarch. I just think it more along the lines of QV's additions for future monarchs should have gone to the QM when they accended. But, Mary the Magpie needed to dress at Malbourgh House.

 

[ldmemail]

Actually the Cullinans - 3-9 were the personal property of Queen Mary, hence they remained in her possession. Queen Mary kept none of the Crown Jewellery and passed each piece onto Queen Elizabeth when she became Queen.
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