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Royal Jewels

Hi Everyone, I thought that Sophie had three tiaras, the one we are currently discussing (assembled from pieces belonging to Queen Victoria), the one Sophie wore at her wedding with the black/white pearl jewelery designed by Prince Edward (not my favorite but I am sure sentimental to her) and one that can also be worn as a necklace (with an acquamarine? in the middle). Was the Acquamarine(?) one borrowed from the Queen? Thanks
 
Addendum: The black and white pearl jewelery is not my favorite, just needs a little more finese, but I thought her wedding tiara was nice.
 
OOOPS just went back and looked at a picture of Sophie, the reason the tiara looks nicer with the veil, that is why I was confused. don't like the tiara without the veil. Needs more of a base either wrapped or modified to look more substantial, looks like the pieces are mounted on wire like the play tiaras my daughter wears. Hope that doesn't sound to harsh since I appreciate the historical significance of the pieces.
 
Your explanation .Bobby,as always, exceeds my expectations!
Thank you again.

I do hope ,that ladyamethyst will return, and if she has her reason to just observe us for now, I want to believe, that we won't disappoint her.All the best wishes to her for the New Year!

It would be most fascinating to se all of the evolvements of the circlet I must say.
Well, maybe one day...

Liza
 
Thank you jean95404! You're welcome.
Yes, the pearl necklace and earrings that Soiphie wore at her wedding were designed by the Prince. They were his wedding present to her.
The Countess of Wessex's also has a covertible tiara with a large aquamarine in the center. It's probably a present from her Earl.
No, I haven't seen any photos of her wedding tiara worn by someone else. But this still doesn't mean a certain Queen hasn't worn it in private (assuming it wasn't created for Sophie).

Bobby
 
jean95404|1295814040|2830653 said:
The tiara belonging to The Countess of Wessex looks like it was thrown together with wire from a coat hanger and bits and pieces of jewelry with historical value (Victoria's) glued on to a high frame to make it seem more than it is.
Click to expand...

Jean, you're a stitch! LOL.


Okay, Bobby -- now, what about the so-called Norwegian tiaras, sapphire & peridot? I'm curious about them, especially like the sapphire one.

--- Laurie
 
JewelFreak|1295874974|2831281 said:
Jean, you're a stitch! LOL.

Okay, Bobby -- now, what about the so-called Norwegian tiaras, sapphire & peridot? I'm curious about them, especially like the sapphire one.

--- Laurie
Click to expand...

As I said on the other thread, the peridit tiara came from a noble family. It was not disclosed which one, though.

The sapphire, pearl and diamond tiara comes from Queen Marie-Amelie of France's sapphire parure. The Queen owned five full parures - diamonds, rubies, pearls, emeralds and sapphires.
The sapphires are said to have came from Marie-Antoinette's sapphire parure. Then Empress Josefine had them remodeled into a new parure that was inherited by her daughter Hortense. After the fall of the Empire and her exile in Switzerland, she sold the parure to Louis-Philippe, then Duc d' Orleans, who offered the jewel to his wife, the future Queen Marie-Amelie. She then had some changes made to the jewels and gave them their present form. When the Queen died in 1866, the parure was inherited by her grandson the Duke de Montpensier. The Duke gave the parure to his daughter, the first Comtesse de Paris. When she died, the perues (M-A had two created from the original jewels!) were inherited by her elder son, Philippe, Duc d' Orleans, who was head of the royal family untill 1926. And then by his son le duc de Guise, father of the seconf Comte do Paris. The second Count inherited the jewels in 1940 and his wife, Isabelle, wore them on many occasions (she often mixed pieces from the two parures). Because they lacked money, the first of the parures, that of Empress Josefine, was sold to the Louvre in 1985 for 5 mln Francs. The second parure (the one with the sapphire and pearl tiara) was sold by Sotheby's in 1996 but was obviously never payed for!
The sapphire parures have very interesting stories, some details I've missed.

So, back to Marie-Amelie's parure - it consists of the tiara, two shoulder brooches, a corsage brooch, pair of earrings and a belt buckle. The parure was made by Bapst, the french Crown jeweller.

Queen Marie-Amelie with the sapphire and pearl tiara and Empress Josephine's necklace and earrings:
The late Countess of Paris wearing the tiara:
Close-up of the central sapphire and diamond cluster of the tiara:

Bobby

Marie-Amélie_de_Bourbon_sapphires1.JPG

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Diadema_Ma-Amalia_de_Francia.jpg
 
The tiara was often worn by The current Count's firs wife Marie Therese, nee Duchess of Württemberg. After they divorced she was given the title Duchess of Montpensier. The necklace she's wearing in that photo was a wedding present from the French monarchists and converts into a tiara. HRH is also wearing the earrings here:

The two shoulder brooches and the belt buckle (this is a large cabochon sapphire):

The earrings and the corsage:

And finally the entire parure in its original case:

Bobby

5443656.jpg

Parure de Marie-Amelie 1 - Broches.jpg

Parure de Marie-Amelie 1 - Boucles et broche.jpg

pearlsapphireparue1.jpg
 
My gosh, what a well-traveled life those pieces have had! Thanks for the background, Bobby. The 2nd parure was never paid for, how amazing! Where is it now, still w/the family of the Comte de Paris?

Had another question but the dog wanted to go out & in the meantime I forgot what it was! Darn! Will think of it.... :lol:

The sapphire parure is breathtaking, at any rate. Whew, the colors of those sapphires are endless, you could get lost staring at them.

I really wonder who put that video together -- the entire thing seems to be incorrect, weird. Thanks again, Bobby.

--- Laurie
 
You're most welcome, dear Laurie! It was a pleasure for me, as I had to read an article in French and thus practise my French :)
And now after re-consulting the French article, I can say that in 1996 the parure was sold to a wealthy saudi man for 6 mln de francs, but her did not pay for the jewels because he had financial problems. The sapphires were later sold privately in Great Britan and after that no one knows what happened to them. I hope they're collecting dust in a dark vault somewhere...

A most fascinating story indeed!

Looking forward to your other question.

Bobby
 
I have enjoyed this forum so much. Learning and sharing of information. And, the civility is just admirable. Thank you so much for a lovely site to visit.

There is something I have given thought to, and would like to have your opinions should you wish to share. Do you think the jewelry designs were so ornate to keep up with the ornate and intricate design of the clothing of the period, or were the clothing designs so embellished to accommodate the jewelry design?

There was a scene in a television special, (thinking it might be a year with the royal family) in which Queen Elizabeth was looking at a piece of jewelry and the woman with her remarked that the Queen had not worn the piece previously. The Queen responded (it appeared a little tongue in cheek) "Do you think one should have a dress designed to go with this?" Commoner that I am, I would have just pulled out a black sweater, put the pin on and flaunted it! :wink2:
 
Interesting question, Jean. What a memory that would be, going through QE's jewels with her! I'd be glad to help her try them out...

I kind of think it is all of a parcel -- styles, I mean. In just about any period, if clothing is elaborate, jewelry seems to be at least equally so and vice versa. Houses in the old days, too -- er, palaces & mansions -- were highly decorated, plastered, gilded, furnished with all manner of similar things. Jewels designed today are simpler and so are clothing styles & home environment.

--- Laurie
 
jean95404|1295991513|2832868 said:
I have enjoyed this forum so much. Learning and sharing of information. And, the civility is just admirable. Thank you so much for a lovely site to visit.

There is something I have given thought to, and would like to have your opinions should you wish to share. Do you think the jewelry designs were so ornate to keep up with the ornate and intricate design of the clothing of the period, or were the clothing designs so embellished to accommodate the jewelry design?

There was a scene in a television special, (thinking it might be a year with the royal family) in which Queen Elizabeth was looking at a piece of jewelry and the woman with her remarked that the Queen had not worn the piece previously. The Queen responded (it appeared a little tongue in cheek) "Do you think one should have a dress designed to go with this?" Commoner that I am, I would have just pulled out a black sweater, put the pin on and flaunted it! :wink2:
Click to expand...

Thant's in interesting question, Jean. Haven't thought about that.
In my opinion, the jewels are meant to complement the dress, to enhance it's beauty, design. But in the same time we know that some types of clothes (the kimonos) aren't worn with jewels, and it's needed, as they're jewels by themselves.
Of course, if one thinks of Queen Alecandra's coronation gown - a masterpiece in it's own right - then the jewels used with it (and there were tons of them) simly made it more impressive and surely heavier than it already was.
We should also not forget that the clothes and jewels one wore show his/her status in society and how wealthy one was/is - the more elaborate clothes and jewels - the richer the person.
Another example is the little black dres, which looks best (IMHO) with simle jewels like pearls.
But if you already own jewels from a certain period that can not be worn with today's fashions (the British Queen's case), you should have your clothes specially designed for them.
Do you happen to remember what jewel was HM looking at? I can only remember her talking about jewellery in one video when a portrait of her was being painted. Then The Queen talked about (in her own words) Queen Alexandra's pear thing - a hipper long necklace with pearls that went below the waist.
 
Today Princess Mathilde of Belgium attended a concert in Brussels to honour the Hungarian presidency of the EU. The President of Hungary was also present.
The photo agencies payed some attention to HRH's jewels:

Bobby

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some news about the wedding of William and Cate.
there will be a 11am service at Westminster Abbey -
I think no great jewels event :-(
 
Bobby, here is the response to your questions. A caveat though, this is coming from the archival section of my brain. The documentary was from the 1970's. I have tried doing an internet search to find specifics of the documentary without success. Perhaps someone else on the forum will recall it and can provide more information.

One section of the show was a family cookout in which Prince Phillip was grilling and Princess Anne was making salad dressing, with the Queen commenting on the taste of it.

In another part, Prince Charles was practicing his cello and one of the strings popped catching Prince Andrew on the cheek. Prince Andrew looked to be about 10 years old.

The jewelry item was a necklace. It was also mentioned that Prince Phillip had arranged for the Queen's jewels to be photographed and placed in an album so that the dressers could use it when putting the Queens outfits together. (What a chore to have so much jewelry one would have to have an album made to keep track of it!!!)

Having her clothes custom made only makes sense as I don't really see how HM could just drop into a clothing store and buy off the rack. Her image is based not only on who she is, what she represents and the sense of continuity that she brings to everything she does, but also a well put together appearance. So, if one has to have clothes made, it does make sense to take into account the "accessories" one has in the vault to go with the clothing.
 
Jean, you must be talking about Richard Cawston's 1969 documentary Royal Family I have only seen a dew glimpses of it and it does look very interesting. Didn't know about the scene with the jewel and that Prince Philip had aranged an album with HM's jewels (how I'd love to see it!). Unfortunaly it hasn't been shown since around the Silver Jubilee.

Here are two interesting articles about the documentary and its future showing ... well only a tiny part of it -
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/new...mily-documentary-revived-four-decades-on.htmlhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...-wraps-fly-wall-film-changed-view-Royals.html

Bobby
 
jean95404|1296074611|2833918 said:
Having her clothes custom made only makes sense as I don't really see how HM could just drop into a clothing store and buy off the rack. Her image is based not only on who she is, what she represents and the sense of continuity that she brings to everything she does, but also a well put together appearance. So, if one has to have clothes made, it does make sense to take into account the "accessories" one has in the vault to go with the clothing.
Click to expand...

Yes of course, that too! I also can not imagine Her Majesty going shopping. Queen Beatrix also comes to mind with her custome made clothes, not to mention that the fabrik is often also made for her.

Bobby
 
Why does Princess Mathilde wear so much costume jewelry (other than personal preference)? Do the Belgiums have less than other royal houses? Surely she must have some nice pieces. Just wondering. Thanks.
 
Yes! That was exactly the documentary I was thinking of! Too bad it won't be shown again. I know that lot's of people thought it was the end of the mystic of royalty. I thought it showed them as being more human and that can't be a bad thing. Thank you Bobby for the link that you included with your message.

Jean
 
laurensmama|1296084629|2834078 said:
Why does Princess Mathilde wear so much costume jewelry (other than personal preference)? Do the Belgiums have less than other royal houses? Surely she must have some nice pieces. Just wondering. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Hi,

I don't think this is costume jewellery. The earrings are Jade set in gold. And the bracelet looks silver (from the shine) set with Malachite stones. Her ering is lovely, thats a fine colour on the sapphire,
 
I saw that documentary when it was shown here in the States. Was it that long ago? Wow. Didn't realize it had been put permanently on the shelf. I can't imagine a copy isn't hiding out at CBS or somewhere. It was interesting -- the bit about Prince Philip barbecuing bangers was, I thought at the time, probably done up for the film. Hard to imagine he does it as a regular thing; he hardly strikes me as the grilling type! Wish I could see that exhibition.

The Queen must have her clothes made for her -- she would need specific special things, such as weighted hems, and her dresses must fit her exactly well enough so she's comfortable through long engagements. They'd have to resist wrinkling & all that, too, stay fresh-looking after a day of standing & sitting, walkabout-ing, etc. She does not get time, as the rest of us do, to run to the ladies' & fix that darned waistband that keeps hiking up. It's more a matter of practicality than anything else. Fun too, I'm sure!

--- Laurie
 
Nice photo of Princess Victoria in the UAE & the jewelry she wore, by Lara Bohinc. She seems to love those earrings.

--- Laurie

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Wasn't necessarily referring to this specific photo, just in general, she seems to wear quite a bit of costume jewelry. Was just wondering that's all. Thanks
 
JewelFreak|1295996646|2832956 said:
Interesting question, Jean. What a memory that would be, going through QE's jewels with her! I'd be glad to help her try them out...

I kind of think it is all of a parcel -- styles, I mean. In just about any period, if clothing is elaborate, jewelry seems to be at least equally so and vice versa. Houses in the old days, too -- er, palaces & mansions -- were highly decorated, plastered, gilded, furnished with all manner of similar things. Jewels designed today are simpler and so are clothing styles & home environment.

--- Laurie
Click to expand...

Laurie, I've been watching lots of mini-series on Netflix like Bleak House, Jane Eyre, Middlemarch, etc. and I've been surprised at the number of people in England who were apparently landed gentry with grand estates. In this world, Sir X, Baronet and Lady X was, from what I could tell, a "high" title to have, even though it's not one, relatively. It was interesting how wealthy these people were and how elaborately they lived.
 
Laurensmama, I'm not sure if Princess Mathilde wears costume jewelry out of preference, or out of necessity. It's common knowledge that the Belgian royal family is not as well-supplied with jewels as they used to be in the past--the most impressive pieces seem to be reserved for Queen Paola. Thus far, we've only seen Princess Mathilde in the tiara that she wore at her wedding, and the laurel wreath tiara that she habitually wears to grand events.

It may be that she wears costume jewelry because it's more convenient and/or more affordable, or simply because she doesn't have many options to choose from. She does have some very nice pieces, but I do hope she receives more in the future; while she's still the Duchess of Brabant.
 
Bobby,please, would you help me with this.
I just went on the top of this page and revisited your post from January 24th. and realized, that in the portrait of Queen Marie-Amelie
of France, I am looking at the tiara attached to a hat! I wonder how common it was in those days, and if there are any more available
examples?
Thank you very much!
Liza
 
silvia last week

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victoria

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