Princess Grace’s Wedding Gift Pearls

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Our November Magpie of the Month is a woman who comes from a principality that celebrates its national holiday this month. The late Princess Grace of Monaco had a jewelry collection that was perfect for a woman who was both a princess and a movie star. Among all of the diamond glitter, though, she owned a few quieter pieces, including the lovely diamond and pearl suite we’re discussing today.

The set, which comes from Van Cleef and Arpels, was a wedding gift from Grace’s husband, Prince Rainier. The diamond-accented pearl suite includes a necklace, a bracelet, a pair of earrings, and a ring.

Grace wore the pearls throughout her royal marriage. Above, she wears them for a dinner held in July 1961.

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Here, in December 1976, you’ll note the pearls on Grace as she participated in an important family tradition: handing out gifts to Monegasque children at the annual Christmas party at the Palais Princier.

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Another image from the same Christmas party gives us a look at the earrings and necklace from the suite in color.

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Grace also sometimes mixed and matched the pearls with other similar pieces from her jewelry box. For the 18th Monte-Carlo Television Festival in August 1979, Grace wore the necklace and bracelet with a pair of pearl drop earrings.

A few years later, Grace also chose the suite for an important family occasion: the wedding of her brother, Jack “Kell” Kelly, to Sandra Worley in Philadelphia.

Grace’s jewels have been displayed several times since her death, and the wedding gift pearls have often been included in various exhibitions. Here, you get an excellent view of the necklace from an exhibition at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco in 2007.