Our Sparkling Spotlight has shone on gorgeous royal sapphires all week, and we’re wrapping up today with a look at a stunning appearance by the Queen in the bright blue gemstones.
On November 1, 2016, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh hosted the President and First Lady of Colombia for a grand state banquet at Buckingham Palace. It was part of a banner season for President Juan Manuel Santos, who had also recently been named the winner of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize.
For the dinner, the Queen wore a gorgeous blue and gold ensemble. Her gown, made of textured and embellished golden fabrics, was accessorized with a matching handbag and shoes. The gown and jewels tied in perfectly with the colors of her Colombian decoration, the Order of Boyaca. The grand collar of the order is made of gold, with a blue and gold badge. The star of the order is also blue and gold.
The Queen used one of her favorite suites of sapphire jewels to echo the blue colors of the order. She received an antique diamond and sapphire necklace and earrings from her father, King George VI, as a wedding present in 1947. In 1963, she purchased another antique sapphire necklace, which had previously been worn by a Belgian princess, to craft a tiara to coordinate with the jewels. The Belgian Sapphire Tiara, as we call it, has been a regular part of her jewelry rotation ever since.
In the 1960s, the Queen completed the married sapphire parure by adding a bracelet. It’s been a favorite set for decades, easy to coordinate with lots of national colors (and, of course, the Garter sash!).
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