By the early 1960s, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom had already been on the throne for a decade. That’s a decade’s worth of experience in white-tie banquets, state visits, and overseas tours, all of which required the coordination of gowns, order sashes, and jewels. It’s not a coincidence that this is also the point when she began acquiring a few pieces of jewelry of her own, filling in holes in her collection. Today’s jewel, the Baring Ruby Necklace, was one of those additions.

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