The Top Ten: Princess Margaret’s Jewels
Margaret wore these girandole earrings, which are made of rubies and diamonds set in silver and gold, throughout her lifetime. After her death, the earrings fetched nearly $100,000 at the Christie’s auction of her jewelry and possessions.
A princess whose middle name is Rose obviously needs a gorgeous brooch with a rose motif. Margaret’s was made in 1938 by Cartier. Its most famous outing was at the 1953 coronation of her sister, Queen Elizabeth II. It was also offered at the Christie’s auction, where it sold for more than $280,000.
In 1960, Antony Armstrong-Jones gave Margaret three diamond floral brooches as a wedding present. When their daughter, Sarah, married in 1994, Wartski combined the brooches to make a tiara. Sarah wore the piece on her wedding day, and in 2002, she inherited it from her mother.
Although it’s best known today as the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding tiara, Margaret wore the Cartier Halo Tiara numerous times as a young woman. She even wore the tiara with her coronet at her sister’s coronation.
Margaret was one of many Windsor women to embrace the multi-stranded pearl choker with a bejeweled clasp. This one is now worn by her daughter, Lady Sarah.
Also sometimes called the Papyrus Tiara, this is one of the tiaras that belonged to the young Queen Mum. Margaret wore it throughout her life, and her daughter-in-law, Viscountess Linley, wore it as a wedding tiara. After Margaret’s death, it apparently returned to the royal vaults, resurfacing again recently when it was worn by the Duchess of Cambridge.
Margaret often paired tiaras with this necklace of diamond circles that once belonged to Queen Mary’s mother, the Duchess of Teck. The piece, which can also be worn on a tiara frame, is now owned by Margaret’s son, Viscount Linley.
This gorgeous necklace of large collet-set diamonds was bequeathed to Queen Mary by Lady Mount Stephen in 1933; in turn, Mary gave it to Margaret. It was one of her most-worn pieces throughout her lifetime. In 2006, it was sold at Christie’s, fetching an astonishing $1.8 million.
Made by Garrard, this suite of turquoise jewels was given by Queen Mary to the Queen Mum as a wedding gift. The tiara includes numerous symbolic motifs, including true lover’s knots, lamps of love, and triumphal wreaths of laurel. The parure includes a tiara, a necklace, earrings, and a brooch. The whereabouts of the set is not precisely known, but there are hopes that this set, like the Lotus Flower Tiara, was returned to the palace vaults after Margaret’s death.
Purchased by Margaret herself, this large diamond tiara was worn by the princess on her wedding day. It could also be converted into a necklace or numerous brooches. After her death, the piece was auctioned at Christie’s, where it sold for $1.7 million.
Sundays with the Queen: The King Faisal Necklace
In May 1967, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia traveled to the United Kingdom for a state visit. He brought with him a rather glittering gift for Queen Elizabeth II: a diamond necklace, made in the 1950s by Harry Winston.
Faisal had purchased the necklace from the jeweler in March. The piece is set with more than 300 diamonds, including baguettes, brilliants, and eleven pear-shaped diamonds set as pendant stones. The stones are set in platinum, and the necklace features a combined weight of more than 80 carats of diamonds.
The King Faisal Necklace became a part of Elizabeth’s rotation of jewels for events like state banquets. She has paired the necklace with more than one tiara — often either the Vladimir Tiara or the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara.
In recent years, however, the Queen has frequently selected other diamond necklaces, including the King Khalid Necklace, for gala events. (This is just my speculation, but I wonder if the fact that the Faisal Necklace sits close to the throat makes it less than comfortable.) Instead, she has loaned the piece out to her daughters-in-law. Above, the Princess of Wales wears the Faisal Necklace in Australia in 1983.
Much more recently, the Countess of Wessex wore the Faisal Necklace at the dinner held the night before the wedding of the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg in 2012.
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 743
- 744
- 745
- 746
- 747
- …
- 806
- Next Page »