For the vintage jewelry lovers among us, Robbie’s necklace — a Van Cleef and Arpels Zip Necklace — was a true highlight of the evening. Robbie stated on the red carpet that the necklace was made for the Duchess of Windsor; however, Sotheby’s noted that although the very first Zip Necklace was indeed made for Wallis Simpson (and at her suggestion), the one worn by Robbie is not the same one worn by the duchess.
Jewel Detective: Dutch Princesses
A New Ruby Demi-Parure for Camilla
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall attended the royal film premiere of The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel in London last night, and Camilla used the occasion to premiere something else, too: a seriously sparkling new demi-parure of ruby and diamond jewelry.
The new necklace is intricate and elaborate,with large pear-shaped rubies interspersed among the diamond motifs.
The set includes a rather enormous pair of diamond and ruby pendant earrings in a design that echoes the necklace.
You can just sneak a glimpse of a matching bracelet peeking out from the sleeve of Camilla’s Anna Valentine gown in the photo above.
The set — with the size of the stones, the design motifs, and the number/type of pieces included — fairly bellows “Middle Eastern royal gift” to me, and of course, Prince Charles has just returned from a tour of several Middle Eastern nations.
The new jewels also bear certain similarities to Camilla’s other major diamond and ruby set, which is also said to have been a Middle Eastern gift. I think the softer, more romantic design of this set suits Camilla better — what about the rest of you?