The Burmese Ruby Tiara

A rare sight in the Queen's Personal Jewel Collection- one specially made for her. Most tiaras in her vault have been inherited from the crown, or given as gifts. Many have previously belonged to Queen Mary and The Queen Mother. But the Burmese Ruby Tiara was specially commissioned for The Queen by Garrard in 1973. The tiara was made using jewels in The Queen's possession, including 96 rubies presented 'by the people of Burma.' Most notably (to my dismay), the diamonds on the tiara have been taken from the Nizam of Hyderabad Tiara. 

From The Order of Splendour, 'The rubies which give us our name were a symbolic gift: according to traditional Burmese beliefs, rubies are meant to protect their owner from evil and illness, and there are 96 diseases that can affect humans.' 

Clusters of rubies shaped as roses are joined by lines of the same gem, with their petals made of diamonds. Bursts of diamonds also fan out from the lines of rubies. The Queen wears the tiara along with three ruby necklaces and other jewels in her possession. Before the tiara, The Queen's collection was devoid of a ruby tiara, and it's good to see her take initiative and order a new one- a rare occurrence for such a frugal monarch. 

That sai, I have to say that this tiara is certainly not one of my favourites. From afar it looks nice, but close up the bursts of diamonds look too manufactured to me. But the main reason I don't have a fondness for the piece is that the Nizam of Hyderabad Tiara (one of my favourites), pictured below, was dismantled for this piece. It was such an elegant piece, and looked oh so lovely on the young Queen. But this tiara is pleasant enough, and was certainly needed to add a touch of red to HM's jewel collection.

Pictures: Getty Images/bijoussimo/Order of Splendour/master-zoro/Mad Hattery

Do you like this tiara? Or was the Nizam tiara better?

Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Necklace

Sigh.. the days where gigantic bling giving was utilised for jubilees… This necklace originated when Queen Victoria celebrated her Golden Jubilee in 1887. Of course, at the time Britain still ruled a large portion of the world, and the “Women of the Empire” banded together and many donated a penny to mark the Jubilee. Much of the money went to the creation of the necklace, which was presented to Victoria on the 24th June, 1887. 

The design of the necklace is of ‘graduated diamond trefoils’ which surround a main quatrefoil. Each of them contain a pearl in their centres. The centre quatrefoil is topped with a another pearl and diamond creation- a crown. Upon her death, Victoria left the necklace to the crown, and Queen Elizabeth II has worn it on many occasions, including a large number of State Openings of Parliament.

Picture: Order of Splendor

Are you a fan of this piece?

The Greek Meander Tiara

The Greek Meander Tiara originally belonged to Prince Philip’s mother, Princess Alice or Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark. For yet another wedding gift, she gave her daughter-in-law, Princess Elizabeth. Whilst in her possession, Elizabeth has never worn the tiara, (I agree, it would have looked bizarre on her). Fortunately, the tiara didn’t go to waste in the vaults, and The Queen then passed it onto her daughter, Princess Anne.

In stark contrast to her mother, The Princess Royal has worn this tiara on many occasions, and suits her well! It’s modern, bold yet subtle and very unusual, in a good way. Most notably, Princess Anne’s daughter, Zara Philips wore the Greek Meander Tiara for her wedding to Mike Tindall in 2011. 

The tiara is purely made up of diamonds. The central feature is a wreath which encompasses a brilliant cut diamond. Two honeysuckle decorations also adorn both sides of the wreath, surrounded by the fabulous ‘key’ design. All in all a great, modern tiara with a nod to the Greek background of the Queen’s descendants. 

Pictures: Zimbio/Getty Images/The Daily Mail/HiJi/The Telegraph

The Williamson Pink Diamond Brooch

The Williamson Pink Diamond, year another gift given to Princess Elizabeth for her wedding in 1947, is so important it has its own Wikipedia page! It is a 23.6 carat round brilliant cut diamond and is certainly a gem. The diamond was discovered by children below a tree outside a mine operated by Dr. John Williamson. 

With its amazing pink hue, it’s no surprise the  Queen employed Briefel and Lemer to cut the diamond for its new setting- a brooch designed by Cartier. The brooch is formed by a flower with five petals. White diamonds cover the petals with baguette cut ones lining the stalk. The white diamonds were also provided by Williamson- what a generous man! 

The Queen tends to wear this diamond on important occasions, maybe this is one of her favourites? She wore it for her Silver Jubilee, and the weddings of Charles and Sophie, as well as her audience with President Obama. According to orderofsplendor, this is a charming story which accompanies the brooch- 

One of the children that Dr. Williamson asked to bless the original stone and wish the princess luck before sending it off grew up and earned himself the honor of an MBE and an invitation to an investiture with the queen. He wrote to the queen in advance of his ceremony and told her his story; on the big day, she wore the brooch just for him.

Pictures: demotix.com/The Royal Collection

Are you fond of this piece?

The Greville Chanderlier Earrings

In 1929, Mrs Greville, a British society hostess, ordered these striking earrings from Cartier in London. When she passed in 1942, Mrs Greville bequeathed her gems to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother- god bless her. Each earring is made up of 16 diamonds of varying cuts- pear shaped, half-moon, square, trapeze, baguette, baton and emerald-cut.

When Princess Elizabeth married Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, these earrings were giving to the young bridge as a wedding present from her parents. The Queen wore these earrings quite frequently in the early years of her reign, but now she prefers to wear pearl ones during formal occasions instead. 

Pictures: The Royal Collection

The Kent City of London Fringe Tiara

Unfortunately, there is not much information on this piece, but I find it a wonderfully beautiful fringe. Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark received the tiara from the City of London as a wedding gift for her marriage to Prince George, Duke of Kent in 1934. Since Marina, almost all the Kent women have worn the piece during their weddings- Princess Michael for her wedding ball and Princess Alexandra for her wedding at Westminster Abbey. A necklace of diamonds can also be worn over its top, as Princess Michael did.

Queen Elizabeth II's Engagement Ring

Whilst we may not see much of it, as it is usually hidden under a white glove, this is probably one of the most important and sentimental jewels The Queen owns. The ring that Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark proposed with included diamonds from a tiara which his mother, Princess Alice owned.

Above you can see the tiara on Princess Alice. The middle photograph is probably the tiara without the diamonds. The ring is platinum, set with a three carat diamond at its centre, with five smaller ones around it. Apparently the ring was originally too large for Princess Elizabeth, and had to be altered two days before the official engagement photograph. Another anecdote- according to the subtle communication between The Queen and her ladies-in-waiting, she twists the ring around her finger when she is annoyed by something.

The Delhi Durbar Tiara

In 1911, George V and Queen Mary set off for Dehli, to attend a Durbar (a ceremonial gathering) in their honour as Emperor and Empress of India. A magpie, Queen Mary took the opportunity to splash out on jewels, and a parure of diamonds and emeralds was presented. Garrard crafted the parure, which included a necklace, stomacher, earrings and a brooch. But today we’ll be focusing on the real gem of the parure- The Dehli Durbar Tiara. According to the Royal Collection, the tiara “takes the form of a tall circlet of lyres and S-scrolls, linked by festoons of rose and brilliant-cut diamonds.” The top row of the tiara was originally set with ten of the Cambridge emeralds, but were dismantled in 1922. The year after the Durbar, the tiara was modified to hold the two Lesser Stars of Africa- the Cullinan III and IV Diamonds. Cullinan III would have been hung at the top of the jewel (where there is a small space) and Cullinan IV in the oval space below.

Above, Queen Mary is pictured wearing the original version of the tiara with the Cambridge emeralds with no Cullinans. The next picture shows her wearing the tiara in all its Cullinan glory, with both diamonds set, whilst the Queen Mother wears it with only Cullian IV attached. Queen Mary lent the tiara to her daughter-in-law Queen Elizabeth for the 1947 South African Tour. There are virtually no other photos of the Queen Mother wearing the tiara during her lifetime, even though it was in her possession until her death in 2002.

In 2005, The Queen lent the tiara to the Duchess of Cornwall, who wore it at a State Banquet. I think women with a grand presence really highlight this whopper, and Queen Mary, the Queen Mother and the Duchess of Cornwall all have it. It suits Camilla’s big hair, and looks just right for her. For example, Kate wouldn’t be able to pull this piece off- she’s too dainty. All in all, it is an overwhelming piece, but if the right woman wears it, nothing really screams State Banquet!! more than this one.

The King Faisal of Saudi Arabia Diamond Necklace

The King of Saudi Arabia, Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, gave this necklace as a gift to the Queen in 1967. It is designed in a fringe style, with baguette cut and brilliant diamonds. The Queen wore the necklace at a banquet held in the Queen’s honour in the Dorchester Hotel by King Faisal, who was in Britain for a State Visit. The Queen also lent the tiara to Diana, Princess of Wales, who wore it during a tour of Australia in 1983.

It does, in some ways resemble the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara, with its alternating fringe. It is dainty, almost tiny compared to the Russian Kokoshnik Tiara in the picture below, but is very elegant as well. 

Pictures: Chez Chiara/dianasjewels.net

The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara

So I thought we’d start off with my magpie favourite- The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara. A wedding present to Queen Mary in 1893, a committee of girls of Great Britain and Ireland (obviously), headed by Lady Eve Greville, purchased the tiara from Garrard. 

The tiara has undergone numerous alterations over the years- originally it was topped with nine pearls. Yet Queen Mary’s magpie knack resulted in the pearls being replaced by diamonds, and the base being removed to be used as a bandeau. 

Left to right: Queen Mary, wearing the original version with pearls, the altered tiara without the bandeau base, and the bandeau alone

The tiara passed on to Mary’s granddaughter, Princess Elizabeth, as a wedding present. In her early years, Elizabeth wore the tiara without the bandeau, which Queen Mary did wear by itself on one occasion. In the late 60’s, The Queen eventually put two and two together, and we saw the tiara back in its original form with the bandeau base added, which in my opinion, makes it seem more regal. 

The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara is one of, if not my favourite tiara- in any royal collection. It’s not over the top, is perfectly proportioned and symmetrical, and the design resembles a burst of diamonds. It is subtle, yet also makes a statement with the oh-so sparkly diamonds. 

Pictures: The Daily Telegraph/Zimbio/The Royal Collection/hbstyling