Treasures of the British Queen. March 20th, 2013

Originally posted by vasily_sergeev at Treasures of the British Queen.

Original taken from zharevna V

British Queen's Treasures

On the eve of her Diamond Jubilee, the Queen of Britain allowed her jewels to be shown to the public.
More than 10,000 diamonds belonging to British monarchs over 300 years are on display at Buckingham Palace. In addition to the personal jewelry of the Queen of Great Britain, jewelry from the royal collection that has special historical and artistic value is also shown.
Despite the approaching XXX Olympic Games, which will be held in London in the summer, the whole of Great Britain this year lives with only one holiday - the Diamond Jubilee of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. On the occasion of this significant events, the Queen gave permission for the first time to organize an exhibition of the Windsor family jewels.
They are kept not in the Tower, but in Buckingham Palace, at the Queen's fingertips. Almost none of the items included in this collection are described in official ceremonial documents, since no one except the family of Elizabeth II can dispose of them.

She wears some of these jewelry at palace receptions, some she has never worn, and sometimes lends some items to members of the royal family. In any case, most of the monarch's personal jewelry was never seen by the public.

Vladimir Tiara, which belonged to the Russian Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna. Purchased by Queen Mary in 1921.

Brooch and earrings The Nizam of Hyderbad

Tiara-frange

Family heirlooms and crowns are passed down from monarch to monarch. These priceless tiaras, necklaces and brooches found their way into the “British Kings' Box” in different ways: some items were gifts from other monarchs and subjects for weddings or as a sign of respect, others were made to order from loving kings to their wives. There are also those in the collection that were once the dowries of foreign princesses who were part of the Windsor family, and some were requisitioned from royal favorites and mistresses.

Together they represent, without a doubt, the finest collection of diamonds in the world.

Some are instantly recognizable, like the Irish Tiara, which was given as a wedding gift to Queen Mary in 1893. Other diamonds are less well known, but also beloved.

Brooch The Lover's Knot Brooch The Williamson

Brooch Emperor of Austria Brooch of Queen Victoria

The crown jewel of the exhibition is a miniature personal crown made of gold and 1,187 diamonds that belonged to Queen Victoria. The Queen wore it for her official portrait for the Diamond Jubilee of her reign in 1897.

Family heirlooms and crowns are passed from monarch to monarch

Brooch Fire Lily Necklace The Nizam of Hyderbad

tiara “Kokoshnik”, worn by Alexandra Princess of Wales (sister of Maria Feodorovna)

Snuff box of King Frederick the Great of Prussia

The most beautiful snuffbox from the royal collection of art objects is also presented to the general public. Made (~ 1770) from 3000 diamonds and gold, it belonged to Frederick II, King of Prussia, later Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas II, after the 1917 revolution, acquired by Queen Mary.

Necklace The Delhi Durbar Earrings and necklace from the Irish set

Indian tiara

In addition, 7 of the 9 diamonds from the world's largest African diamond, the Culinan (3,106 carats), will be featured. These stones were used to make brooches, a necklace and a ring for Queen Mary, wife of King George V.

Crown of King George IV

Ruby Burmese Tiara

Queen's Crown

Queen Elizabeth's Canadian leaf brooch was a gift from George VI to his wife ahead of his 1939 tour of Canada. The Queen Mother kept the brooch until her death in 2002, when it was passed on to the current monarch. She in turn gave it to the Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton) in the summer of 2011 on her first royal trip as an expression of her support.

From Queen Victoria's wedding tiara to Kate Middleton's wedding tiara, you will find the most expensive and famous tiaras of the British royal family in our selection!

"Girls' Tiara of Great Britain and Northern Ireland"

The unique tiara, which can also be worn as a necklace, was given to Princess Mary of Teck by the "Girls of Great Britain and Ireland" on the occasion of her wedding to George V in 1893. The next owner of the tiara was Queen Elizabeth II, who also received the decoration as a wedding gift, and today this particular tiara is considered her “favorite” among others.

Interestingly, the tiara was originally decorated with 14 pearls, but in 1914 the Queen replaced them with 13 diamonds.

Popular

George IV Tiara

This tiara, one of the symbols of the British monarchy, “came into being” back in 1820 - it was made by court jewelers specifically for the coronation of George I himself. The tiara was later inherited by the reigning Queen Elizabeth II and is still kept in her personal collection .

The tiara is decorated with 1333 diamonds and 169 pearls; The tiara design combines roses, thistles and shamrocks - as symbols of England, Scotland and Ireland.

Burmese ruby ​​tiara

The Burmese ruby ​​tiara was made by special personal order of Elizabeth II in 1973 - it is decorated with 96 diamonds, as well as rubies presented to the queen for her wedding by a delegation from Burma (in fact, this explains such an unusual name). The tiara depicts a wreath of scarlet roses, which, as we mentioned above, are one of the symbols of England.

Halo Tiara

It was in this tiara that Kate Middleton became the wife of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge. The name of the decoration is translated as “halo”. The tiara was created by Cartier jewelers in 1936 for the wife of King George IV. The tiara is decorated with 739(!) diamonds and 149 diamonds.

Later, the tiara became a gift for the future Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her coming of age, but judging by the fact that she practically did not wear it and very quickly gave it to her sister and then her daughter for temporary use, she did not like the decoration.

A new round in the history of Halo happened only in 2011, when Kate Middleton wore it to her wedding (of course, with the permission of the Queen).

Oriental tiara

The elegant tiara was commissioned by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria in 1853. In the original version, it was decorated with opals, but in 1901, Princess Alexandra, who became the new owner of the jewelry, replaced them with rubies.

In 1925, the tiara passed to the mother of Queen Elizabeth II, and in 1937 it went to her.

Brazilian tiara

In 1953, the President of Brazil presented Elizabeth II with platinum earrings with aquamarines, which impressed the queen so much that 4 years later she ordered a tiara to match them (also in platinum and with aquamarines).

Fringe Tiara (“Bangs” or “Fringe”)

Queen Elizabeth II wore this tiara when she got married, and it was made in 1830. The first owner of the tiara was Queen Victoria, after whose death the decoration was inherited from one queen to another, but for some reason there was no one among them who would wear it to the wedding and, in principle, would wear it.

The tiara’s “finest hour” came only at the wedding of Elizabeth II, who, by the way, managed to break it right before the wedding, which is why her mother had to urgently look for a skilled jeweler capable of repairing the jewel.

Vladimir tiara

It was inherited by Elizabeth II from her grandmother, Queen Mary, in 1953, and the decoration owes its “non-English” name to Grand Duke Vladimir, brother of Tsar Alexander III - it was his wife, Princess Maria Pavlovna, who was its first owner.

Tiara "Kokoshnik"

And another tiara of the British royal family “comes” from Russia - it was given as a gift in 1888 wife of King Edward VII,Queen Alexandra and her sister, the EmpressMaria Fedorovna, wife of Alexander III.

Tiara “Knots of Love”

This tiara was created by court jewelers in 1914 for Queen Mary, after whose death Elizabeth II, her granddaughter, became the new owner. Elizabeth wore the tiara quite often in the 50s, but then stopped. In 1981, the tiara became a wedding gift from the Queen to Princess Diana, and after her divorce from Prince Charles, it returned to the royal family.

Tiara "Lotus Flower"

The tiara with the romantic name “Lotus Flower” was originally a necklace, and new life acquired thanks to the Duchess of York in the 20s. The tiara was then presented as a gift to Princess Margaret, who often wore it to official functions.

Tiara "Honeycomb" (or "Greville")

This tiara was made in 1901 for Lady Greville (hence its original name), daughter of the "Beer King" of England and wife of Lord Greville. In addition, Lady Greville was a close friend of Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother), who received the jewelry after her death according to her will. However, the queen's mother's husband, King George VI, decided that it was not appropriate for the royal family to accept such expensive gifts from private individuals, so the new owner of the tiara was able to wear it for the first time only in 1947 during an official visit to South Africa. The tiara was then inherited by the current Queen Elizabeth II, who later gave it to Prince Charles's second wife, Camilla.

Delhi tiara

The Delhi Tiara was made in 1911 for Queen Mother Mary and has gone through many design changes since then. Later it came into the possession of the mother of the current queen, and then to herself. Today the tiara is periodically “walked” Camilla Parker Bowles.

Meander tiara

The Meander Tiara was a wedding gift to the current Queen from the mother of her future husband, Princess Anne of Greece and Denmark. The decoration is made in classic style greek style. Interestingly, in the end, Elizabeth II never wore the tiara in public, and in 1972 she gave it to her daughter, Princess Anne. Anna, on the contrary, liked the decoration - she often wore the tiara, lending it only once to the wedding of her daughter Zara Philips.

Queen Elizabeth II gave the Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara to Princess Diana for her wedding. The jewelry house of Garrard made “Love Knots” in 1914 especially for Queen Mary, wife of George V. The tiara is decorated with pearls and 19 diamond arches and, according to Diana, weighs so much that it causes a headache. Now this decoration is worn on especially special occasions by the wife of Lady Di’s eldest son, Duchess Catherine.

Kate Middleton's Diamond Tiara

The 16-scroll Cartier tiara, set with 739 diamonds and 149 baguette-cut diamonds, also previously belonged to Queen Mary and then passed on to Elizabeth II: George VI gave it to her daughter on her 18th birthday. It was worn by Princesses Margaret and Anne, but this decoration became especially significant for Kate Middleton - the tiara complemented her wedding look.

Queen Elizabeth II Ruby Burmese Tiara

Unlike most jewelry, Elizabeth ordered the Burmese tiara for herself and did not inherit it. Jewelers Garrard made it in 1973 from rubies that the Burmese people gave to the queen as a wedding gift. The Burmese believe that rubies save a person from various kinds of diseases. The design of the tiara resembles a wreath of roses with rosettes of rubies in the center of each flower and diamond petals.

Spanish heraldic tiara "Fleur de lis", or La Buena

The head of Queen Letizia of Spain is often decorated with the famous heraldic tiara at official events. The decoration was a wedding gift from King Alfonso XIII to his bride Victoria Battenberg. It is made of platinum and encrusted with more than 500 diamonds, and the basis of the “pattern” is a fleur-de-lis. Due to the strength of the metal, the jewelry can also be bent into a crown.

Danish ruby ​​tiara

Crown Princess Mary's favorite tiara is part of a Danish ruby ​​parure that also includes a necklace and earrings. The wife of King Charles XIV of Sweden and Norway, Johan Desiree Clary, first wore it to Napoleon's coronation in 1804. Mary inherited a complete set, but it was the tiara that she liked most.

Tiara of Princess Charlene of Monaco “Diamond Foam”

PHOTO Getty Images, Legion Media

Franco-German jeweler Lorenzo Baumer made a tiara for Princess Charlene especially for the ball in honor of her wedding to Prince Albert. “Diamond foam” was supposed to reflect Charlene’s love for water - in the past, the wife of her son, Grace Kelly, was a professional swimmer. The thin tiara seems to be woven from “waves” of white gold, decorated with diamonds at the ends. The largest of them weighs 8 carats, and in total the jewelry weighs 60 carats. It is interesting that the tiara is disassembled into separate decorations: brooches and hair plumes.

Cartier Tiara of Queen Alia of Jordan

The famous tiara of the Jordanian royal family was created by the craftsmen of the Cartier jewelry house for Queen Alia. Its design resembles a complex floral wreath to some, and a combination of snowflakes to others. After Aaliyah's death in 1977, the tiara passed to her daughter, Princess Haya. Nowadays it can often be seen on Queen Rania - first Haya lent her the jewelry for the coronation of Abdullah II, then for other special events, and then completely sold it to the queen.

Ruby Tiara of the Royal Family of the Netherlands

For the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. Royal jewels.

Queen Elizabeth II's collection contains more than 300 jewelry . All of them are stored in the safes of her dressing rooms, as well as in the former bomb shelter, which is located in the basement of Buckingham Palace. Undoubtedly, this is one of the most expensive and rare collections jewelry existing in the world.

The tiara from the Girls of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is perhaps the most famous tiara of Queen Elizabeth II. She received it as a wedding gift from her grandmother, Queen Mary. The tiara received this unusual name in honor of the “Girls of Great Britain and Northern Ireland” society, which presented the decoration to Mary herself in 1893.

Most of my jewelry collections Queen Elizabeth II inherited from her grandmother Queen Mary, who, according to her own rules, wore a diamond tiara to every dinner, even if she dined only with her husband.

Queen Elizabeth II is unusually sensitive to Britain's past. She puts on "historical" decorations for all official state ceremonies.

Her Jewelry They are incredibly expensive, but for Queen Elizabeth II they are, above all, unforgettable symbols of the history of her country.

pay attention to the necklace

and here is the necklace in a larger form

Most interesting decoration Queen Elizabeth II is Delhi necklace for ceremonial receptions.

Queen Mary received this decoration during the coronation ceremony of George V as Emperor of India in December 1911 in the new capital of India, Delhi.

On the head of young Elizabeth there is also a gift from Queen Mary, but the origin of the gift is not Indian at all. This tiara belonged to the Russian Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna - the wife of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, daughter-in-law of Tsar Alexander II. After the revolution, she was the only one who was able to take her jewelry out of Russia. After her death, the children sold the tiara of extraordinary beauty to Queen Mary for next to nothing. The tiara originally had pearl pendants, and Queen Mary periodically replaced the pendants with emerald ones, which Mary inherited from her grandmother, the Duchess of Cambridge (the so-called Cambridge collection).

Vladimir tiara

This is the "Ruby Burmese Tiara" from the Queen's personal collection.
It was made in 1973 by court jewelers Garrard & Co, commissioned by the queen herself.
It was used with stones from the personal collection of Elizabeth II. Rubies are a wedding gift from the Burmese people, which is why the tiara is called the Burmese tiara. In Burma, they believe that rubies save a person from illness and misfortune. The number of rubies corresponded to the number of diseases that, according to the Burmese, have an impact on the human body.
The design of the tiara is made in the form of a wreath of roses, with rosettes of rubies in the center of each flower and petals of diamonds. These diamonds were also a wedding gift to Elizabeth from Nizami Hyderabad and Berar, who at that time had a huge jewelry collection.

Crown of King George IV.

This is exceptional beautiful crown, which features the national emblems of England, Scotland and Ireland, is probably the most familiar piece of HM The Queen's jewelery collection.
It is known to us from stamps and coins. The crown was made in 1820 for King George IV by Rundell, Bridge & Co.

sapphire set

tiara - frange (or kokoshnik)

oriental tiara with rubies and diamonds.

Also called the Indian Ruby Tiara, it was one of Queen Consort Elizabeth's favorite pieces of jewelry.

Another tiara - frange (with pointed teeth)

The future Queen Elizabeth wore this tiara at her own wedding.

to be continued.

The Royal Diamonds are a true historical treasure. In addition, these are simply amazingly beautiful jewelry. Each piece of jewelry has its own story that is worth exploring. Elizabeth the Second often appears in public wearing them. So, let's meet some of the stars of her luxurious collection.

Crown of the British Empire

This stunning piece was created in 1937 for the coronation of George the Sixth and was slightly reduced in size for his daughter the Queen. Almost three thousand diamonds, seventeen sapphires, eleven emeralds and almost three hundred pearls were used to decorate the crown, but the main decoration is the Cullinan 2 diamond, which is the second largest in the world. Of course, this is one of the most significant elements of the entire collection, a symbol of the influence of the British monarchy, and it is also one of the most impressive jewelry worldwide.

Royal scepter and orb

The orb, which the queen must hold in her left hand, is decorated with many emeralds, sapphires, rubies, pearls and diamonds. On top it is decorated with a cross, which should symbolize the power of Christ over the world. This item has been used for coronations since 1661. The scepter is a symbol of the monarch's role as head of state, it was created in 1661 and contains the largest diamond in the world - the Cullinan. It was discovered in 1905. The fist-sized stone was divided into several, and the remaining fragments of Cullinan were used for brooches. Both the scepter and the orb are real historical relics, therefore Everyday life not used - these are items exclusively for the coronation ceremony.

Engagement ring

Of course, this ring is not the largest or the oldest, it is not the most expensive, however, it is the jewelry that is more important to the queen than others. It is decorated with a three-carat diamond, surrounded by smaller stones. They were all taken from a tiara that once belonged to Prince Philip's mother. Queen Elizabeth II never parts with this decoration, because it is of great importance to her.

Koh-i-noor

No one knows how old this stunning one hundred and six carat diamond actually is, however its recorded history dates back to the fourteenth century. The diamond traveled to India, Persia and Afghanistan, was the subject of controversy and war, and was given to Queen Victoria in the nineteenth century, who wore it as a brooch. The Kohinoor passed from one generation of monarchs to another. As a result, it was inherited by Elizabeth II. It adorns the Queen Mother's crown, which is kept in the Tower of London.

Wedding bracelet

When Prince Philip had an engagement ring made from one of his mother's tiaras, he also asked for a bracelet to be made, which became his wedding gift to his bride. The Queen has appeared with this decoration many times and even posed for a portrait. Like many of the jewels in the Queen's personal collection, the bracelet was also worn by the Duchess of Cambridge on her official occasions. The Duchess herself has a much more modest collection of jewelry, so she often uses jewelry from the imperial collection, like the rest of Elizabeth II’s relatives.

Coronation earrings

Twelve and seven carat stones were used for the earrings. The earrings were created in 1830 and Queen Victoria wore them with her coronation necklace. The reigning queen usually wears these jewels along with this necklace on certain special occasions of greatest importance to the state.

Coronation necklace

The necklace is created from stones previously used on swords and similar unusual objects. It includes twenty-five diamonds and a large pendant of almost twenty-three carats. This piece was commissioned by Queen Victoria and created in 1858, and has been worn at every coronation since then. Elizabeth the Second wore it for portraits and for others special occasions of the highest level.

Circlet of George the Fourth

This crown, which can be seen on coins and banknotes, was created in 1820. George the Fourth wore it to his coronation. The diamond-set roses, thistles and clovers represent England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The decoration includes more than a thousand diamonds, as well as pearls. The Queen first appeared wearing a tiara at the opening of Parliament the year she ascended the throne. She can be seen wearing such a tiara only on the most special occasions.

Tiara of George III

This is a tiara set with diamonds. It is made in the Russian style and was very loved by the royal family in the first half of the twentieth century. The Queen borrowed it from her mother on her wedding day. However, this tiara is not popular among fans of royal jewelry; it is believed that it has too aggressive an appearance.

Queen Victoria's Jubilee Necklace

This impressive piece of jewelry was presented to Victoria by the Women's Committee. It is decorated with diamond and pearl. The pendants that complement the necklace can be used separately as brooches. This favorite decoration Elizabeth II, which she wears quite often.

Delhi Darbar Necklace

This decoration is associated with festivities in India dedicated to the rise to power of King George the Fifth. This is a necklace with eight emeralds different shapes and six diamonds set on a platinum chain. The jewel is completed by a fragment of Cullinan.

Tiara "Love Knot"

This delicate piece of jewelry was created from diamonds and nineteen pearls in 1913. Queen Mary wore it. It was subsequently given to Princess Diana, who often appeared wearing this tiara, and is now often used by the Duchess of Cambridge. In addition, it was in this tiara that she walked down the aisle on her wedding day to Prince William.

Tiara from girls of Great Britain and Ireland

This tiara was from the Women's Committee and was a wedding gift to Queen Mary. The girls collected funds from donations to make a symbolic gesture. The large diamonds were originally pearls, but the Queen replaced them by using pearls for the aforementioned Love's Knot tiara. This piece was a wedding gift from Queen Elizabeth II and is her favorite tiara.

Greville drop earrings

Socialite Dame Margaret Greville left her entire jewelery collection to her friend the Queen Mother. Many decorations became favorites of Elizabeth II. For example, earrings created by Cartier in 1929. It seems that the purpose of their creation was to use as much as possible different options diamond cuts. These earrings have become one of wedding gifts to the queen from her parents. It is not surprising that Elizabeth the Second treats them so warmly and often appears in them at celebrations.

Festoon Necklace

For everyday appearances, the Queen prefers to wear a necklace made of three strands of pearls. On more formal occasions, she wears this three-strand diamond necklace, given to her by her father in 1950, when she was still a young princess of twenty-four. One hundred and five diamonds were used from the royal stone collection to create this piece. Of course, this is not the most flashy necklace of all of them, however, it looks truly magnificent and is definitely worthy of a queen.