A Look Back On The Queen Of England’s Jewels
The royal family’s jewellery has always been unique and fantastic. Moreover, the queen has worn some jewellery during her time as queen. She had a fantastic collection of personalised jewellery as well as pieces worn by other family members.
These crown jewels were only worn at coronations and are kept at the Tower of London. Furthermore, the queen’s jewellery was worn for many different occasions.
The queen wasn’t the only person that wore these fantastic jewels. The Queen lent her jewels to Princess Diana as well as Kate Middleton.
In this article, we will look at some of the best jewellery pieces that Queen Elizabeth II wore during her time as Queen.
Queens Engagement Ring
Some pieces of jewellery are a significant part of their life and an engagement ring is one of them. In 1946, Prince Phillip proposed to Princess Elizabeth. He proposed to her with a three-carat diamond solitaire engagement ring with a platinum band. The ring had five smaller diamonds on each side of the central stone.
The Duke of Edinburgh didn’t stop there when proposing to the Queen. He also designed a wedding bracelet for the Queen which was seen at the 50th wedding anniversary. The diamonds used for both the engagement ring and the bracelet are from a Tiara that his mother gave him.
The Knot Brooch
This diamond brooch is known as the Lovers Knott and the Queen wore it for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding in 2011. Just like the majority of the jewels that the queen wears, her brooches are inherited from Queens before her such as Queen Victoria and Queen Mary.
Three Strand Pearl Necklace
Another famous piece of the Queen’s, the three-strand pearl necklace was given to her by King George V. With this necklace, the Queen also wore two aquamarine Cartier Clips which were also gifted from her parents.
King George VI, added two pearls a year to the platinum necklace chain throughout her childhood. The queen then gave it to her only daughter, Princess Anne, to wear on Coronation Day.
Coronation Crown Jewels
One of the most recognised jewels the Queen has ever worn is the Coronation Crown Jewels. On June 2, 1953, the queen wore a garb that soon became the Coronation Crown Jewels. This had been a crown since 1661 and was designed for Charles II.
This wonderful piece of jewellery is 2.23KG and is full of semi-precious gemstones. The crown was made for Charles II to replace the mediaeval crown that was melted by the parliament in 1649 following King Charles I execution.
Duchess of Teck’s Earrings
In 1954, the queen wore the Duchess of Teck’s earrings during a royal tour of Australia. Along with the earrings that belonged to Queen Mary’s mother, Queen Elizabeth II wore a stunning pair of floral brooches she wore as dress clips.
The earrings consist of a pearl that is then surrounded by 8 diamonds and forms a square. Princess Mary Adelaide inherited the earrings from the Duchess of Gloucester in 1857, who was her Aunt. When Princess Mary originally inherited these jewels, the earrings were part of a larger pair of earrings which were called Duchess of Gloucester’s Pendant earrings.
The Greville Chandelier Earrings
To celebrate the marriage of the Queen and Prince Phillip which was gifted from her parents. At the time of the marriage and when they were given to her, the queen didn’t have her ears pierced. On coronation day, Queen Elizabeth II was spotted wearing them.
The Flower Basket Brooch
It was given to the queen to celebrate the birth of her first child from her parents. The first time the Queen was seen wearing this brooch was an official photograph taken with her newborn child, Prince Charles who is now the king of the country.
King George VI Festoon Necklace
King George VI had a necklace designed especially for Queen Elizabeth II in 1950. It consisted of 105 loose collets from crown heirlooms that he also inherited. The reason why they were loose is that Queen Mary used them to change the length of her necklaces.
Although the necklace collection for Queen Elizabeth II increased dramatically during her reign, she often wore this necklace as her preferred choice.
Queen Alexandra’s Dagmar Necklace
Last but not least, is the Dagmar necklace. It was a gift to Princess Alexandra of Denmark from King Frederick VII of Denmark. It was given to Princess Alexandra for the wedding with the Prince of Wales, King Edward VII. It is a unique structure that stands out from the rest due to its complexity.
The necklace got the name because it is a replica of the Dagmar Cross. Queen Dagmar of Denmark’s grave was opened in 1690 and was wearing the Byzantine cross which is a relic that dated back to 1000 AD. Although this particular vintage jewellery piece doesn’t date that far back, the jewel is inspired by many ages before.
To Conclude
There were many stunning pieces of the Queen’s jewellery that she wore in public. Some were heirlooms that were passed down for many generations and others were jewels from other pieces combined to make a new piece. The Queen was not only recognised for her time as the queen but also for the fantastic collection of jewels that she wore.