I have a query about the provenance of the central element of the necklace.
Necklace.
Among the wedding presents that Princess Beatrice received was a diamond pendant with a pink pearl in the centre from Sir Nathaniel and Lady Rothschild. Sadly, I have never found sketches in the press of either the gifts given by Queen Victoria or the Rothschilds, so it is impossible to gauge whether the central element in the necklace might have been the Rothschild gift, but it cannot be entirely dismissed.
For a short time I thought that the shell shaped brooch may not have been part of Queen Victoria's gift but, after considering things, I suspect that it was.
Brooch.
In her journal on 27 November 1897 Queen Victoria recorded that the Thakore of Morvi gave her a diamond pendant in the shape of a shell with a pink pearl in the centre. The entry made me wonder if Princess Beatrice was wearing that as a brooch. However, when I looked at photographs of her circa 1896 and 1897 I realised that it is highly unlikely that she was wearing the pendant given to Queen Victoria in November 1897
1896
1897
When Princess Beatrice was photographed wearing the conch pearls she was a much younger person and even retouching of the photos would not account for the differences.
So I wonder what happened to Queen Victoria's diamond and conch pearl pendant?
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