In 1973, The House of Garrard received the commission from Queen Elizabeth herself. The Queen used gems from wedding presents she received for her wedding with Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on 20 November 1947.
For her wedding Princess Elizabeth was given :
- A necklace consisting of 96 rubies by the people of Burma.
- 2 pendants diamonds and rubies, from a Burmese Women Liberation Movement.
The tiara includes 96 Burmese rubies Her Majesty received from the People of Burma. The number 96 is not by accident, represents the 96 diseases the Burmese believe can afflict the human body, » rubies in Burmese culture protect from illness and evil." Wearing them guards the wearer not only against illness but also against evil. The queen has never worn the necklace in public.
The necklace was broken up and the rubies were used together with an other wedding present The Nizam of Hyderabad tiara who was dismantled. The rubies were used with the diamonds from the tiara to make the Burmese ruby tiara.
The tiara is a wreath of roses separated by rays of diamonds, each rose has a ruby center with diamonds for petals and each rose is connected by a line of rubies. The rubies are set in gold and the diamonds in silver. Per Garrards, the tiara's jewels "are set in a series of rose motifs inspired by the Tudor Rose, the heraldic symbol of Britain."
Broken and dismantled :
Burma Necklace
Nizam of Hyderabad Tiara
Not really "my cup of tea".