Apologies for not having been able to join in this discussion at the time.

The following information comes from Hugh Robert, The Queen's diamonds p. 196. It may help us understand what repairs were undertaken.

1. The Garrard inventory of the Grand Duchess' jewels January 1920 showed that 4 pearls were missing and 3 diamonds were loose.

2. Roberts quotes from Garrard's account for repairing the tiara showing that 2 missing diamonds were replaced when the tiara was repaired, restored and renovated for Queen Mary.

I presume that Queen Mary had supplied other pearls to replace the 4 missing ones.

3. Roberts states that Queen Mary had the tiara adapted to take the emeralds in 1924.


4. Roberts states that the frame was completely remade by Garrard in 1988.

The photos shown in Angela Kelly, Dressing the Queen are modern photos, most of which seem to have been taken specially for the book -- so they are post 1988 and will show the tiara as it is since the frame was remade.

Those photos show a lot of clips and screws along the ribbon section of the back of the tiara, so I think that the ribbon can still be removed.

The following is very blurry; however, on the right hand side close to the curve of the circle, a screw is visible. I have (rather unsuccessfully) placed an arrow near the screw.



I have wondered if the adjustments made by Queen Mary in 1924, so that the tiara could be worn with the Cambridge emerald drops, are the moveable arm mechanisms with the small loops through which the pearl and emerald drops are threaded.

The detail below shows the curved arm being held up by Angela Kelly as she hooks in one of the emeralds. Another screw can also be seen on the right side.