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Grima. Princess Margaret's lichen brooch
Posted by Beth on January 25, 2019, 5:27 am
Some time ago OmerH drew our attention to QEII's ruby brooch by Grima.
In Country Life 7 November 2018 Geoffrey Munn relates the story behind the lichen brooch made by Andrew Grima in 1967.
According to Munn, Princess Margaret and Lord Snowden, having found a striking example of lichen at Balmoral, conceived the idea of having it cast in gold. On 4 July 1967 Princess Margaret sent the specimen to Grima asking if the (by now brittle) lichen might interest him for casting. Charmingly she asked for an estimate, noting that if it were too expensive she might have to forgo the pleasure of a brooch. Grima, a friend of Lord Snowden, replied that he would make the brooch for a token one pound. Munn relates that Grima informed the Princess that, if a cast was not possible because the lichen was crumbling, his workmen would complete the work by hand. Although Munn does not state this, I presume that a cast was able to be made as Munn says the brooch was completed in a week.
Princess Margaret wearing the brooch in a series of photos taken by Norman Parkinson in 1967
According to Munn, Princess Margaret and Lord Snowden, having found a striking example of lichen at Balmoral, conceived the idea of having it cast in gold. On 4 July 1967 Princess Margaret sent the specimen to Grima asking if the (by now brittle) lichen might interest him for casting. Charmingly she asked for an estimate, noting that if it were too expensive she might have to forgo the pleasure of a brooch. Grima, a friend of Lord Snowden, replied that he would make the brooch for a token one pound. Munn relates that Grima informed the Princess that, if a cast was not possible because the lichen was crumbling, his workmen would complete the work by hand. Although Munn does not state this, I presume that a cast was able to be made as Munn says the brooch was completed in a week.
Princess Margaret wearing the brooch in a series of photos taken by Norman Parkinson in 1967
According to the Illustrated London News the central stone was a topaz.
Can anyone explain how the ER might have been done?
The other facets of the brooch are characteristically Grima design work - the textured gold, enlivened by diamonds.
The brooch in my opinion bears similarities to an earlier Grima brooch made in 1968, although the Pompidou brooch features entirely different gemstones.
The 1968 brooch, which featured lapis lazuli, turquoise and diamonds, would have conveyed an entirely different visual appeal.
And it is possible that Grima made many similar brooches with different gemstones, all being individual creations.
I haven't been able to find very many images of Mme Pompidou, but I suspect that she wore the brooch on the day Queen Elizabeth presented it.
The photo I have found is not very clear, but by looking at other photos from the same day, I think that, despite the caption on Alamy's website that it shows QEII leaving the Elysee Palace on 16 May 1972, not arriving at the Palace.
My deduction comes from seeing photos of QEII's arrival at Orly airport on that day.
In this photo it can be seen that Mme Pompidou is wearing a hat and does not have a brooch on her coat. Also please notice the bouquet of flowers HM is carrying.
In the photo taken at the Elysee Palace QEII is wearing the same outfit and jewels, but has a different bouquet of flowers. Mme Pompidou is not wearing a hat and has a brooch pinned to her coat.
Could the brooch be the Grima brooch from QEII? I think that, despite the fuzzy image, that the brooch bears the same shape as the Grima brooch, plus it also has a large central gemstone. I suspect that, after the formalities were over and gifts presented, Mme Pompidou pinned the brooch onto her coat to show her appreciation. It is guess, but one which I think the imagery supports.
A detail of the brooch from the photo taken at the Elysee Palace.
Does anyone else think that Mme Pompidou might have worn the brooch? Are there any other photos of her wearing the brooch at any time?
I think that most are familiar with the Grima brooch with carved rubies worn by Queen Elizabeth II.
I am taking the liberty of re-posting the extremely clear image OmerH posted recently, as it is the best image I have ever seen of the brooch. (Thank you for the image OmerH)
I think that we all know that the brooch was given to QEII by the Duke of Edinburgh.
What I had never appreciated before was that the brooch was one of the items by Andrew Grima (15 I think) which were submitted for the Duke of Edinburgh's Design Award in 1966. The significance of this is that 1966 was the first (and perhaps the only year?) in which a jeweller - Andrew Grima -- won the prize.
The brooch was featured in news items about the award to Grima -- so perhaps it was the most outstanding of the jewels.
As the news item above states, the brooch was then called the "ruby Venus brooch" and was said to be valued at 600 pounds.
There is no doubt that this brooch is QEII's Grima ruby brooch -- despite the poor quality of the image.
No doubt, if the brooch were to appear at auction tomorrow, it would fetch much, much more.
In the timeline on the Grima website, the brooch is not listed for the year of the Duke of Edinburgh's awards, but it is for 2007 where it is noted that HM wore the brooch for her Christmas message that year and that Andrew Grima died the next day. https://grimajewellery.com/timeline/ Even though we all know that HM's Christmas messages are recorded before Christmas Day, it is tempting to think that HM was paying a quiet tribute to Grima. But, perhaps I am being fanciful and it was just a co-incidence.
Oh what a great thread you have started Beth on one of my favourite jewellers!!
The 1968 brooch Beth posted above is now owned by the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. It was a first anniversary present from Roman Polanski to his wife Sharon Tate only a few months before her tragic murder.
Dave, I suspect that the ruby ring is Princess Margaret's engagement ring. Although in the photo I posted, the ring looks to be on the Princess' right hand, I fancy I can see a wedding ring under the ruby ring and that the photo has been flipped.
Although the photo is not 100% clear, I didn't see anything resembling it on the Christie's auction site. Nor have I seen a clear image of Princess Margaret's engagement ring -- but it was a ruby and diamond ring.
Thanks as always Beth, it looks like a match on the video below at 1 minute 4 seconds into show. Please see.
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And in the below video from 3 minutes 23 seconds.
?t=203
Regards,
Dave.
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Dave, I suspect that the ruby ring is Princess Margaret's engagement ring. Although in the photo I posted, the ring looks to be on the Princess' right hand, I fancy I can see a wedding ring under the ruby ring and that the photo has been flipped.
Although the photo is not 100% clear, I didn't see anything resembling it on the Christie's auction site. Nor have I seen a clear image of Princess Margaret's engagement ring -- but it was a ruby and diamond ring.
on January 25, 2019, 5:27 am
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