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Query-- what is the basis for saying the emerald brooch was a Greville piece?
Posted by Beth on February 17, 2019, 5:14 pm
Does anyone know why the large emerald brooch worn by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother is said to be one of Mrs Greville's pieces?
Can anyone find any photos of HM wearing it in the 1960s? 1950s? Or earlier?
I have found photos for 1959 but to try to ascertain if the jewel is a Greville piece, I think it needs to have been seen much earlier.
1959 QEQM at the Elysee Palace
A possibility??
Posted by Beth on February 19, 2019, 7:25 am, in reply to "Before 1959?"
I am beginning to suspect that what is commonly referred to as the Greville emerald brooch did not come as a completed brooch in its present form from Mrs Greville, and that HM had the brooch made later in the 1950s.
So far I cannot find photos of QEQM wearing this brooch before 1959. After that time, it was one of the most favoured of HM's brooches worn regularly for important events, as well as "every day" events.
Apart from what I refer to as the emerald palm tree brooch, there is little evidence of QEQM wearing a large emerald brooch immediately after WWII.
One possibility is the brooch QEQM wore to the wedding of King Peter of Yugoslavia in March 1944. I stress this is a possibility only as I have found conflicting information about HM's attire for this event.
Tatler 29 March 1944 said that HM's dress was a fuchsia colour.
The Daily Mirror 21 march 1944 said that the colour of HM's dress was cafe au lait. Crucially, for this discussion, the paper also reported HM as wearing an emerald brooch.
Photos of the wedding are scare and not very sharp. (perhaps a high resolution photo would clarify things!)
In the photo below it can be seen that QEQM is wearing a brooch with a diamond border surrounding a squarish central stone, which appears to be set on the diagonal. This brooch is definitely not the Albert sapphire or the large sapphire which may have been given to Princess Diana.
Comparison of gemstones.
It is possible that the gemstones in what is referred to as the Greville emerald brooch might have come from Mrs Greville and even that the central emerald might have been mounted as a brooch. Another alternative is that the emerald is detachable and can be worn separately as a brooch, but we have no direct evidence of that. If the brooch had existed from when QEQM inherited the jewels in 1942 it seems odd that HM was not seen to wear it during eras (such as the coronation of QEII) when QEQM was wearing much of her significant jewellery for various events.
So far I have no definite information that the brooch QEQM wore to the wedding of King Peter was an emerald. I feel that we need to re-examine photos of HM from this period to see if the brooch can be spotted and if there is any description of HM's attire and jewels for the occasion.
Re: A possibility??
Posted by Franck on February 19, 2019, 7:11 pm, in reply to "A possibility??"
Dear Beth,
It is not the same brooch...not the same shape !
Please note that QEQM as Duchess of York wore a huge stone and diamond brooch (maybe emerald or sapphire) :
She also wore a huge sapphire brooch on her waist with the strathmore tiara at the theatre in 1935 ?.
Franck
Previous Message
I am beginning to suspect that what is commonly referred to as the Greville emerald brooch did not come as a completed brooch in its present form from Mrs Greville, and that HM had the brooch made later in the 1950s.
So far I cannot find photos of QEQM wearing this brooch before 1959. After that time, it was one of the most favoured of HM's brooches worn regularly for important events, as well as "every day" events.
Apart from what I refer to as the emerald palm tree brooch, there is little evidence of QEQM wearing a large emerald brooch immediately after WWII.
One possibility is the brooch QEQM wore to the wedding of King Peter of Yugoslavia in March 1944. I stress this is a possibility only as I have found conflicting information about HM's attire for this event.
Tatler 29 March 1944 said that HM's dress was a fuchsia colour.
The Daily Mirror 21 march 1944 said that the colour of HM's dress was cafe au lait. Crucially, for this discussion, the paper also reported HM as wearing an emerald brooch.
Photos of the wedding are scare and not very sharp. (perhaps a high resolution photo would clarify things!)
In the photo below it can be seen that QEQM is wearing a brooch with a diamond border surrounding a squarish central stone, which appears to be set on the diagonal. This brooch is definitely not the Albert sapphire or the large sapphire which may have been given to Princess Diana.
Comparison of gemstones.
It is possible that the gemstones in what is referred to as the Greville emerald brooch might have come from Mrs Greville and even that the central emerald might have been mounted as a brooch. Another alternative is that the emerald is detachable and can be worn separately as a brooch, but we have no direct evidence of that. If the brooch had existed from when QEQM inherited the jewels in 1942 it seems odd that HM was not seen to wear it during eras (such as the coronation of QEII) when QEQM was wearing much of her significant jewellery for various events.
So far I have no definite information that the brooch QEQM wore to the wedding of King Peter was an emerald. I feel that we need to re-examine photos of HM from this period to see if the brooch can be spotted and if there is any description of HM's attire and jewels for the occasion.
Re: A possibility??
Posted by Bryce on February 20, 2019, 4:23 am, in reply to "A possibility??"
Could the brooch be the detached pendant to this emerald necklace??
The shape and depth of border look similar.
Re: A possibility??
Posted by Beth on February 20, 2019, 4:52 am, in reply to "Re: A possibility??"
Many thanks Franck and Bryce. This brooch is turning into a real puzzle. If I get some time later in the day, I will look in another database to see if any other newspapers mentioned what QEQM wore to the wedding of King Peter.
Franck is this the other occasion you were referring to?
1935.
If so, then the brooch HM was wearing at her waist has to be a sapphire as she was wearing her large sapphire wedding gift brooch.
Re: A possibility??
Posted by Franck on February 20, 2019, 6:48 pm, in reply to "Re: A possibility??"
yes, I am referring to this occasion.
Best regards,
Franck
Previous Message
Many thanks Franck and Bryce. This brooch is turning into a real puzzle. If I get some time later in the day, I will look in another database to see if any other newspapers mentioned what QEQM wore to the wedding of King Peter.
Franck is this the other occasion you were referring to?
1935.
If so, then the brooch HM was wearing at her waist has to be a sapphire as she was wearing her large sapphire wedding gift brooch.
Re: A possibility?? Maridje's photos
Posted by Beth on February 21, 2019, 9:10 am, in reply to "Re: A possibility??"
To help us Maridje has sent in photos of King Peter's wedding from her amazingly comprehensive archive,