History of Famous Jewels and Collections

History of Famous Jewels and Collections
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Queen Alexandra's jewels at the 1901 Opening of Parliament

Posted by Beth User icon on June 5, 2020, 5:56 pm

Queen Alexandra was wearing Queen Victoria's small diamond crown.

At her throat she was wearing Queen Victoria's diamond fringe brooch (much favoured by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother)

At her throat she was wearing what we call the Indian Pearls, a four strand pearl necklace, which Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother later had restrung. The necklace can be identified by the clasp which has 2 largish rubies in the clasp. Queen Victoria and Queen Alexandra both wore the pearls as a slightly twisted four strand necklace, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother as a 2 strand necklace with the ruby clasp and a separate, longer strand which had no visible clasp.

At her waist Queen Alexandra wore Queen Adelaide's diamond brooch.

I don't recognise what Queen Alexandra wore below this brooch. Can any one help??

Down the front of her skirt Queen Alexandra was wearing Queen Victoria's 3 bow brooches, made after the Queen had to had back similar brooches to the King of Hanover following the Hanoverian claim.

Suspended from the bow brooches are chains featuring elements with diamond centres surrounded by more diamonds. Some years ago, one of the posters (was it Baxter?) on the Royal Jewels of the World Message Board identified them as part of an elaborate necklace once worn by Queen Alexandra.

Dave also asked about the jewels worn by Queen Alexandra in the "lower portion"of DaveoST's 3rd photo.

Queen Alexandra only features in the first part of that photo and, as far as I can see, she was wearing the same jewels.

Dave could you have been referring to Queen Maud? And the QA is a typo?

Re: Queen Alexandra's jewels at the 1901 Opening of Parliament

Posted by OmerH User icon on June 5, 2020, 8:35 pm, in reply to "Queen Alexandra's jewels at the 1901 Opening of Parliament"

Great idea Dave and thank you Beth for starting this thread.

I believe that under the Queen Adelaide brooch she is wearing the central element of her elaborate necklace.

I agree that the bow brooches are suspending the side elements of the elaborate necklace and each chain ends in a large drop diamond. These are most likely the Lahore diamond and the drops from the coronation earrings.

One question: Do we have any more info about the long pearl rope with colored Stones?

Re: Queen Alexandra's jewels at the 1901 Opening of Parliament

Posted by Knightship User icon on June 6, 2020, 12:52 am, in reply to "Re: Queen Alexandra's jewels at the 1901 Opening of Parliament"

Is this the same central element of the necklace Alexandra wore to her son's wedding in 1893, but then with two additional pearls?

Previous Message

Great idea Dave and thank you Beth for starting this thread.

I believe that under the Queen Adelaide brooch she is wearing the central element of her elaborate necklace.

I agree that the bow brooches are suspending the side elements of the elaborate necklace and each chain ends in a large drop diamond. These are most likely the Lahore diamond and the drops from the coronation earrings.

One question: Do we have any more info about the long pearl rope with colored Stones?

Re: Queen Alexandra's jewels at the 1901 Opening of Parliament

Posted by OmerH User icon on June 6, 2020, 2:24 am, in reply to "Re: Queen Alexandra's jewels at the 1901 Opening of Parliament"

It appears to be the lower half of the central section of her elaborate necklace hung from her wedding necklace.

Re: Queen Alexandra's jewels at the 1901 Opening of Parliament

Posted by Eiriksn User icon on June 6, 2020, 4:49 am, in reply to "Re: Queen Alexandra's jewels at the 1901 Opening of Parliament"

Those two pearls seem very big and impressive. Could it be the two big pearls from her Dagmar necklace?

The "Elaborate" Necklace

Posted by Bryce User icon on June 7, 2020, 5:01 am, in reply to "Re: Queen Alexandra's jewels at the 1901 Opening of Parliament"

I think that the "Elaborate" Necklace that Knightship highlighted above is QA's Wedding Necklace with "bits and bobs" added to it.

The Wedding Necklace itself consists of the 8 domed pearls encircled with diamonds joined by the double swags. It also includes the 3 smaller drop pearls hanging from the 3 central clusters.

At first, I thought the large central pearl drops were the drops from QA's Wedding Brooch - but they are not big enough.

I think that Eiriksn is correct that the large pearl drops are from the Dagmar Necklace.

Andrew U picked up on some other additions - the diamond chandelier style drops on either side of the central element that are now worn by Queen Sonia Of Norway.

The outer pearl drops may be from QA's Wedding Brooch.

It also looks like QA has incorporated a paid of diamond drop earrings attached to the swags between the pearl drops.

I think OmerH was correct that the central element was part of the parliament stomacher - but I think just the lower part.

I think the upper part of the parliament stomacher is actually the large diamond brooch worn on QA's right shoulder between the 2 star brooches. I an not sure of the origin of this brooch.

p.s. in her son's wedding photo, QA also wears her Wedding Brooch central on her sash sans pearl drops.

All in all - quite the impressive pieced-together decolletage !!

Re: The "Elaborate" Necklace

Posted by 992234177 User icon on June 7, 2020, 6:40 am, in reply to "The "Elaborate" Necklace"

Has she also attached the earrings from her corporation of London wedding gift as pendants on the necklace?

Re: The "Elaborate" Necklace

Posted by Beth User icon on June 8, 2020, 8:11 am, in reply to "Re: The "Elaborate" Necklace"

I am so thoroughly confused about which necklace is being referred to that I will open separate threads to see if we can sort these issues out.

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Has she also attached the earrings from her corporation of London wedding gift as pendants on the necklace?

Re: The "Elaborate" Necklace

Posted by Dmitry User icon on June 7, 2020, 9:51 pm, in reply to "The "Elaborate" Necklace"

Queen Victoria's wedding necklace was also known as the Turkish diamond necklace. It was given to Margaret of Connaught, so cannot be the necklace in question.

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Re: The "Elaborate" Necklace

Posted by Bryce User icon on June 8, 2020, 2:32 am, in reply to "Re: The "Elaborate" Necklace"

Sorry Dmitry

My use of short forms might have caught you out.

I was speaking of Queen Alexandra's (QA) Wedding Necklace - not Queen Victoria's

Re: Queen Alexandra's jewels at the 1901 Opening of Parliament

Posted by Dave User icon on June 5, 2020, 9:55 pm, in reply to "Queen Alexandra's jewels at the 1901 Opening of Parliament"

Point taken Beth, they look so very similar, I'm mixing up mom and daughter.

Regards,

Dave.

Previous Message

In DavoST's thread on the Order of Victoria and Albert Dave asked about Queen Alexandra's jewels at the 1901 Opening of Parliament.

See https://mb.boardhost.com/historyroyaljewels/msg/1591280747.html

Rather than interrupt the sequence as others read DavoST's thread, I thought I would attempt an answer here, but I don't have all the information.

Can others help out? It would be much appreciated.

Queen Alexandra at the 1901 Opening of Parliament.

Queen Alexandra was wearing Queen Victoria's small diamond crown.

At her throat she was wearing Queen Victoria's diamond fringe brooch (much favoured by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother)

At her throat she was wearing what we call the Indian Pearls, a four strand pearl necklace, which Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother later had restrung. The necklace can be identified by the clasp which has 2 largish rubies in the clasp. Queen Victoria and Queen Alexandra both wore the pearls as a slightly twisted four strand necklace, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother as a 2 strand necklace with the ruby clasp and a separate, longer strand which had no visible clasp.

At her waist Queen Alexandra wore Queen Adelaide's diamond brooch.

I don't recognise what Queen Alexandra wore below this brooch. Can any one help??

Down the front of her skirt Queen Alexandra was wearing Queen Victoria's 3 bow brooches, made after the Queen had to had back similar brooches to the King of Hanover following the Hanoverian claim.

Suspended from the bow brooches are chains featuring elements with diamond centres surrounded by more diamonds. Some years ago, one of the posters (was it Baxter?) on the Royal Jewels of the World Message Board identified them as part of an elaborate necklace once worn by Queen Alexandra.

Dave also asked about the jewels worn by Queen Alexandra in the "lower portion"of DaveoST's 3rd photo.

Queen Alexandra only features in the first part of that photo and, as far as I can see, she was wearing the same jewels.

Dave could you have been referring to Queen Maud? And the QA is a typo?

Re: Queen Alexandra's jewels at the 1901 Opening of Parliament

Posted by Knightship User icon on June 5, 2020, 11:30 pm, in reply to "Re: Queen Alexandra's jewels at the 1901 Opening of Parliament"

Maud wore the Vifte tiara from the Rothschilds and the diamond & pearl necklace from the Royal Warrant Holders at the 1901 opening of Parliament.

Previous Message

Point taken Beth, they look so very similar, I'm mixing up mom and daughter.

Regards,

Dave.

Previous Message

Re: Queen Alexandra's jewels at the 1901 Opening of Parliament

Posted by Eiriksn User icon on June 6, 2020, 4:57 am, in reply to "Queen Alexandra's jewels at the 1901 Opening of Parliament"

I don’t have my books available, but I seem to recall that she also wore queen Victoria’s diamond stud earrings (mentioned in the Field book) and Queen Victoria’s diamond bracelet (mentioned in Roberts).

Re: Queen Alexandra's jewels at the 1901 Opening of Parliament

Posted by Andrew U User icon on June 6, 2020, 2:17 pm, in reply to "Re: Queen Alexandra's jewels at the 1901 Opening of Parliament"

Interesting.

What is the large pearl chunky necklace that hangs to her waist?

Also, just a reminder, two of the elements on her diamond necklaces were turned into earrings that at now worn by Queen Sonia of Norway

Previous Message

Re: Queen Alexandra's jewels at the 1901 Opening of Parliament. Long rope of pearls

Posted by Beth User icon on June 8, 2020, 7:03 am, in reply to "Re: Queen Alexandra's jewels at the 1901 Opening of Parliament"

I have never seen any information about the origin of the long rope of pearls Queen Alexandra wore to the Opening of Parliament in 1901. They seem to have been regularly worn by the Queen on various State occasions and were described in the press. Some commentators referred to them as the Hanoverian pearls, but obviously this is not accurate.

It is possible that the necklace may have been a gift from one of the Princely families of India; equally, Queen Alexandra may have had pearls (and other stones) in her possession strung in the Indian style.

The earliest photo I have of Queen Alexandra wearing this necklace is of her at the Devonshire House Ball. In this the strand looks slightly shorter. I think that is because the necklace is draped behind the Queen's elaborate ruff collar and thenlooped over brooches at her waist.

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