Elizabeth Alexandra Mary or better known as Queen Elizabeth II has breathed her last on Thursday (8/9/2022). During her lifetime, the Queen of Great Britain, who has reigned since 1952, has worn iconic pieces of jewelery on all occasions, whether it be a dazzling diamond tiara or simple pearl earrings.
Queen Elizabeth owns a jewelry box that is worth tens of millions of pounds. Queen Elizabeth II’s collection includes both royal and private collections. As reported by Page Six, a diamond expert from jewelry store Steven Stone told the Daily Mail in an interview, that a piece of diamond, the Cullinan III and IV brooches for example, is estimated at 50 million pounds sterling.
What is the jewelry collection of the queen who died at the age of 98 years, let’s look at the summary.
1. The Girls of Britain and Ireland tiara was a beautiful wedding gift from her grandmother, Queen Mary
The Girls of Britain and Ireland tiara is a favorite tiara most often worn by Queen Elizabeth II in official royal events. Queen Elizabeth II also wore the tiara in her first official photo taken on the twentieth day after the death of her father, King George VI. In addition, the tiara also appears on British coins, banknotes, and postage stamps.
The tiara was originally owned by Princess Mary of Teck who is the daughter of one of Queen Victoria’s cousins, Princess Mary Adelaide, the Duchess of Teck. In the early 1980s, Mary of Teck was engaged and awaiting her wedding day to the future heir to the throne, the Duke of Clarence and Avondale, Prince Albert Victor. However, just a few weeks after the engagement was officially announced by the kingdom, the prince passed away from influenza. Automatically, the throne fell into the hands of his younger brother, the Duke of York, Prince George.
Prince George initially fell in love with one of his cousins, Princess Marie of Edinburgh. However, Princess Marie prefers the heir to the Romanian throne as her soul mate. In 1893, in keeping with the expectations of many, Prince George proposed to his late brother’s fiancé, Princess Mary of Teck. May, Princess Mary’s nickname, accepted the proposal. The couple married on 6 July 1893 at the Royal Church, Saint James Palace.
Of the many wedding gifts that Princess Mary received on her wedding day, one of them was TiaraThe Girls of Britain and Ireland which was presented by a group of girls from England and Ireland. The group, led by Lady Eva Greville, raised money for the tiara, which consists of fourteen pearls set in gold and silver with the festoon and fleur-de-lis design.
When King George ascended the throne in 1910, Queen Mary wore the tiara in one of her first official photographs. In 1914, Queen Mary gave a slight makeover to the tiara. He asked Garrard to remove the fourteen pearls from the top of the tiara and replace them with thirteen sparkling diamonds.
When Queen Elizabeth II married Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark in 1947, Queen Mary gave the pearl to him as a wedding gift. Therefore, Queen Elizabeth II called it the Grannie Tiara or Grandma’s Tiara and she wore it in her early days as queen.
2. The Grand Duchess Vladimir’s tiara survived the revolution
The Grand Duchess Vladimir’s tiara is also Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite tiara. He wore it on official photos and at important meetings with world figures, such as the former President of the United States (US), Barack Obama, and the pope.
The Grand Duchess Vladimir’s tiara has a long history. Originally, the tiara was owned by the empress of the Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, who was the last imperial dynasty to rule in Russia. According to the Royal Collection Trust, Duchess Vladimir received the tiara as a wedding gift in 1874 by Court Jeweler Bolin.
It is said that after the revolution, he left Russia and took only some of his possessions with him. Meanwhile, most of his treasure is still stored in a secret place in the Vladimir Palace. Meanwhile, various versions of the story emerged regarding how the tiara eventually arrived in England.
One story has it that a British officer dressed as a worker snuck into Vladimir’s palace. He hid all the gems in his bag before running away. Another version of the story says that an old woman was infiltrated into the Vladimir Palace, she was ordered to collect valuables before escaping. However the story goes, the tiara reached London, after the Duchess of Vladimir died, it was auctioned off to support her family.
Queen Elizabeth II’s grandmother, Queen Mary, took the tiara and added fifteen emeralds belonging to her mother, Princess Mary Adelaide. In 1988, Queen Elizabeth II renovated the frame.
3. A three-strand pearl necklace and a pair of earrings gifted by Queen Mary
The next piece of jewelry that Queen Elizabeth II often wears is a three-strand pearl necklace that she wears with pearl earrings that belonged to her grandmother, Queen Mary.
Queen Elizabeth II actually has three very similar three-strand pearl necklaces. First, a gift from his grandfather, King George V. Second, a gift from the Emir of Qatar on his official visit to Qatar in 1979. Third, a necklace that was deliberately made by Queen Elizabeth II.
4. Hereditary crowns that were first made for the coronation of King George IV
The crown was originally made especially for King George IV which he would wear at his coronation in 1820. The crown made of silver, gold, diamonds and pearls was ordered by George IV of Rundell and Bridge for £8,216.
After King George IV died, the crown was owned by his sister-in-law, Queen Adelaide, who was the wife of King William IV. Then, the crown became a collection and was worn by every queen (both ruling and empress) in her time, starting from Queen Victoria, Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth (mother of Queen Elizabeth II), and Queen Elizabeth II. Queen Elizabeth II wore the crown for the first time in public at her coronation and the opening of the country’s parliament in 1952. If tradition continues, we will see Queen Camilla wearing the crown.
5. Cullinan Brooches III and IV gifts from the Government of South Africa, the value is exorbitant
The brooch, which was first owned by Queen Mary, was passed down to Queen Elizabeth II and has become one of her favorite pieces of jewelry. Queen Elizabeth wore the brooch at very important royal occasions, such as thanksgiving held at Saint Paul’s Cathedral in June 2012. The brooch is from a very large Cullinan diamond cut discovered at Premier No. 2 Cullinan, South Africa, in 1905.
In November 1907, the diamond was handed over to King Edward VII. Then, the king sent it to Asscher, Holland, to be cut. After being processed for eight months, the stone is divided into 9 parts. Two of them were given by the South African government as gifts to Queen Mary, namely the pear-shaped Cullinan III (94.4 carats) and the square Cullinan IV (63.6 carats).
6. Edinburgh wedding necklace, a wedding gift from the husband
Queen Elizabeth II’s special piece of jewelery is a diamond bracelet as a wedding gift from her husband, Prince Philip. The material of the bracelet is partly Romanov diamonds taken from the prince’s mother’s tiara which was disassembled and then rearranged into a bracelet.
Kate Middleton was caught wearing the bracelet several times. The late Queen Elizabeth II loaned it out for several formal events.
7. Queen Victoria’s hanging earrings
Another beautiful and historic piece of jewelry that Queen Elizabeth II often wears is a pair of pearl earrings shaped like teardrops. The earrings were originally a gift from Prince Albert to his wife, Queen Victoria.
Queen Elizabeth II inherited the nature of her grandmother who loved jewelry, from the many collections that will surely be passed down to one member of the royal family, whether Camilla Bowles, Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle, or other members of the royal family. Let’s wait and see who will wear the jewelry with this fantastic value.