“The Queen’s Diamonds” by Hugh Roberts.
(Royal Collection Publications). 320 pages, 348 illustrations, many of them in
colour.
What better way
to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee than a book on the Queen’s Diamonds. Sir Hugh Roberts, Surveyor Emeritus of
The Queen’s Works of Art, was Director of the Royal Collection from 1996 until
2010. His book, authorised
personally by the Queen, traces the history of the most significant pieces in
Her Majesty’s collection, either inherited or acquired during her reign. This is personal jewellery, as distinct
from the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London.
Diamonds have
been the principal and most prominent adornment at major events of every reign,
and “a necessary part of the outward show of monarchy”, as well as “a visible
representation of the wealth and influence of the country.” Using documents from the Royal Archives,
including Queen Mary’s photographic jewellery inventory, Sir Hugh guides us
through the various pieces from owner to owner, showing how certain pieces were
transformed as fashions and tastes changed and stones were taken from
unfashionable pieces and reused.
It is also fascinating to learn how pieces came apart, to be worn in
different ways.
Sir Hugh begins
with Queen Adelaide, the first female sovereign to wear George IV’s diamond
diadem, now worn by the Queen at the State Opening of Parliament. Despite Queen
Victoria having to give back the Hanoverian Diamonds, the collection continued
to grow, with additional help of major jewels from India and other parts of the
Empire. Queen Alexandra started
the fashion for jewelled ‘dog collars’ and introduced jewellery influenced by
the Russian styles, such as the Kokoshnik Tiara, which she had seen on her
sister Dagmar, the Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia. One of Queen Alexandra’s
most elaborate pieces was the Dagmar Necklace (a wedding gift from Frederik VII
of Denmark), incorporating a replica of the Dagmar Cross, a famous medieval
relic.
Unsurprisingly a
large amount of space is given to Queen Mary. Her acquisitions include the famous Cullinan Diamonds and
the Delhi Durbar necklace. Jewels purchased from the estate of Grand Duchess
Vladimir of Russia, including the famous Vladimir Tiara, are included, but
those purchased from Empress Marie Feodorovna’s estate (which largely contained
stones other than diamonds) are not. She also inherited jewels from Princess
Mary Adelaide Duchess of Teck, Princess Mary Duchess of Gloucester and Princess
Augusta Duchess of Cambridge and Queen Mary was particularly ingenious in
having her jewels altered, dismantled and remade.
I was amazed at
how much jewellery Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) inherited from Mrs
Ronald Greville - sixty spectacular pieces from Mrs Greville’s personal
collection, including the Greville Tiara (latterly loaned to the Duchess of
Cornwall) with its distinctive honeycomb design. Queen Elizabeth’s collection
also included the Halo Tiara (loaned to the Duchess of Cambridge on her wedding
day), and the Maple Leaf Brooch, worn on visits to Canada, most recently by the
Duchess of Cambridge. Incidentally, Mrs Greville’s ‘jewellery box’ was actually
a tin trunk!
With the
accession in 1952 of the first Queen Regnant since 1837 the Queen Consort’s
heirloom jewellery could be combined with the new Queen’s personal jewellery
and, on State occasions, with the Crown Jewels. The result, as first seen at
the coronation, is spectacular.
Legacies from Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth are now combined with some
new acquisitions such as the Williamson, the finest pink diamond ever
discovered.
The photographs in
this book are superb. Each item is shown actual size and, in some cases,
larger, so that the beauty of the stones and their settings can really be
appreciated. Photographs also show
the various royal ladies wearing the pieces, illustrating how each Queen chose
to wear, or alter, the items.
This is a
breathtaking book, recommended for any fans of royal jewellery.
