The Queen's Jewels...pt2

i couldn't resist working with some more of The Queen's to-die-for jewels. If you want to know more about them, check out the detail here.

The Queen's Jewels

The Queen's Garter Badge. ''Originally made for George IV, the badge was given as a wedding present to Prince Albert from Queen Victoria who wore it after his death''.

Pair of emerald and diamond earrings. ''One of Queen Mary’s Cambridge emeralds was matched by Garrards, who also supplied the 22 brilliant-cut diamonds at a total cost of £350. The earrings, first worn for the Delhi Durbar, were inherited by The Queen in 1953''.

The Queen's Garter Star. ''Originally a present to King George VI on his marriage, it was given to Princess Elizabeth by her father at the time of her investiture with the Order of the Garter in 1947''.

Emerald, diamond, platinum and gold bracelet. ''The bracelet, made for Queen Mary to wear at the Delhi Durbar, incorporates three of the Cambridge emeralds and is en suite with the necklace''.

The Vladimir Tiara, Russia,c.1890. ''Made for Grand Duchess Vladimir, aunt of the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II, the tiara was smuggled out of Russia during the Revolution by a British diplomat. In 1921 it was sold by the Grand Duchess’s daughter, Princess Nicholas of Greece, to Queen Mary, who adapted the tiara to take fifteen of the celebrated Cambridge emeralds as an alternative to the original pearls. The tiara was inherited by The Queen from her grandmother Queen Mary in 1953.''

The dress is a Norman Hartnell cream silk gown with full skirt, lattice and foliate beaded embroidery. Worn for official portraits of The Queen taken by Baron in 1957.


All the jewels and descriptions are from the awesome Dress for the Occasion, Royal Site.

Norman Hartnell - THE coronation Dress

I had to give this beauty a post of it's own. Did you catch the Coronation on TV on Thursday?? If not, iplayer it - BBC4.

This is a recreation of the dress by Angels the Costumiers, that is sparkling away in the Harrods windows at the moment.There is also a new display of the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London  a great way to start getting into the Jubilee spirit...

Jewellery at its finest - Christopher St James

Tucked away down a little side street near Leicester Square, Cecil Court feels like the kind of place you'd find in a Dickens novel! As soon as you step into this narrow thoroughfare, you instantly leave all the touristy hustle and bustle behind you, as if the place was invisible. It's lined with small, intimate shops where you can find rare and antique maps, books, stamps, all those nice, old smelling kind of places. But the jewel in the crown is Christopher St James, the most gorgeous little jewellery shop i have ever seen. I can't tell you the number of times i've stood outside this shop after closing hours, peering through the window at all the goodies, wishing i'd just walked a little faster! It's owned by Mr Christopher St. James himself, who is such a wonderful, passionate, friendly guy, that it makes the visit all the more lovely. Oh the stories this man has, having lived between London and Paris for years. He has been commissioned to make jewellery for some really exciting projects, like the films Phantom of the Opera, Elizabeth and Shakespeare in Love, as well a  number of plays and operas in the West End. The designs are original, achingly beautiful and all at very reasonable prices. Take a detour next time you're in the area...and take some pennies!

As i was snapping away, my eye was drawn to this exceptionally blingy calculator. The story behind it is just gorgeous. It turns out that this sparkly number is actually designer customised. It was made by Alexander McQueen for Christopher, as a thank you for designing jewellery for one of his catwalk shows. Such a thoughtful gift.