Category Archives: Miscellaneous

The Cambridge Emeralds

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The Cambridge Emeralds came into the royal family through Queen Mary who was the grandmother of the current queen, Queen Elizabeth II.  The story is a very interesting one in which the emeralds were originally acquired by Augusta of Hesse- Kassel, the Duchess of Cambridge (Queen Mary’s grandmother) in 1818 at a charity lottery while they were in Frankfort, Germany.  The box that was the prize is said to have contained somewhere between 30 to 40 cabochon emeralds (cabochon is a French word meaning a gemstone which is slightly shaped and polished as opposed to being cut and faceted).

Duchess of Teck wearing the original Cambridge emerald necklace

The Duchess had some of the emeralds set into a pair of drop earrings and a pendant necklace.  After her death her daughter, Mary Adelaide, the Duchess of Teck (Queen Mary’s mother) inherited the emeralds.  Unfortunately, the Cambridge emeralds were almost lost to the royal family when they were passed onto Prince Francis of Teck (Queen Mary’s brother) and when he died suddenly in 1910 the emeralds fell into the possession of his mistress.  Luckily, Princess Mary of Teck (later to become Queen Mary) retrieved the emeralds under questionable circumstances.

Queen Mary was known to wear numerous pieces of jewelry at one time and on the occasion of the Imperial Durbar held in Delhi in 1911, when King George V was crowned Emperor of India, she had a majority of the Cambridge emeralds set into what became known as the Delhi Durbar parure.  (A parure in royal terms is a set of matching jewelry that would sometimes include a tiara, necklace, bracelet, brooch and earrings)

1911 Delhi Durbar

Then in 1921, Queen Mary bought a diamond and pearl tiara from the Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia.  The tiara had been smuggled out of Russia by a British diplomat during the 1917 revolution.  After acquiring the tiara, Queen Mary had it altered and the original teardrop pearls could be replaced by fifteen Cambridge cabochon emeralds.  (Please click on the link, the Queen’s Jewelry Collection – Part One, for additional information on the Grand Duchess Vladimr Tiara)

The remaining Cambridge emeralds were used in additional brooches, necklaces, bracelets and earrings made by Garrards, the Royal Jewelers.  These pieces of jewelry were cleverly designed so that the emeralds could be detachable from their setting so that Queen Mary would be able to insert gemstones that would coordinate with the color of her gowns.

All of the jewelry mentioned; the Delhi Durbar parure, the Vladimir tiara and the additional pieces using the Cambridge emeralds, were the personal property of Queen Mary.  Eventually, Queen Elizabeth II inherited the collection in 1953.

The Cambridge Emerald Collection including the Delhi Durbar Parure

The Delhi Durbar Tiara – The tiara was originally part of the Delhi Durbar Parure and was set with several of the Cambridge emeralds, many years later the ten cabochon emeralds would be eventually used in the Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara.  The Delhi Durbar Tiara is now part of Queen Elizabeth’s personal jewelry collection and was most recently worn by Camilla, the current Duchess of Cornwall.

Delhi Durbar Tiara worn by Queen Mary    Delhi Durbar Tiara worn by the Duchess of Cornwall

The Delhi Durbar Necklace – The Delhi Durbar Necklace was specifically made for the 1911 Delhi Durbar and is set with nine cabochon Cambridge emeralds, six large diamonds, numerous smaller diamonds and the Cullinan VII diamond which is an 8.8 carat marquise shaped diamond.  The necklace was made by Garrard at the request of King George V and was presented to Queen Mary on occasion of her 44th birthday.  Since the Queen Elizabeth inherited the necklace in 1953 she usually wears it paired with the Vladimir Tiara for evening events.

Delhi Durbar Necklace    Delhi Durbar Necklace worn by Queen Elizabeth

The Delhi Durbar Bracelet – The original Delhi Durbar Parure included three emerald bracelets made by Garrard and this one is set in platinum and gold with three of the Cambridge emeralds and several diamonds.  Later, when Queen Elizabeth inherited the jewelry collection from her grandmother, Queen Mary, the Delhi Durbar Bracelet was one of her favorite pieces and she often wears the bracelet for evening engagements.

Delhi Durbar Bracelet

The Delhi Durbar Earrings – The Delhi Durbar earrings are set with one of the Cambridge oval shaped cabochon emeralds surrounded by 11 diamonds and a matching emerald provided by Garrard surrounded by an additional 11 diamonds.  Since Queen Mary would often wear several necklaces at one time, the earrings were kept relatively simple in style.

Cambridge Emerald Earrings

The Delhi Durbar Stomacher and Scroll Cambridge Emerald Brooch – These pieces of jewelry were specially made by Garrard for Queen Mary to wear to the 1911 Delhi Durbar.  The Delhi Durbar Stomacher is set in gold with seven of the Cambridge emeralds, chips from the Cullinan diamond and several smaller diamonds.  The stomacher was a favorite of Queen Mary and she wore it often with several additional brooches, such as the Cullinan V Heart Brooch and the Cullinan VIII Emerald-cut Brooch, to create an impressive display. (a stomacher is customarily a set of elaborate pieces of jewelry that are normally worn over the bodice of a gown)  One of those additional brooches worn with the Delhi Durbar Stomacher was the Scroll Cambridge Emerald Brooch which included a square-shaped emerald placed in a scrolled diamond setting and a removable emerald pendant.  Since the Cambridge Emerald collection passed to Queen Elizabeth in 1953 she rarely wears the Stomacher but occasionally wears the Scroll Brooch for day or evening engagements.

Delhi Durbar Stomacher worn by Queen Mary with Delhi Durbar Brooches    Delhi Durbar Brooch

The Delhi Carved Emerald Brooch – Queen Mary was given the Delhi Carved Emerald Brooch by the ladies of India to wear at the Delhi Durbar in 1911.  This brooch does not contain one of the Cambridge Emeralds but it is included in the Delhi Durbar Parure.  Set in silver and gold, the large hexagon shaped emerald is intricately carved with the images a rose on the front and an unidentified plant on the back and it is surrounded by several diamonds.  Queen Mary wore the brooch pinned at the top of the Delhi Durbar Stomacher with additional brooch pinned below.  In 1953, the Delhi Carved Emerald Brooch was passed to Queen Elizabeth and she only wears in occasionally due to its heavy weight.

Delhi Durbar Carved Emerald Brooch

The Round Cambridge Emerald Brooch – Unlike the other pieces of Cambridge Emerald jewelry collection, this brooch was not specifically made for the Delhi Durbar although it was worn for that occasion in 1911.  The round cabochon emerald is surrounded by two rows of diamonds with a pear shaped emerald pendant that can be detached.  After the death of Queen Mary, the brooch was passed to Queen Elizabeth who wears it often and mostly with the pendant attached and but she will occasionally wear it without the pendant.

Delhi Durbar Round Brooch worn with pendant by Queen Elizabeth    Delhi Durbar Round Brooch worn without pendant by Queen Elizabeth

The Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara – In 1921, Queen Mary bought a diamond and pearl tiara from the Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia.  Queen Elizabeth inherited the tiara in 1953 and frequently wears it with the original teardrop pendants and occasionally with the interchangeable Cambridge Emerald pendants. (Please click on the following link, the Queen’s Jewelry Collection – Part Two, for additional information on the Grand Duchess Vladimr Tiara)

Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara

The Art Deco Emerald Choker – There is some controversy surrounding this Art Deco Emerald Choker and it was always believed that this necklace was created for Queen Mary with the Cambridge Emeralds for the 1911 Delhi Durbar.  Recently it was determined that the emeralds used in the necklace were in fact a gift to Queen Mary from the Ladies of India and this necklace is sometimes confused with the Delhi Durbar Necklace.  The confusion lies in the fact that in 1921 Queen Mary had the original necklace redesigned and shortened into an Art Deco style choker set in platinum which she worn with a multiple strands of diamond necklaces.  The Art Deco choker was passed to Queen Mary in 1953 but she did not prefer the shortened style.  Much later in the 1980s the Queen loaned the choker to Diana, the Princess of Wales.  Diana wore the choker often and it became one of her signature pieces of jewelry.  Then in 1985 on a tour of Australia she wore the chocker in a very unusual way.  At an evening engagement in Melbourne Diana cleverly accessorized her beautiful turquoise Emanuel designed evening gown by wearing the chocker as a bandeau in a distinctive 1920 style across her forehead.  Upon Diana’s death in 1997 the necklace was returned to the Queen.

Delhi Durbar Choker
Delhi Durbar Choker - Princess Diana    Delhi Durbar Choker - Princess Diana wears as headpeice

Also, if you are interested in more information about the Royal Family and their jewels, please click on the links to the following posts:  The Crown Jewels (Part One and Part Two) and the Queen’s Jewelry Collection (Part One and Part Two)

 

Legend of Sleepy Hollow

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Legend of Sleepy Hollow

During this Halloween season I thought it would be a good time to discuss the “Legend of Sleepy Hollow”.  I remember when I was a small child seeing the classic Disney animated movie which told the story of a man named Ichabod Crane.  The local living history farm not far from where we live has an autumn festival and the highlight of the hayride is always the appearance of the Headless Horseman and our family has made it an annual must-see event that we enjoy.

adventures-of-ichabod-and-mr-toad

“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is originally a short story written by Washington Irving and first published in 1820 under the pseudonym of Geoffrey Crayon.  The story is based on an old German folktale known as “The Wild Huntsman” about a phantom rider which sometimes appeared headless as he would chase trespassers through the woods.  Irving had been inspired by these German tales and wrote the story as part of his book, “The Sketch Book”, while he was visiting Europe.

Irving had set the story in the time of the American Revolutionary War in the countryside near Tarrytown, New York.  During the war this area of Westchester County, which was situated between the lines of the Continental Army and the British troops, had been the location of several raids and skirmishes conducted by the Loyalists with the help of Hessian soldiers against the Patriots.  The legend is that the Headless Horseman was said to be a Hessian Soldier that had been found decapitated after one very violent skirmish and then later buried in an unmarked grave over the bridge in the Old Dutch Church Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow.

The unusual name of the character of Ichabod Crane is said to have come from directly from Irving who had met an Army Captain by that same name in 1814.  The character of Ichabod was modeled after a real person named Jesse Merwin who was a local school teacher in Kinderhook, NY where Irving had visited in 1809.  The character of Katrina was possibly inspired by a real person, either Catriena or Eleanor Van Tassel who are both buried in the cemetery in Sleepy Hollow.

“Legend of Sleepy Hollow” synopsis

The story is about a tall, lean and very superstitious schoolteacher.  He is in love with Katrina who is the daughter of a wealthy farmer, Baltus Van Tassel, who opposed the marriage.  Abraham van Brunt, “Bones”, was also pursuing Katrina and he set about playing a series of pranks to unsettle Ichabod.  Then in autumn there was a harvest party at the Van Tassel house and Ichabod was going to propose to Katrina that night but he failed to win her hand.

At the party “Bones” had been telling ghost stories and as Ichabod rode home, sadden by his failure to win Katrina’s hand in marriage, he became haunted by those stories.  As Ichabod passes through the woods near Sleepy Hollow he encounters a shadowy headless figure on horseback and extremely frightened he races to cross over the bridge at the Old Dutch Cemetery where legend has it that he will be safe from harm.

The Headless Horseman chasing Ichabod Crane

The next morning, Ichabod has mysteriously disappeared from town and Katrina eventually marries “Bones” who sees delightfully happy with these turn of events.  The story concludes that “Bones” was in fact was the Headless Horseman.

Miscellaneous – Chuck Yeager Breaks Sound Barrier

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640px-ChuckYeager

Hello, it’s Jeff again!  As those of you who regularly follow Barbara’s blog know, she occasionally asks me to write a post for her. Usually about something space related or a biography of someone spacey or science fiction related.  While it is not easy researching and writing these posts I usually agree and I always learn something new about very interesting people. Chuck Yeager is no exception! I’m guessing that most of us have watched the movie “The Right Stuff” which Chuck says is slightly “Hollywoodized” but otherwise pretty good and know that on October 14th, 1947 he became the first person to break the sound barrier, but that is only one feat in an impressive career. Before we get into who Chuck was, take three minutes to watch his historic flight.

“Chuck” Charles Elwood Yeager was born February 23, 1923 in Myra West Virginia to Susie Mae and Albert Hal Yeager.  Myra was an extremely small town where his parents farmed.  When he was 5 he moved to Hamlin, about 7 miles away where his father went to work drilling for natural gas.  In 1929 the population was only about 500 people, but to the young Chuck it seemed like a big city!  The Yeager’s were not well off during the best of times and especially during the Great Depression, but they were resourceful and made do with what they had.  His childhood was also marred by tragedy when his two year old sister was accidently killed by his brother Roy when he was four and Chuck and Roy were playing with their father’s shotgun.  He spent a lot of time with his grandfather hunting and fishing and gaining a great appreciation for the outdoors. Throughout his youth, Chuck helped maintain the family garden, tended the animals and hunted for wild edible plants, squirrels and rabbits.  Having driven through the area where he grew up in West Virginia many times over the past few years I can see how he would fall in love with the magnificent countryside!  The boys also did a lot of work around the house as their father was often away in the gas fields.

Generally, Chuck was an average student.  He skipped second grade, but had to take 5th grade twice.  He was good at geometry and he was an excellent typist, typing 60 words a minute in high school.  This was quite a feat with the manual typewriters of the time!  He played football and basketball and was quite good at these, but loved pool and ping-pong best.  He was also mechanically inclined and helped his father maintain his gas drilling equipment.  He and his brother also learned to overhaul engines, pumps and other mechanical equipment before he graduated high school in 1941.

After graduating high school, Chuck enlisted in the Army Air Corps as a mechanic.  At the time he was not particularly interested in flying and even if he were, he would not be accepted because he was too young and you needed at least two years of college to qualify.  The entry of the United States into World War II changed all that.  The Air Corps needed more pilots and they dropped the college requirement and reduced the age restriction to 18.  Although his first flying experiences left his stomach somewhat upset he thought becoming a pilot would be fun and “with three stripes he would get out of pulling guard duty.”  He was accepted into the Flying Sergeant program in July of 1942.  His 20/10 eyesight, his mechanical aptitude and his ability to stay calm in stressful situations caught the eye of the instructors and he was quickly moved to fighter pilot training.  He received his wings in 1943 and was assigned to the 363rd Fighter Squadron, 357th Fighter Group.

This is the year he met Glennis Dickhouse, the woman who was to become his wife.  As one of the junior officers in the 357th, he and another officer were sent to arrange for some entertainment for the group.  They went to to the local USO office to arrange a dance.  Glennis asked Chuck if he really expected her to arrange a dance for 30 officers in just three hours and he replied “No, you only need to find 29 girls.  I plan on taking you.”  After he shipped out to Europe he named all of his planes after her.  They were married in 1945 and remained happily married until her death of ovarian cancer in 1990.

Chuck’s distinguished war career is well documented in his official website at www.chuckyeager.com, but here are the highlights:

  • Stationed at RAF Leiston in 1943 flying P-51 mustangs
  • Shot down first enemy fighter March 4th, 1943
  • Shot down over over France on his 8th mission March 5th, 1943
  • Evaded enemy and escaped through Spain on March 30th
  • Petitioned and received permission on June 12, 1944 from the Supreme Allied Commander (General Dwight D. Eisenhower to be allowed to return to duty.  “Evaders”, pilots who had avoided capture, were prohibited from returning to service because they might compromise the people who helped them escape if caught again.
  • Became the first pilot to become “ace in a day” by shooting down five enemy aircraft on October 12, 1944.
  • Flew his last combat mission (#61) on January 15th, 1945.

When he returned to the United States after the war his experience, both flight and mechanical qualified him to be a test pilot.  His skills were such that he was selected by Colonel Albert Boyd, the chief of the Flight Test Division at Wright Field to be a test pilot.  Here is how the Chuck Yeager website describes the selection:

“In June 1947 Colonel Boyd made one of the most important decisions of his career when he chose one of his most junior test pilots to attempt to become the first person to exceed the speed of sound in the rocket-powered Bell XS-1. He chose Yeager because he considered him the best “instinctive” pilot he had ever seen and he had demonstrated an extraordinary capacity to remain calm and focused in stressful situations. The X-1 program certainly promised to be stressful; many experts believed the so-called “sound barrier” was impenetrable. Yeager and the rest of the small Air Force test team met at Muroc in late July.”

Chuck_Yeager glamorous glennis

At Edwards Air Force base (Muroc Army Air Field then) his flight and mechanical skills were put to the test.  He made a couple number of test runs reaching almost the speed of sound, but the plane buffeted so much and the controls froze it looked like the naysayers were correct and breaking the sound barrier was truly an impossible task.  To compensate for the complete loss of elevator effectiveness (the ability to control the pitch of the plane) Jack Ridley, the chief engineer and most trusted adviser to Chuck, suggested Chuck control the pitch by use of the movable tail built into the XS-1.  The tactic worked and on October 14, 1947 Chuck Yeager became the first man to break the sound barrier.

Chuck remained in the Air Force on active duty until 1975 and during his career he accomplished many firsts.  These including being the first American to pilot a captured MiG 15, which he promptly declared to be inferior to its American counterpart the F-86 Sabre; commanding numerous squadrons; being commandant of the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School, which produced astronauts for NASA and the Air Force; and acting as an adviser to Pakistan.  Over his career Chuck piloted most of the military and many civilian planes produced.  He continued acting in an advisory capacity and finally retired from military flight permanently in on October 14, 1997 after flying a F-15D Eagle past Mach one in a celebration of the 50th anniversary of his historic flight.  At the end of his retirement speech he stated “All that I am … I owe to the Air Force”.  He broke the sound barrier again on October 14, 2012 on the 65th anniversary as well.  During his career he received 55 medals which were donated to the Smithsonian.  They are currently no longer on display.

recreate

One other thing to note about his service as a test pilot is that he survived an extremely dangerous job.  As I was researching I discovered that in one month 60 test pilots were killed.  That number astounds me!  Finally, the last thing I find interesting about Chuck’s career is that he never became an astronaut.  He did receive astronaut wings for flying above the atmosphere in a plane, but he was never one of the astronaut candidates.  It may be that he didn’t have the required education, but I think it probably related more to him being a test pilot and I think he felt that the original Mercury astronauts were more test subjects.  The 1983 movie “The Right Stuff”, in which Chuck has a cameo role as the bartender, they go into this is some detail.

Chuck’s more recent past has been a little turbulent.  In 2000 he met Victoria Scott D’Angelo while hiking near his home.  They started dating and were married in 2003.  This started a dispute with his children as she was 35 years younger than Chuck and they felt she was just after his money.  Chuck says that he realized while his wife was ill with cancer his kids were rarely around and he figured he would end up in an assisted living facility.  He felt he needed to find someone to look after him.  In any case, Victoria is sue happy and had made a handy living suing people prior to meeting Chuck and now that they are married Chuck has become involved in numerous lawsuits, including several against his children.

Taking this last episode aside, it seems like Chuck Yeager is a hard working, dedicated man who has served his country with great distinction.  He is also a shining example of the American Dream, rising from his poor youth to an extremely successful role model.  In many of the biographies I have researched for Barbara I frequently find that the public vision of the person is far removed from the reality, but I think Chuck is a truly great person and I’m glad she asked me to write about him!

The Queen’s Jewelry Collection (Part Two)

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The current British Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has an extensive collection of tiaras, necklaces, earrings and brooches that are part of her personal collection.  Most of these items have been acquired and passed down through previous members of the royal family.  The Queen’s Jewelry Collection Part One featured such items as the George IV State Diadem, Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara, Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiara and the Cartier Halo Tiara, which was worn by Katherine Middleton when she married Prince William in 2011, and also the Prince Albert Sapphire Brooch and the Cullinan III & IV Diamonds that the Queen appropriately wore for her Diamond Jubilee in 2013.  (For more information on these beautiful tiaras and brooches, please click on the link)

In this post, I will discuss several additional pieces from the Queen’s Jewelry Collection.

Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee Necklace

In 1887, to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Queen Victoria’s accession to the British throne, a committee was formed to raise funds for a commemorative statue of Prince Albert to honor the beloved husband of the Queen who died in 1861.  (Eventually the completed statue was dedicated in 1890 at Windsor)  The remainder of the fund was used for an impressive necklace with 26 large pearls and over 300 diamonds which Queen Victoria wore in the official Golden Jubilee photograph.  The necklace has a large central pearl and diamond quatrefoil with a large pearl in the middle, a pearl and diamond crown set at the top with a large pearl drop hanging at the bottom.  The remaining necklace comprises of graduated diamond and pearl trefoil links, six of the largest trefoils were designed to be worn separately as brooches.  After Queen Victoria’s death in 1901, the necklace became the personal property of the crown and was worn infrequently by subsequent queen consorts.  The necklace is said to be a favorite of the current Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee Necklace    Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee Necklace - worn by Queen Elizabeth

Queen Alexandra’s Dagmar Necklace

Another remarkable necklace in the Queen’s personal jewelry collection is known as the Dagmar Necklace which was given by King Frederik VII of Denmark to Princess (later Queen) Alexandra upon her marriage to the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) in 1863.  The necklace was designed in a Byzantine style comprising of alternating diamond and pearls swags set in gold connected with diamond and pearl medallions also set in gold and features a replica of the famous Dagmar Cross, hence the name of the necklace.  The history is that Queen Dagmar was buried with a similar cross laid on her breast and since then the tradition is that when Danish princesses are married they wear a replica of the cross.  The Byzantine style cross on the necklace is detachable with an image of Christ at the center with four additional saintly images on the front while the back depicts a scene from the Crucifixion, included within the cross is a piece of silk from the grave of King Canute and a sliver of wood from the original Dagmar Cross.  Upon the death of Queen Alexandra in 1925, the necklace was given to the Crown eventually passing to Queen Elizabeth II; she appropriately wore the necklace on her state visit to Denmark in 1957.

Dagmar Necklace 1   Dagmar Necklace closeup  Queen Alexandera's Dagmar Necklace - Queen Elizabeth wearing

King George VI Sapphire Necklace

The sapphire necklace is part of the King George VI Sapphire Suite which was given by King George VI as a wedding present for his daughter, Princess Elizabeth (the future Queen Elizabeth II) when she married Prince Phillip in 1947.  The suite was originally created in 1850 and includes a necklace links of oblong sapphires surrounded by diamonds and a matching pair of oblong sapphire earrings also surrounded with diamonds.  In 1959, Princess Elizabeth had the necklace shortened and the large center sapphire made into a drop pendant which could also be detached from the necklace to use as a separate brooch.  Later in 1963, Queen Elizabeth commissioned a new sapphire and diamond tiara and bracelet from sapphires that once belonged to Princess Louise of Belgium.

King George VI Victorian necklace and earrings    King George VI Victorian necklace and earrings - Queen Elizabeth

Kensington Bow Brooch 

The Kensington Bow Brooch was inherited by Queen Elizabeth from the large jewelry collection of her maternal grandmother, Queen Mary.  The brooch was a gift to mark the 1893 wedding of Princess May of Teck (the future Queen Mary) to the Duke of York (the future King George V) She wore the brooch at both the coronations of King Edward VII (her father-in-law) and King George V (her husband) The brooch was made by Collingwood & Co. with two rows of diamonds set in silver and gold to resemble a bow tied around a single large diamond in the center with a detachable pave set baroque pearl pendant.  Queen Elizabeth inherited the brooch in 1953 and often wears it to secure a sash at her shoulder for formal events and has infrequently worn it without the pearl drop for more casual day appearances.  Most recently the Queen wore the Kensington Bow Brooch at the funeral of her mother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who died in 2002.

Kensington Bow Brooch    Kensington Bow Brooch - Queen Elizabeth at funeral 1

Cartier Clips

In the 1930s the French jeweler, Louis Cartier, started designing matching brooches that could be worn together to form one large jewelry accessory or separately as single brooches.  Princess Elizabeth was given a set of Cartier Clips as an 18th birthday gift from her parents in 1944.  The brooches are designed in an Art Deco style with 20 oval and 22 baguette aquamarines and 38 round diamonds.  The pair of Cartier Clips are among Queen Elizabeth’s favorites and she has worn them frequently throughout the years.

    Cartier Clips - Queen Elizabeth1

Cullinan Brooches

The famous and massive Cullinan diamond that was acquired by the British Crown in 1910 was cut into multiple pieces.  The largest cut, the Cullinan I diamond, is set in the Sovereign’s Sceptre which is part of the British Royal Coronation Regalia.  The Cullinan II is set into the Imperial State Crown.  (For more information, please click on the links Crown Jewels of England Part One & Part Two)

Cullinan V Heart Brooch –   

The Cullinan V is an 18.8 carat heart-shaped diamond featured in a beautiful platinum setting with a pave border of smaller diamonds.  Queen Mary wore the Cullinan V Heart Brooch as the center section of the stomacher (in “royal terms” it is a decorative jeweled piece that is attached to the front bodice of a gown) which was part of the diamond and emerald parure she wore for the Delhi Durbar in 1911.  Queen Mary also frequently wore the Cullinan VII pendant attached to the Cullinan VII brooch to form a large stomacher.

Cullinan VII and Cullian VIII Brooch    

Cullinan VII and Cullinan VIII Brooch –

The Cullinan VII is an 11.5 carat marquise cut diamond set as a pendant and the Cullinan VIII is an 6.8 emerald-cut diamond mounted in the center of a platinum setting with a pave border of smaller diamonds.  Even though Queen Elizabeth inherited the brooch in 1953, she has rarely worn it in public.

For more information about the other pieces in the Queen’s personal collection, please clink on the link The Queen’s Jewelry Collection Part One.

Also, if you are interested in more information about the Royal Family and their jewels, please click on the links to the following posts:  The Crown Jewels (Part One and Part Two) and the Cambridge Emeralds.

Hartnell’s Famous White Wardrobe

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Robert HarnellNorman Hartnell (born June 12, 1901 died June 8, 1979) was a British fashion designer and is best known as the dressmaker to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother and later, her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II.  In this post, I will briefly discuss the fashion career of Hartnell and his work with the Royal family, including the famous White Wardrobe that he designed for Queen Elizabeth.

In the mid-1930s, Hartnell had firmly established himself as a successful designer specializing in elegant afternoon and evening dresses for the London society.  He also designed wedding and bridesmaid dresses for several British Royal Weddings.  The Duchess of York (later known as Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother) met Hartnell for the first time in 1935 when her young daughters, Princess Elizabeth and Princess, were bridesmaids in the wedding of Prince Henry (the Duke of Gloucester, the third son of King George V) to Lady Alice.  Unfortunately, due to the death of Lady Alice’s father the large state wedding scheduled for Westminster Abbey was cancelled and the royal couple was married in a smaller private ceremony at the Chapel Royal in St. James Palace so the public only saw Princess Alice’s going-away outfit that Hartnell had designed.

In 1937, when her husband, Albert, unexpectedly became King George VI, Queen Elizabeth (formerly known as the Duchess of York) felt obligated to use her current dress designer, Madame Handley-Seymour, to create her coronation gown.  Several years earlier, in 1923, on the recommendation of her future mother-in-law Queen Mary, the Duchess of York had commissioned Handley-Seymour to design her wedding dress and had since used her to create her royal wardrobe.  But, Queen Elizabeth had been so impressed with the dresses Hartnell had created previously for her daughters that she commissioned him to design the gowns for her Maids of Honor at the coronation.

Once again, Queen Elizabeth was so pleased with the maids coronation dresses that afterwards Hartnell began to exclusively create her entire royal wardrobe.  Then in 1938, prior to a scheduled Royal Tour planned to France, the Queen’s mother the Countess of Strathmore died and the trip was postponed for three weeks. Hartnell had been commissioned to design 30 outfits for the upcoming visit but since the Royal Court Mourning period required a somber wardrobe and the colorful outfits were deemed inappropriate.  This Royal Tour was extremely important to build a solid political alliance between Britain and France especially at that time due to the growing hostilities in Europe and appearances were very important in establishing a good impression.    The tradition dedicated for Court Mourning allowed black clothing and after an extended period of time eventually purple and mauve colored dresses.  These colors would set the wrong tone for the visit and would also be highly unsuitable choice during the hot summer months in France.  Hartnell came up with a solution to the problems when he discovered that in the past white was previously used as an acceptable color during the Court Mourning period.  So, in less than three weeks new dresses were created and the Queen left London wearing somber black but arrived in Paris with an entire wardrobe of white dresses.

Queen Elizabeth white wardrobe for Paris 1938 - day dress    Queen Elizabeth white wardrobe for Paris 1938 - day dress with matching jacket    Queen Elizabeth white wardrobe for Paris 1938 - day dress with jacket
 

Queen Elizabeth white wardrobe for Paris 1938 - crinoline evening gown    Queen Elizabeth white wardrobe for Paris 1938 - crinoline evening gown with sash

Normally not known as a fashion icon, especially in her later years, the famous “White Wardrobe” worn by the Queen in Paris during the Royal Tour of France in 1938 caused an international fashion sensation.  Hartnell had designed romantic day and evening dresses made of beautiful white fabrics such as the finest silks, chiffons, lace and tulle which were embellished with sequin and pearls.  Inspired by a Winterhalter portrait of Queen Victoria, Hartnell incorporated crinoline into the dress designs and the Queen also revived a past fashion trend by accessorizing her outfits with lovely parasols to match each dress.  With the great press coverage and wonderful reviews of her clothing, the Queen wanted to commemorate the success of the Paris visit by commissioning her favorite royal photographer, Cecil Beaton, to document the beautiful Hartnell dresses in a series of portraits taken in the State Rooms and gardens of Buckingham Palace.  (If you are interested in finding out more information about the life of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, please clink on the link)

Cecil Beaton portrait of Queen Mother 2    Cecil Beaton portrait of Queen Mother 1

In 1940, Hartnell received the highest honor of a Royal Warrant as the principal dress designer for the Queen and he continued to make her royal wardrobe over the years for her daily Royal engagements and other events, such as the 1947 South Africa Royal Tour.  Hartnell also increased his work with the Royal Family by designing dresses for the Queen’s two daughters, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, as they grew into beautiful young women.  In 1947, he was commissioned to create Princess Elizabeth’s wedding dress when she married Prince Phillip and later when her father, King George VI, died Hartnell designed her coronation dress in 1953 when she became Queen Elizabeth II.  (For more information and photos on these two important historical dresses, please click on the following links: British Royal Weddings – Part Three and the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.