Antique, Vintage and Estate Fine Jewelry
What’s it like to count the Duchess of Windsor (who also loved the House of Cartier) and Frank Sinatra as clients? If only we could ask Suzanne Belperron. Maybe best known for her ‘stones imbedded in stones’ designs, Belperron had a style all her own.
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Well, I’ve avoided the obvious for a while now, but I guess it’s time to go ahead and talk about the rings that everyone has talked about already. Who do I mean? Well, I guess it’s finally time we talk abut Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank and the padparadscha sapphire engagement ring.
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Prior to Princess Eugenie wearing the Greville Emerald Tiara in her wedding last October, we didn’t often see colored stone tiaras center stage for royal nuptials. But there’s always that exception and in this case, it was the Infanta Pilar’s Sapphire Tiara, which had been worn at not just one but TWO royal weddings in the 21st century.
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When daddy is one of the richest men in America (so is grandpa, but who’s counting) and you’re getting married, what kind of wedding present should you expect? Clearly, a piece of jewelry to make even the most seasoned of jewelry collectors catch their breath is in order. And so it went with Barbara Hutton, the only child of Edna and Franklyn Laws Hutton (and granddaughter of Frank W. Woolworth). When Barbara married a prince in 1933, her father bequeathed her with an outstanding jadeite necklace by Cartier, later dubbed Hutton-Mdivani Jadeite Necklace.
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When you think of trend setters and fashion plates, I’m guessing the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth’s mum, known also as Elizabeth, doesn’t come to mind. But it seems, in her own right, she was. At least when it comes to engagement rings.
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Not all of the tiaras out there have been passed down for generations within royal families. There are some tiaras that are delightful but weren’t initially brought to life by a king, queen, prince or princess. Just like the days of royals only marrying royals are over, some tiaras have made their way into royal collections via gifts from non-royal families. One such tiara is The Marichalar Meander Tiara.
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It would make sense, given that Spain is surrounded by water on more than two sides, that there could be a royal tiara in their collection that resembles a sea shell or ocean waves. Perhaps that was the thought when in 1868 Queen Isabella II of Spain bought the Mellerio Shell Tiara for her daughter, Infanta Isabella.
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What is it about mothers and daughters-in-law? Especially royal mothers? Poor Queen Ena. Her MIL, Queen Maria Cristina, was quite the the critic. No matter that Ena (whose real name was Princess Victoria Eugenie) was a direct descendant of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria (their granddaughter, to be exact). Queen Maria Cristina was born a Habsburg archduchess and she had her mind made up that her son would be marrying one of his Habsburg cousins. But cupid had other plans and so it was a Battenberg princess that won his heart.
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It can’t be all kokoshniks and greek keys. Sometimes a royal gal just needs some flowers! That’s why today’s episode of #TiaraTuesday focuses on the Spanish Floral Tiara. I mean… the name says it all.
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Since we were already on the subject of Dutch Royalty just yesterday, I thought we’d just stay right on track and discuss the gorgeous engagement ring that belongs to Queen Maxima of the Netherlands.
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We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you…. something truly amazing. Ok, not that all of these tiaras aren’t amazing in their own right. But this one? Well, it’s extra amazing. Enough so that on this #TiaraTuesday, it was worth jumping out of our current theme, so I could introduce you to the Dutch Sapphire Tiara.
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Oh to be young, famous and in love. So maybe were the thoughts of the likes of Clementine Hozier and Winston Churchill. While I could find no photos of the future Prime Minister’s beloved wearing her engagement ring, it is well documented that it actually belonged to another Mrs. Churchill (better known as Lady Jennie Churchill) before it was gifted to Clementine.
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If it hasn’t already, it should be starting to become clear that royal jewels often change over time. Take Queen Ena’s Aquamarine Tiara as exhibit A. Once upon a time, Queen Ena (Queen Victoria’s granddaughter) gently nudged her husband, King Alfonso, in the direction of the jeweler Ansorena, who made a diamond and pearl tiara at his request. But just like other royals in her family (she was originally a Battenberg princess, after all), Ena decided to re-work the pearl tiara into something a bit more spectacular.
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When you think of a fairytale romance, who comes to mind? For me, the first to pop in my head is Princess Grace of Monaco. The Philadelphia born actress was in Cannes for the film festival in 1955 and was invited to the royal palace in Monaco for a photo shoot. Things got off to a rocky start (the power went out in the hotel, only one dress to wear that didn’t need to be ironed, running late….) but the event took place and Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier were introduced. The actress was dating someone else, but as the story goes, the Prince was so charmed by Grace that he wouldn’t’ take no for an answer. Given that she ended up with not one but two engagement rings not long after, I’d say that there’s a good chance it was love at first sight.
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When you’re marrying a future Queen, all eyes are going to be on the engagement ring with which one proposes. So when Daniel Westling proposed to Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, the glitter crowd was definitely watching.
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When you’re a princess’ princess, your engagement ring matters. Especially when you’re a British Royal Princess. Well, maybe only to those of us that follow these things. Even when it’s Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall.
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Every young princess needs a starter tiara. It’s just a fact. But there are rules. It can’t be too over the top or ornate. That would be gauche and tacky. It should be simple and elegant and something that can be used on the reg. Who better to understand that said young princesses parents? Which is likely why Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and his wife presented this tiara to their only daughter and youngest child, Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia. Her parents are on the throne in Germany and her great grandmother? None other than Queen Victorian. The girl needed a tiara.
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I thought I’d mix it up for #WeddingWednesday and for the next several weeks, we’ll focus on royal engagement and wedding rings. We’ll look at royals from all of the world – current and historic – and the engagement rings they received. Rather than starting with the obvious (I’m never that easy), I thought we’d start with a royal that may be a little lesser known: Princess Tatiana Blatnik of Greece.
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For month’s now, I’ve been featuring a different British Tiara here on the blog each Tuesday (if you’ve missed out, sit down with a big cup of coffee and start from the beginning). But it’s time to switch things up a bit. For the next little while, we’ll look at the Royal Spanish Tiaras, starting Queen Ena’s La Buena Tiara (also called the Fleur-de-Lys Tiara).
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When you’re the wife of one of America’s best loved composers, it’s expected you’ll have a few pieces of lovely jewelry. But what happens when you’re a wealthy woman in your own right? You buy your own amazing jewelry AND let your husband by you amazing jewelry. Linda Lee Porter did.
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They say you don’t get to choose love. It chooses you. And apparently, one doesn’t have much choice on where it strikes either. I guess rehab is as good a place as anywhere else. I bet if you were able to ask Elizabeth Taylor and Larry Fortensky they’d agree.
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If you have been following along on Wednesdays, I’ve been covering all eight of Elizabeth Taylor’s weddings. And some of her jewelry. She was quite the collector and one of these Fridays, I’ll discuss her collection in detail. But today, we’ll talk about a woman, Marjorie Merriweather Post, who’s jewelry collection put Liz’s to shame.
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