The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Princess Grace’s Wedding Gift Pearls

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Our November Magpie of the Month is a woman who comes from a principality that celebrates its national holiday this month. The late Princess Grace of Monaco had a jewelry collection that was perfect for a woman who was both a princess and a movie star. Among all of the diamond glitter, though, she owned a few quieter pieces, including the lovely diamond and pearl suite we’re discussing today.

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The set, which comes from Van Cleef and Arpels, was a wedding gift from Grace’s husband, Prince Rainier. The diamond-accented pearl suite includes a necklace, a bracelet, a pair of earrings, and a ring.

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Grace wore the pearls throughout her royal marriage. Above, she wears them for a dinner held in July 1961.

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Here, in December 1976, you’ll note the pearls on Grace as she participated in an important family tradition: handing out gifts to Monegasque children at the annual Christmas party at the Palais Princier.

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Another image from the same Christmas party gives us a look at the earrings and necklace from the suite in color.

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Grace also sometimes mixed and matched the pearls with other similar pieces from her jewelry box. For the 18th Monte-Carlo Television Festival in August 1979, Grace wore the necklace and bracelet with a pair of pearl drop earrings.

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A few years later, Grace also chose the suite for an important family occasion: the wedding of her brother, Jack “Kell” Kelly, to Sandra Worley in Philadelphia.

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Grace’s jewels have been displayed several times since her death, and the wedding gift pearls have often been included in various exhibitions. Here, you get an excellent view of the necklace from an exhibition at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco in 2007.

The Duchess of Cornwall’s Topaz and Diamond Ribbon Brooch

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November babies are blessed with a vivid birthstone that shines in several shades, including deep orange and bright yellow. Today, we’ve got a closer look at a diamond and topaz brooch from the collection of the Duchess of Cornwall.

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The brooch’s single appearance so far came more than a decade ago: on June 20, 2007, which was the second day of that year’s Royal Ascot races.

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The brooch features an elaborate diamond border surrounding a large smoky orange topaz. It’s such a large piece that I’ve often wondered whether it might originally have been meant to be a devant de corsage, a large stomacher ornament that was often part of a nineteenth-century parure of jewels.

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Here’s a better side-angle view of the brooch. The diamond border features curling ribbons and trailing ivy leaves. In 2006 and 2007, Camilla wore several jewels from the collection of the late Queen Mother, and many have naturally speculated that this brooch was also from her jewelry box. We also know, though, that Charles has been known to purchase jewels for Camilla at auction. To my knowledge, no provenance information for this brooch has ever been firmly established.

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The size of this brooch certainly makes it more difficult to wear than most, but I’d absolutely love to see it appear once more in public. Its size and intricacy would make it perfectly suited for a gala appearance!