Today marks the 125th Anniversary of the Birth of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, who was born on this day in 1900! The Scottish Aristocrat who unexpectedly became the popular wartime Queen and then the beloved Queen Mother for half a century, we have featured many of her jewels over the years and to mark the day today, we are featuring the Queen Mother’s Turquoise Tiara!
Crown | Greville Tiara | Oriental Circlet Tiara | Delhi Durbar Tiara | Fringe Tiara | Turquoise Tiara | Lotus Flower Tiara | Strathmore Rose Tiara | Cartier Halo Tiara | Teck Crescent Tiara | Cartier Bracelet Bandeau | Cartier Lily Brooch | The Queen Mother’s Tiaras
When Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon married the Duke of York in 1923, King George V gifted the bride with a grand Persian Turquoise and Diamond Parure composed of a Tiara, a grand Necklace, a pair of Earrings and a Brooch, which had been acquired at Garrard. Like many of the other wedding gifts, the Parure went on public display at St James’ Palace.
The diamond and turquoise tiara made by R. & S. Garrard, c. 1900. In the lore of precious stones the turquoise stands for love, and the message is endorsed in this beautiful jewel that incorporates the lamps of love, triumphal laurels and true-lovers’ knots.
The mount is of gold pierced by hand to receive the platinum mille grain settings. Note the skill with which the setter has suggested the ribbons tied round the lamps of love.
The Duchess of York wore the Turquoise Brooch and the Earrings as pendants from strings of pearls for a series of portraits with the Lotus Flower Tiara soon after her marriage, and she also notably wore the Brooch on a Tour of Australia in 1927.
Two years later, the Persian Turquoise Tiara and Parure were worn by the Duchess of York for the Wedding Gala of Crown Prince Olav of Norway and Princess Martha of Sweden at the Nationaltheatret (National Theatre) in Oslo.
The Duchess of York notably wore the Persian Turquoise Parure for the Wedding Ball of Prince George, Duke of Kent and Princess Marina of Greece in 1934, the British Empire Exhibition in London, and King George V’s Silver Jubilee Ball in 1935.
The Duchess of York, in her full-skirted gown of beige lace over satin, and splendid array of turquoises, led of the dancing with tho Duke of York, for, contrary to expectations, there was no Royal Quadrille, and the King and Queen did not take the floor.
The Persian Turquoise Tiara and Parure were also notably worn by the Duchess of York for a Concert at Austrian Legation in London and for a Banquet at the Royal Chateau de Laeken in the summer of 1935, which was one of its last notable appearances ahead of the Duke’s accession to the Throne the following year.
In 1951, Queen Elizabeth gave her Persian Turquoise Parure to her younger daughter, Princess Margaret, as a 21st Birthday gift who notably debuted the Parure at the Royal Film Performance in 1952, one of the first gala events in the reign of the new Queen.
While it was not as frequently worn as the Poltimore Tiara or Lotus Flower Tiara, Princess Margaret continued to regularly wear the Persian Turquoise Tiara and Parure over the next few decades, notably for the Jamaican Independence Celebrations in 1962, the Belgian State Visit to Britain in 1963.
The Persian Turquoise Parure was also worn by Princess Margaret for the the Royal Film Performance in 1967, and the Royal Danish Ballet Gala in London in 1968 among numerous other Galas.
Princess Margaret continued to wear pieces of the Persian Turquoise Parure into the 1980s and 1990s, for several Galas and Banquets, as well as the Queen Mother’s 90th Birthday Gala in 1990, into the later years of her life.
After Princess Margaret’s death in 2002, her jewels were inherited by her children; the 2nd Earl of Snowdon and Lady Sarah Chatto, and many of them were sold in the famous 2006 Christie’s Auction, the Queen Mother’s Persian Turquoise Parure seems to have been retained by the Earl of Snowdon and remains in his possession to this day.
Crown | Greville Tiara | Oriental Circlet Tiara | Delhi Durbar Tiara | Fringe Tiara | Turquoise Tiara | Lotus Flower Tiara | Strathmore Rose Tiara | Cartier Halo Tiara | Teck Crescent Tiara | Cartier Bracelet Bandeau | Cartier Lily Brooch | The Queen Mother’s Tiaras
