I agree, there is no proof that the Queen Mother ever owned the amethyst parure. Also the story the she sold it to pay debts is ridiculous. The parure could not have been worth enough to pay off any significant debt, and if the debt was small The Queen would have paid it without causing her mother embarrassment. On another note, I still think that he Queen quietly purchased the Cambridge Sapphire Tiara to add to the Royal Collection. It seems to have disappeared after the auction, whereas other jewels sold by the British Royal Family have been seen after they were sold.
Laurence
--Previous Message-- : --Previous Message-- : Interesting history, but it's too bad the : Queen Mother sold Queen Mary's parure and : kept this necklace. It could be improved by : using the heart shaped amethyst as a brooch : and keeping the necklace simple. : : In a thread a couple of years ago, I : inquired if anyone had proof that it was the : Queen Mother who sold Queen Mary's amethyst : parure. : : Other than "cocktail party gossip" : not one poster was able to produce any : source that said the Queen Mother ever owned : the jewels. Neither Young, Menkes, Field, : Munn, nor any other reputable publication : has mentioned it. : : Also since none of the parure has ever been : seen on the QM, it seems this is one of : those rumors that gets repeated enough on : the boards until it becomes accepted as : fact. : : In the thread it was pointed out that the : auction catalog listed the provenance as : "By Tradition from the Collection of a : Royal Family." I'm sorry I don't : remember who, but a poster had a friend at : one of the major auction houses who stated : that this phrase is used for an item which : at one time belonged to royalty but is being : sold by someone who is not royal. : : Interestingly, the Cambridge sapphire : tiara/necklace was sold by the Kents around : the same time with the same auction house, : and its provenance simply stated that it was : from a private collection. : : It is certainly possible that Queen Mary : left the parure to someone outside the Royal : Family. She was very close to her niece, : the Duchess of Beaufort, who died a couple : of years prior to the parure's auction. : However, that is of course complete : speculation on my part. :