--Previous Message-- : Very astute Nellie, 'no flies on you' as we : say here : : --Previous Message-- : : I'm just thinking that with all the changes : of outfit and brooches, a certain person or : persons must have travelled to France as : well, to take care of all those costume : changes. Perhaps stationed in a caravan : parked in the background? (Humour me folks. : I don't want this taken as ultra serious : please.) : : : : : --Previous Message-- : Well I think the root cause of that is due : to : the material they are working with - coral : : I am no expert on it but I would infer a few : things ... : - large pieces are rarer and more valuable : so to have a large amount of it is : exceptional : - carving it is not easy and it may be hard : to get a really delicate but strong effect. : I found this on wikipedia : "Precious coral has relative density of : 3.86 and hardness 3.5 on the Mohs scale.[6] : Due to its softness and opacity, coral is : usually cut en cabochon, or used to make : beads." : : At an an event as special as this she : probably has to wear what has significance - : Like a gift from them, rather than choosing : what she likes or what looks good. : : We shall see in a few hours now ....... : : --Previous Message-- : Indeed - it always looks like a plastic : seaside souvenir to me (With apologies to : the designers!) : : --Previous Message-- : : I have to agree with Gill and Bryce. The : coral roses are not my favorite. The brooch : was described above as 'delicate' but for me : it's just the opposite - a bit too chunky. : : : : : : : : :