Posted by Arthur on July 7, 2014, 5:41 pm, in reply to "Re: 2 strand pearls"
Hello LDMJ and Joye,
I am not sure about the origins of the necklace in the pic posted by Joye, but I am rather sure that it is NOT the pearl necklace given by George VI to his daughter, pearl after pearl, and called "The Queen's First Pearl Necklace" by Leslie Field in her book The Queen's Jewels.
In her book (page 102 of the 2002 reprint), Leslie Field mentions that King George VI, following Queen Victoria's example, presented to his daughter Elizabeth two pearls each year on her birthday, to be mounted on a thin platinum chain. Which means that, when the King died in February 1952, Queen Elizabeth II (who was 25 at the time), must have had a maximum of 50 pearls on her necklace. With small pearls, it is hardly what is necessary to form a single strand, so not enough to make a two-strand necklace, as on Joye's pic.
On these two pictures, the then 18-year-old Princess Elizabeth (dressed up for a Christmas pantomime with her sister Margaret at Windsor Castle in 1944) wears the same necklace as on Joye’s picture. I have counted the pearls, and there are approximately a hundred ones. So it can not be "The Queen’s First Pearl Necklace".
Moreover, Field mentions that the then 3-year-old Princess Anne wore the "The Queen’s First Pearl Necklace" at her mother’s coronation in 1953, and in 1954 for a photo session. On these pictures, Princess Anne is wearing a very small necklace, made of only 8 pearls. So it confirms this necklace on the pic Joye posted can not be "The Queen’s First Pearl Necklace".
Nevertheless, I actually wonder whether Field’s assertions are fully reliable, as far as this "Queen’s First Pearl Necklace" is concerned. As we can see on Princess Anne’s pictures, the necklace includes only 8 pearls, which is not coherent with the King presenting two pearls each year to his daughter Elizabeth: as I wrote earlier, when Elizabeth became Queen in 1952, the necklace should have had far more than only 8 pearls... Conclusion: either King George VI did not present two pearls each year to his daughter, or Princess Anne’s necklace is not the Queen’s one. In both cases, Fields’ information proves to be partially incorrect. Another mystery to solve...
(Pictures sources: New-York Daily News, PurePeople, Sunday Post, Pinterest, miladysboudoir.wordpress.com)
--Previous Message-- : This looks like the necklace made up of pearls : given to the then Princess Elizabeth every : year on her Birthday by her Father. : : --Previous Message-- : Is anything known of these early years 2 : strand pearls please? : : : : : : :
on July 7, 2014, 5:41 pm, in reply to "
