Nellie, I believe you are correct in referring to the necklace His Majesty's gave to Princess Elizabeth, as Her Majesty QEII was photographed wearing such a necklace at a young age -at the time of the King's silver jubilee, I seem to recollect. Nevertheless, I cannot envisage that a necklace which fitted a child's neck could fit the neck of a a mature person, unless it was restrung and/or had additional pearls. I suspect that the necklace we are presently discussing is a totally different necklace - but that is a personal opinion which I cannot back up with definite information. I regret that, as I would like to provide (or see) definite information - as I am sure others would also like to see.
--Previous Message-- : : I thought her grandfather George V gave : three-strand pearls and she wore them as an : adult. : : : : --Previous Message-- : The logic of what you are arguing is : compelling Arthur and Helen. I suspect we : will never know the precise origin of this : set of pearls, although one possibility is : that Princess Elizabeth had the pearls given : to her by her grandfather restrung. I have : never believed that one of the three strand : necklaces HM wears during the day is that : given to her by her grandfather because of : the difference in the neck size of a child : and that of an adult. It is also possible : that HM's parents give her this necklace as : a present when she was a teenager. There are : so many possibilities. : : --Previous Message-- : Hello Helen, : : that's what I have thought. That would be : coherent with Anne's age. But that implies : that Field was wrong when she wrote that : Anne wore her mother's necklace at the 1953 : coronation - which is possible, as we now : know there are some mistakes in Fields' : information (e. g. the confusion between : Queen Adelaide's and Queen Mary's fringe : tiaras) and that Field received very limited : support from the Royal Household. : : Anyway, it still not solve the query about : the origin of the necklace worn by the young : Princess Elizabeth on the pic by Joye. As I : said, this necklace has too many pearls to : be the one presented by King George VI. : : --Previous Message-- : It could be that it is Anne's own necklace - : for which she has received 2 pearls a year. : The photo looks as if she is about 4 years : old & has 8 pearls : : --Previous Message-- : 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 8, 2014, 6:00 am, in reply to "