Thank you Arthur for posting the pic of the Mexican state visit in 1985 - and also to the original poster!.....i have never seen that particular picture before, and was always under the impression the the full parure (minus hair combs) had been worn in public by HM only once......maybe, just maybe, we'll have the pleasure of seeing it again in the future......HM has always had an appreciation of history, and is famous for her strong belief in continuity - so maybe she'll decide to wear the parure again on some particularly meaningful occasion.
I also wonder if perhaps these are jewels which are reserved for use mainly during private family functions.....i do believe that there are pieces of jewelry that are worn, just not in public.....my only basis for this thought (and it's flimsy at best) is the fact that Princess Diana auctioned off at least once evening gown that had only been worn in private for family events.....and there is that picture of Princess Diana wearing the ruby necklace that no one seems to know anything about.....we've been told before that the royal family dresses formally for dinner during the holidays at Sandringham, so why wouldn't there be some pieces that are brought out just on these occasions?......again, i have no factual basis to support my ideas other that a few pictures and a fanciful imagination.....we'll never know for sure (unless one of us is lucky enough to snag Prince Harry).
edit: typos and grammatical errors --Previous Message-- : According to Leslie Field's book The Queen's : Jewels , the Kent Amethyst demi-parure : consists of a necklace, three brooches, a : pair of earrings and a pair of hair combs. : As far as I know, we have never seen the : hair combs. : : As for the three brooches, I have the : feeling that the solution is just under our : eyes... i.e. on the pictures of the Queen’s : State visit to Portugal in 1984. : : : : If you look closely at the necklace, you can : see that most of the elements of the : necklace are large oval-shaped amethysts : surrounded by a thin line of round brilliant : diamonds and separated by small diamond : stars. But if you look more closely, you can : see that the two amethysts on the left and : on the right of the central amethyst are : smaller and hexagonal, with a wider diamond : surround in a sunray design... like the : brooch! : : So my guess is that the three brooches are : identical, and that two of them have been : integrated into the necklace, probably to : increase its length. : : As it was frequently the case with jewels in : the 19th century, I guess that all the : elements of the necklace are detachable and : can be hitched and unhitched at will, thanks : to small hooks and loops cleverly hidden in : the metal frame (it is the same, for : instance, with the Cambridge sapphire and : diamond parure, whose necklace and brooches : were worn in several shapes and lengths by : Queen Mary and by Marina and Katherine, : Duchesses of Kent). The three pendants on : the necklace and the three ones on the : brooch are probably removable too. : : I agree it is a beautiful parure – and : definitely a historical one, since it is one : of the few pre-Victorian jewels in the Royal : collection. I would love Queen Elizabeth to : wear it occasionally. A State Visit from (or : to) King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of : Belgium could be a nice opportunity, as the : amethysts would match perfectly with the : purple colour of the sash of the Belgian : Order of Leopold. : : As for the tiara, I would personally prefer : to see this amethyst demi-parure worn with : Queen Alexandra’s Peeresses’ Kokoshnik, or : with Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara. But any : diamond tiara will be welcome, actually! : : The pictures of the State Visit to Portugal : are the most famous, but Queen Elizabeth II : also wore the Kent Amethyst Demi-Parure : (again with the Girls of Great-Britain and : Ireland Tiara) in 1985 during the State : visit of the President of Mexico. As far as : I know, these are the two only occasions : when the Queen wore the full parure (minus : the hair combs). Note that for the Mexican : State Visit, the Queen did not wear the : brooch (but still had two of them included : in the necklace), and had only one pendant : hooked to the central amethyst of the : necklace. : : : : (sorry, I do not remember who posted this : picture on this board first! Maybe Nellie? : Marianne?) : : : --Previous Message-- : : : --Previous Message-- : : It looks to me like one of them. I think : there is more than one. : : : Nellie, do you happen to have a picture from : the other brooche(s)? Are they similar in : shape and size (like the Q Victoria Bows) or : are they entirely different? : : I know, there's this picture of HM where she : wears something below the 'main-brooch'. But : I'm not sure wether it's a pendant or : another amethyst pinned on HM's sash... : : : : :