Posted by Nellie on October 19, 2014, 6:50 am, in reply to "Jet"
Thank you for that contrinbution Mauriz. Truly appreciated.
I was also thinking of the remark about Queen Mary and provide below here a previous posting of mine about her trip to Australia in 1901 while still in mourning for Queen Victoria. It seems Queen MAry used jet in the trimming on her gowns but not in her jewels. Note they include amethysts.
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The many reports leave me with the impression that Queen Mary (then the Duchess of Cornwall and York) went to great lengths to wear piles of diamonds for the most regal events, and that her jewels probably looked stunning against her mourning black. I also feel that there must have been quite a lot lent to her for the trip. That could have been from her own family and possibly some from Queen Victoria who had died so recently.
A white sash appears a number of times, with various names - Order of the House of Guelph, Order Alexandra, and another I cannot recall or find again but it possibly referred to the V&A as “for Women”. Another time, across the bodice a riband of the Crown of India was worn.
I now think possibly the most impressive tiara, each point surmounted by pearls, must have been her own Girls of Great Britain and Ireland. There were private dinners at Government House so who knows what she might have worn to dinner by way of jewels. So here is the story but no pics - yet. It has been a challenge to work out correct dates, and places for all events. A break between quotations means a different report.
Monday 6 - arrived, dinner at Government House
Tuesday 7 - morning levee at Government House; evening dinner at Government House
Wednesday 8 - afternoon The State Reception, Parliament House “Around her neck was a long chain of diamonds with a diamond star pendant.”
Wednesday 8 - evening Reception given by Governor-General at Governent House. This seems to have been the major evening event. " A diamond tiara in simple bandeau style worn set rather back on the head; many strings of diamonds round the neck formed a deep collar; below this was a collarette of amethyst, and diamonds hanging in pendants; on the left side of the bodice a large diamond ornament was worn, with strings of diamonds caught by medallion shaped diamond ornaments. The jewels were magnificent."
Note: one report says rubies in the tiara and flat neckace, which qestions my theory that reporters were working from very detailed press releases, though some of the “correspondents” writing in ladies columns were obviously freelancers and might not have had the releases.
The wife of the Governor-General, Lady Hopetoun, wore “…the edge of the corsage draped in four rows of diamonds caught up in festoons. With this was worn diamond bodice ornaments, reviere, and star tiara of diamonds.” I think the peerage was Linlithgow. Might be worth hunting for some pics.
Thursday 9 - midday opening of Parliament
Thursday 9 - evening Concert - Town hall or Exhibition Building not yet resolved by me. HRH wore “a magnificen tiara of diamonds and a dog-collar and long chains of the same stones. She also wore a white order and some magnificent diamond brooches.”
“She wore a large diamond coronet different from any till then worn, a collar of diamonds, pendant of diamonds, and several orders.”
Friday 10 - evening Mayoral Reception at Town Hall “HRH had rich soft silk, trimmed with much silk net in tiny frills, her coronet was of diamonds, and the diamond necklace had large pendant amethysts.”
Saturday 11 - evening Reception at Government House “The Duchess of Cornwall and York wore a trained gown of dull satin, with full, deep flounces of lace, the bodice was trimmed with lace and jet, and on left shoulder a bunch of cherries, made of black velvet, the leaves being of silk; she wore her white sash (the Order of the House of Guelph), fastened with a diamond buckle; she also wore a diamond and pearl tiara, a collar of pearls and diamonds, a rope of pearls and lovely diamond brooches.”
“Her jewels were a coronet of pearls, throatlet, and long necklaces of pearls, and eardrops.”
“She wore the white sash of the Royal Guelphic order, fastened with a diamond buckle. Her diamond tiara was pointed with pearls. She wore a collar of pearls caught with diamond clasps, a rope of pearls, a splendid brooch, a pendant of diamonds chained with pearls, and several bangles, and carried a little French fan flowered with white.”
“The bodice was almost concealed by a white moire order sash caught with a diamond ornament at the waist. A large diamond ornament and pendant was worn in the centre of the bodice, and two orders beside it; on the left shoulder were some black flowers, and the sleeve was caught on the shoulder with a diamond ornament. A magnificent pearl collar and vertical bars of diamonds, a long string of pearls, and pearl eardrops were worn, also a very handsome diamond tiara and diamond bracelets, and long black gloves, and a black fan were the other details of an imposing toilete.”
on October 19, 2014, 6:50 am, in reply to "