Re: QEII's Andamooka opal necklace and earrings Archived Message
Posted by Arthur  on January 31, 2015, 12:10 pm, in reply to "QEII's Andamooka opal necklace and earrings"
Thank you so much, Beth1, for sharing this information.
Though the design of the necklace might not be to everyone's taste (mainly because of the complexity of integrating such a huge stone in a not-oversized necklace), I find it very interesting, and a very special and singular token of loyalty and affection of the Australian people for their Queen. Therefore, it is a pity that this necklace was worn only once by Queen Elizabeth II, in 1954 during her Coronation Tour in Australia (without the matching earrings).
But the Queen does not seem to be fond of opals. The opal pendant presented as a wedding gift by Brisbane's City Council, and the matching opal earrings presented, also as a wedding gift, by the Queensland's branches of the Royal Society of Saint George, have been never worn publicly (as far as I know).
And the nice opal and gold spray brooch (a wedding present from the Returned Sailors', Soldiers' and Airmens Imperial League of Australia) was worn very rarely (it was spotted three times, in March 2000 in Canberra, in October 2013 for a reception for the Members of Parliament at Buckingham Palace, and in March 2014 for an audience given to the President of Bulgaria).
Queen Elizabeth II welcomes President of the Bulgarian Republic, Rosen Plevneliev, during a private audience at Buckingham Palace on March 18, 2014 in London, England (March 17, 2014 - Source: WPA Pool/Getty Images Europe).
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