Posted by Nellie on June 25, 2015, 8:46 am, in reply to "Re: Crown Rubies"
There is a bit more to this which I'll add later on.
From Bury, Shirley 1997 Jewellery - The International Era 1789-1910, 2 vols, Woodbridge: Antique Collectors' Club [Bury 1997]
Concerning Queen Victoria, Bury writes - "The Queen's ruby and diamond jewellery followed much the same course as the other suites. In 1842 she acquired a pair of ruby and white enamel earrings and a matching brooch costing £42.10s. in all and another brooch at £36.10s. These probably had nothing to do with any parure. Two years later, however, Kitching's altered two existing ruby and diamond brooches, furnishing additional rubies and charging a total of £52, supplying also a ruby and diamond bandeau for £590. Prince Albert's birthday presents to his wife in the same year included 'a splendid single ruby brooch set round with diamonds'. He followed this with another brooch with a ruby and pearl drop for their wedding anniversary in 1848 and for her birthday in May 1849 gave her a ruby locket. "Another suite was probably commenced in 1848 when Garrard's mounted eight large rubies in diamond surrounds as a necklace for the Queen at a cost of £285. This was apparently reset in April 1849, the Crown Jewellers supplying eleven additional rubies, all bordered with diamonds, charging £413.15s. Shortly afterwards Garrard's added further diamonds to the necklace and made a brooch and earrings at an overall cost of £1,400. The Queen enthused in her Journal on 30 July 1849: 'Much pleased with a beautiful necklace, earrings & a brooch of rubies & diamonds, which dearest Albert had arranged for me, out of stones of my own, with the addition of new ones I purchased with monery inherited from Aunt Augusta and Aunt Sophia. The parure is really beautiful, & Albert has such wonderful taste ….' "In 1853 Garrard's made a further ruby and diamond necklace, using the Indian stones and providing fittings to receive either the Timur ruby or the Koh-i-Nûr. Though slightly altered, it has survived. Queen Victoria wore her 'very large Indian rubies' and a diamond diadem during the visit of Napoleon III and Eugénie to England in April 1855."