What a wonderful eye you have Arthur! Congratulations. I could not see the differences until I zoomed in on the photos, but then it is clear that there is a second set of earrings. The diamonds in the ones you call QEII's cluster earrings are set in claws, which makes the differences obvious. Another mystery to solve.
--Previous Message-- : Je vous en prie! You are welcome, Bryce, : it's my pleasure! : : While trying to sort out all these diamond : earrings, I have found... another pair! And : possibly another mistake in Hugh Roberts' : The Queen's Diamonds ... : : In the caption of a picture published in : The Queen's Diamonds (page 212), Roberts : identifies the earrings worn by Queen : Elizabeth during a reception at the British : Embassy in Riga (Latvia) in October 2006 as : Queen Mary's Cluster Earrings: : : : : Nevertheless, I have a strong feeling that : these “Riga” earrings are different from : QM’s Cluster Earrings – though they have a : similar diameter and a similar design (a : central diamond surrounded by two rows of : diamonds), which could easily explain the : confusion. Here are the differences I can : identify: : - while QM’s Cluster Earrings have a : perfectly round shape, the outer row of : diamonds of these “Riga” earrings has an : octagonal shape : - QM’s Cluster Earrings’ outer rows are : pavé-set, without any space between the : brilliant diamonds, whereas the “Riga” : earrings seem to have a small gap between : each row : - and finally, QM’s Cluster Earrings’ large : central diamonds are square-shaped and : overlap the inner row of brilliants, whereas : the “Riga” Earrings central diamonds are : smaller and rounder. : : Here are more pictures of these two pairs of : earrings, for a better visual comparison: : : 1) Queen Mary’s Cluster Earrings : : : : 15 May 2008: reception on board HMS : Illustrious in Istanbul, during the Queen’s : State Visit to Turkey: : : : : 21 October 2011: parliamentary reception at : Parliament House in Canberra, during the : Queen’s Visit to Australia: : : : : : 2) And now the “Riga” earrings, which I : suggest to call ‘Queen Elizabeth II’s : Cluster Earrings’ (until we find more : relevant information about the origin of : these earrings). If you compare the pictures : below with the ones above, I think you will : see the difference very clearly. : : 17 May 2006: Order of the Bath service at : Saint Paul’s Cathedral, London: : : : : 18 October 2006: Reception at the British : Embassy in Riga, during the Queen’s State : Visit to Latvia: : : : : 22 November 2007: Commonwealth Head of : Governments Meeting in Entebbe, Uganda: : : : : : 7 March 2012: Order of the British Empire : service at Saint Paul’s Cathedral, London: : : : : : : : --Previous Message-- : Thanks Arthur : I think you have sorted these ones out for : me and, as always, in a very well executed : manner. : Much appreciated! : Merci beaucoup pour tout votre travail. : : Cheers! : Bryce : : --Previous Message-- : I tend to (respectfully) disagree with Joye : and Beth1 about the earrings in Bryce’s : first picture being Queen Mary’s Cluster : Earrings. On Bryce’s picture, we can not see : the central diamond of QM’s Cluster : Earrings, which is usually protruding rather : visibly from the surrounding two-row : cluster. It is even more obvious on this : picture (which seems to be from the same : photo session, despite the added tiara), we : can see that the earring is “flat” and very : round, so probably a solitaire diamond : (therefore, I would incline in favour of the : earrings made with the two collets removed : from Queen Victoria’s Coronation Necklace, : which are rounder than the slightly : square-shaped Queen Victoria’s Stud : Earrings): : : : : On the contrary, on Queen Mary’s Cluster : Earrings, the central square-shaped diamond : stands out quite visibly from its surround: : : : : : : Moreover, I think that Queen Mary’s Cluster : Earrings are slightly larger than the : earrings on Bryce’s first picture, but this : is more disputable (it might just be the : matter of a few millimetres). : : : Regarding the pear drop earrings, they are : of a similar design to Queen Victoria’s : Coronation Earrings, but there are a few : differences between both pairs of earrings: : - the intermediary collet diamonds (the ones : between the ear studs and the pear-shaped : drops) in QEII’s earrings are smaller than : the ones in QV’s Coronation Earrings (in : proportion to the other two diamonds) : - the pear shaped drop diamonds in QEII’s : earrings are smaller and a bit longer, : whereas the drops in QV’s Coronation : Earrings have a larger, rounder base : - and last but not least, QEII’s pear drop : earrings are smaller than QV’s coronation : earrings. Here are two side-by-side : pictures, for a better comparison (on the : left, QEII pear-drop earrings, on the right : QV’s Coronation earrings): : : : : : : : --Previous Message-- : The centre diamond is different. round Q : Vic : and square in the other QEII pear. : : --Previous Message-- : Thanks for your insight. : : In the first, I thought maybe they were QM's : collets from the Coronation necklace : because they seem to have a border setting - : although as Joye mentioned they could be the : clusters ???? : : As for the second, it was the glint of gold : in the spacer that was throwing me off. But : it does look as though the Pear Drops do : have a gold backing. I agree with you Joye : that I find these very similar to the : Coronation Earrings. : : Even the facet planes look similar. : However, the spacers in the Coronation set : look a bit larger. : : : : Cheers! : Bryce : : --Previous Message-- : 1st picture are Q Mary's cluster earrings. : page 48 Fields : : 2nd picture maybe QEIIs pear drop earrings : page 52. I personally have great difficulty : in seeing a different between the pear drop : and the Q Victoria's collet necklace and : earrings Fields page 54. : : --Previous Message-- : Can anyone help me to identify the earrings : in : these 2 pictures? : : Both sets are worn with HM's "best : diamonds" (the South African 21st : Birthday set) : : : : : : Thanks in advance for your assistance. : : Cheers! : Bryce : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :
on September 2, 2014, 8:09 pm, in reply to "