Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond/Emerald Pendant EarringsArchived Message
Posted by Arthur on November 26, 2014, 9:41 am
Queen Elizabeth II has worn occasionally, since (at least) 1972 a pair of large diamond pendant earrings, each made of a pear-shaped diamond-studded frame, surrounding a large pear-shaped diamond suspended from a small brilliant. Each earring is pinned to the earlobe with a small bow-shaped ear stud. The large central pear-shaped diamond can be replaced with a pear-shaped emerald, thus enabling two versions for the earrings.
In her book The Queen’s Jewels (page 87 of the 1997 edition), Leslie Field describes this pair of earrings as "large detachable pendant detachable [emerald] drops that can be substituted for pear-shaped diamond drops in a pair of long diamond scallop-frame earrings with ribbon-bow studs". Nevertheless, she mistakenly confuses them with Queen Victoria’s emerald earrings (which are visible on this post: http://members2.boardhost.com/royal-jewels/msg/1413471027.html).
Here are two pictures of these earrings:
30 November 2010: premiere of 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' at the Odeon Leicester Square (diamond version):
20 July 1989: State Visit to the UK of Sheikh Zayed, President of the United Arab Emirates (return dinner) (emerald version):
Unfortunately, Hugh Roberts, in his book The Queen’s Diamonds, did not disclose any information about these earrings.
Yet, I think I have found the origin of these earrings: I am 99.9% sure that they were made with the elements of a brooch belonging to Queen Mary. The main parts of the earrings (the two pear-shaped frames with the central pear-shaped diamonds) were connected by their spiky top, forming a kind of horizontal "8". The two small ribbon-bow motifs (now forming the ear studs) were positioned on either side of the junction point of the two large pear-shaped elements.
Queen Mary, who always loved versatile jewels, could wear this brooch either with or without diamond or pearl pendants, sometimes connected through a diamond swag.
On the following two pictures (dated c. 1926), Queen Mary wears the brooch at the centre of her corsage, with a large pear-shaped pearl suspended from a diamond swag: