The Mystery of Queen Azizah’s Aquamarine Tiara

Posted by The Royal Watcher on November 5, 2024, 12:25 pm

On my visit to the Royal Palace in Kuantan to confirm the ‘discovery’ of Queen Mary’s Cartier Diamond Lozenge Bandeau last week, Queen (Tengku Ampuan) Azizah of Pahang tasked me with solving the mystery of her Aquamarine Tiara, which has a twin in Scotland. The Aquamarine Tiara was acquired by her ‘Auntie Nora’, the then Sultanah of Johor, at Hennell in London in the 1980s, and is in a Carrington & Co case from the reign of King Edward VII, which confirms it’s authenticity, yet the question remains if this Tiara was created at the same time as the Tiara of Lady Saltoun? The Queen and I compared the two Tiaras, and apart from the shade of the central stone, everything seems to be the same, even the cuts of the individual diamonds. The elements of the Tiara can be removed to be worn as five separate brooches, with fittings for that and a chain also in the original case, while a smaller version of the Tiara can also be created from the separate elements.It's not uncommon for there to be two identical Tiaras, but even I was surprised at the identical cuts of diamonds. The additional Diamond Necklace was added to the base for the Wedding of the Queen’s daughter, Princess Afzan, earlier this year.

How about the similarities of the Kelantan Diamond Tiara & Q. Alexandra's (UK) wedding parure tiara

Posted by angelhart on November 5, 2024, 7:23 pm, in reply to "The Mystery of Queen Azizah’s Aquamarine Tiara"

Re: The Mystery of Queen Azizah’s Aquamarine Tiara

Posted by Glenn on November 5, 2024, 11:48 pm, in reply to "The Mystery of Queen Azizah’s Aquamarine Tiara"

Re: The Mystery of Queen Azizah’s Aquamarine Tiara

Posted by Andrew U on November 6, 2024, 3:26 am, in reply to "Re: The Mystery of Queen Azizah’s Aquamarine Tiara"

No sure that observation is helpful. You're judging a lot based on one snapshot. Who knows how it is stored? They could have been playing around with multiple pieces and just set it there momentarily. What is obvious is that many mysterious European pieces were quietly sold to this Malaysian family. I think all three tiaras are the real thing. Previous Message Sorry, I have not been following the whole Queen Mary Cartier Lozenge tiara story. But the fact that it is kept in a new cardbord box with bubble wrap somehow raises a big red flag with me. There is something with this that - to me - screams copy made by a (local) goldsmith. I am not trying to say that the tiara cannot be made in gold/silver and with real diamonds… but somehow I think from this photo that something is off…

Re: The Mystery of Queen Azizah’s Aquamarine Tiara

Posted by Nellie on November 6, 2024, 3:44 am, in reply to "Re: The Mystery of Queen Azizah’s Aquamarine Tiara"

Re: The Mystery of Queen Azizah’s Aquamarine Tiara

Posted by Johan on November 6, 2024, 5:59 am, in reply to "Re: The Mystery of Queen Azizah’s Aquamarine Tiara"

I find the whole thing a bit odd. If princess Margaret was that strapped for cash that she decided to sell jewels she inherited from her grandmother would it not be more profitable to sell them with their royal pedigree? We've seen pieces with royal connections get much higher prices than equally beautiful pieces without a royal link. From a financial point of view it does not make sense. Besides the Queen was wealthy enough to give her sister a similar amount in exchange for the jewels as they now got in the sale. That is assuming Elizabeth II would have agreed to such a thing. I think she would have simply given her sister the money she needed. Previous Message I recall reading that keeping a jewel in a case with the name of a specific maker or supplier inside cannot always be indisputable evidence of the jewel's origin.

the blue cardboard Tiffany box lol n/t

Posted by JohnPete on November 6, 2024, 12:08 pm, in reply to "Re: The Mystery of Queen Azizah’s Aquamarine Tiara"

Previous Message Sorry, I have not been following the whole Queen Mary Cartier Lozenge tiara story. But the fact that it is kept in a new cardbord box with bubble wrap somehow raises a big red flag with me. There is something with this that - to me - screams copy made by a (local) goldsmith. I am not trying to say that the tiara cannot be made in gold/silver and with real diamonds… but somehow I think from this photo that something is off…

The Box

Posted by The Royal Watcher on November 6, 2024, 12:16 pm, in reply to "Re: The Mystery of Queen Azizah’s Aquamarine Tiara"

Royal Jewels sold during the reign of Queen EII

Posted by The Royal Watcher on November 6, 2024, 12:25 pm, in reply to "Re: The Mystery of Queen Azizah’s Aquamarine Tiara"

Re: Royal Jewels sold during the reign of Queen EII

Posted by Johan on November 6, 2024, 4:57 pm, in reply to "Royal Jewels sold during the reign of Queen EII"

I did not mean to imply that the late queen was interested in keeping historic jewels in the family. What i meant is that if her only sister was in need of money HM would have given her what she needed and probably some more. So i don't see why princess Margaret would have had to sell at that time (late 70's early 80's). Previous Message The late Queen Elizabeth II was never one for preserving family heirlooms. During her reign, we saw the sale of several Jewels, including many important Royal Heirlooms, from the Queen Mother (probably Queen Mary's Amethyst Tiara and Parure ), Princess Margaret (probably the Cartier Diamond Lozenge Bandeau and many important heirlooms at the 2006 auction), Princess Mary, Countess of Harewood ( Queen Victoria's Sapphire Coronet and Parure among many others ), the Kents (the Cambridge Sapphire Parure among many others ), and Gloucesters, as well as pieces like Queen Victoria's Turkish Diamond Necklace by the Duke of Fife. The only reason I can think of Princess Margaret not selling the Cartier Diamond Lozenge Bandeau more publicly and in the US would be to save a bit of face and not advertise her financial troubles to the world.

Re: The Mystery of Queen Azizah’s Aquamarine Tiara

Posted by Nellie on November 6, 2024, 7:54 pm, in reply to "Re: The Mystery of Queen Azizah’s Aquamarine Tiara"

Previous Message I find the whole thing a bit odd. If princess Margaret was that strapped for cash that she decided to sell jewels she inherited from her grandmother would it not be more profitable to sell them with their royal pedigree? We've seen pieces with royal connections get much higher prices than equally beautiful pieces without a royal link. From a financial point of view it does not make sense. Besides the Queen was wealthy enough to give her sister a similar amount in exchange for the jewels as they now got in the sale. That is assuming Elizabeth II would have agreed to such a thing. I think she would have simply given her sister the money she needed. In June 1979 Princess Margaret did sell jewels. https://forodinastias.es/first-auction-jewels-princess-margaret-t1119.html#google_vignette

Re: Royal Jewels sold during the reign of Queen EII

Posted by Hanken on November 7, 2024, 1:58 am, in reply to "Re: Royal Jewels sold during the reign of Queen EII"

We really do not know. In any case. She did sell some of her pieces. So no matter how you twist and turn it money problems would still be the most logical answer to why. Previous Message I did not mean to imply that the late queen was interested in keeping historic jewels in the family. What i meant is that if her only sister was in need of money HM would have given her what she needed and probably some more. So i don't see why princess Margaret would have had to sell at that time (late 70's early 80's). Previous Message The late Queen Elizabeth II was never one for preserving family heirlooms. During her reign, we saw the sale of several Jewels, including many important Royal Heirlooms, from the Queen Mother (probably Queen Mary's Amethyst Tiara and Parure ), Princess Margaret (probably the Cartier Diamond Lozenge Bandeau and many important heirlooms at the 2006 auction), Princess Mary, Countess of Harewood ( Queen Victoria's Sapphire Coronet and Parure among many others ), the Kents (the Cambridge Sapphire Parure among many others ), and Gloucesters, as well as pieces like Queen Victoria's Turkish Diamond Necklace by the Duke of Fife. The only reason I can think of Princess Margaret not selling the Cartier Diamond Lozenge Bandeau more publicly and in the US would be to save a bit of face and not advertise her financial troubles to the world.

Re: The Mystery of Queen Azizah’s Aquamarine Tiara

Posted by The Royal Watcher on November 12, 2024, 3:31 am, in reply to "Re: The Mystery of Queen Azizah’s Aquamarine Tiara"

Re: The Mystery of Queen Azizah’s Aquamarine Tiara

Posted by Nellie on November 12, 2024, 3:39 am, in reply to "Re: The Mystery of Queen Azizah’s Aquamarine Tiara"

Previous Message Thank You for sharing the link Nellie. I am curious to the reason why those smaller jewels were sold so publicly with their provenance, but the Bandeau Tiara and possibly others were sold off more discreetly and abroad? Maybe she did not want to encounter wearing her jewels? That's a reasonable possibility.