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Britain’s
Royal Diamonds |
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When
Britain’s Royal Collection curators planned this summer’s
exhibit at Buckingham Palace, the theme wasn’t difficult
to nail down. “Well, in this Diamond Jubilee year, it
seemed entirely fitting to focus on diamonds,” says curator
Caroline de Guitaut. “They have a sense of longevity that
is mirrored by the length of the Queen’s reign.”
The once-in-a-lifetime
display contains 10,000 diamonds encrusted on tiaras, brooches,
boxes and swords. Some are simple, well, at least by regal standards—the
flawless two-stone, 158-carat brooch last worn by Queen Elizabeth
II in June at St. Paul’s Cathedral, for example—while
others are dazzling confections, such as Victoria’s tiny
crown, which has nearly 1,200 diamonds.
Most
of the jewellery in the exhibit belongs to the Queen, rather
than the Crown. Her personal collection, some of which dates
back to the Georgian era, is so massive—buoyed by centuries
of empire, conquest and wealth—that things she’s
worn for decades didn’t make the cut. |
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1) Queen Mary wearing at least nine
diamond necklaces and a brooch made with the world’s two
largest flawless diamonds
2) Queen Victoria’s fringe brooch (often worn by Queen
Elizabeth II).
3) Delhi durbar necklace: the emeralds were won by the Queen’s
great-great grandmother in a 1818 state lottery in Germany.
4) George IV’s state diadem, now used only by ladies.
The Queen wears it to the annual state opening of Parliament.
5) Queen Victoria’s small diamond crown (set with 1,187
diamonds). |
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As
well, Hugh Roberts, the Royal Collection’s former director,
has penned the first authorized account of Her Majesty’s
personal jewellery. The Queen’s Diamonds is an exhaustive,
fascinating history of Elizabeth II’s most important sparklers.
It’s a treasure trove of delicious details that royal
jewellery blogs have been overdosing on, as they replace old
rumours and conjectures with confirmed information. The Queen
really did break apart a Cartier tiara given to her by an Indian
prince to create a diamond-and-ruby headpiece that, sadly, epitomizes
the banal cluttered designs of the 1970s. He also reveals new
nuggets: one historic tiara, last seen in 1939 at a Montreal
banquet, is not only still in one piece, but has been loaned
to the Queen’s daughter-in-law, Camilla, who has yet to
wear it.
Much
of Queen Elizabeth’s personal jewellery was shaped by
her grandmother Queen Mary. Born to parents with little money
and low royal standing, she coveted diamonds, in part for the
status they bestowed. She wasn’t alone. Monarchs have
long “subscribed to the view that diamonds should be accumulated
as a necessary part of the outward show of monarchy,”
Roberts writes, “and as a visible representation of the
wealth and influence of the country and its rulers.” It
hasn’t always been easy. When King George IV created the
state diadem in 1820 for his coronation, he was so short of
funds that he rented the diamonds. |
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6) Queen Elizabeth wearing the Williamson
brooch in 1954, with Prince Charles and Princess Anne.
7) Williamson brooch: the centre 23.6-carat stone is the finest
pink diamond in the world
8) Delhi durbar tiara, created in 1911 for George V and Queen
Mary’s trip to India.
9) Queen Mary’s ‘Girls of Great Britain and Ireland
Tiara,’ is the present Queen Elizabeth’s favourite. |
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Queen
Mary was luckier. As queen, she could afford to buy what she
liked. In 1921 she purchased an interlocking circle tiara
hung with pearls that had belonged to Grand Duchess Maria
Pavlovna, the czar’s aunt, and was smuggled out during
the Russian Revolution. While the precious stones that flowed
into royal jewellery boxes slowed as the Empire waned, they
didn’t stop. In 1942, the Queen’s mother was bequeathed
a collection of more than 60 pieces by a childless heiress,
Mrs. Ronald Greville, “with my loving thoughts.”
Among the gems given to Elizabeth II is a flawless 23.6-carat
pink diamond from Canadian mining magnate John Williamson
and at least two diamond necklaces from the Saudis.
Though most pieces
are priceless, royal ladies constantly have jewellery redesigned
as fashions and tastes changed. “Not every jewel suits
everyone,” de Guitaut notes. “They are completely
at liberty to do as they wish.”
Some have been altered
repeatedly. The most famous tiara, a spiky, delicate, wedding
gift to Mary in 1893, was often remounted on a small coronet
frame. Then Queen Mary replaced the large pearls with diamonds
from another dismantled headpiece. Around 1914 she divided
it into two, using the base as a bandeau, in vogue at the
time. Queen Elizabeth reunited the halves in 1969.
While tourists admire
the glittering display at Buckingham Palace, a new generation
of Windsors is enjoying the jewellery. The Cartier halo tiara
showed up on Kate Middleton last year after a four-decade
hiatus. As for emeralds, rubies and the like, no one, except
the Queen and her dresser, knows what else is tucked into
the back of her jewellery vaults. — Photos from the
exhibition catalogue, courtesy of Royal Collection Trust ©
2012, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. |
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Swarovski
Gems TM Launches Gem Visions 2013 Celebrate |
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1) Tribute: Gem
Visions Celebrate 2013
Design Title: Nafisa
Designer: Prernaa Makhariaa
Company: Tara Jewels Ltd.
Country: India
Material: Swarovski Zirconia Fancy Pink TCFTM Pink TCFTM Green
TCFTM, Red TCFTM, Alpinite Green, Synthetic Ruby Medium. 925
Silver, Steel, Copper, Leather.
2) Tribute: Gem Visions Celebrate 2013
Design Title: Ocean
Company: Emanuela Tersch
Country: Italy
Material: Swarovski Gemstones Passion Topaz, Amethyst, Swarovski
Zirconia, Synthetic Spinel; 925 Silver Black Rhodium Plated;
Silk |
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Next
year brings the tenth anniversary of Gem Visions, the pioneering,
provocative and stimulating design and trend initiative masterminded
by Swarovski GemsTM. Encapsulated in one publication: The Gem
Visions 2013 jewellery and design trends, offering its insight,
innovation and inspiration, its in-depth, expertly researched
and entertaining analysis of global trends,and “Celebrate”:
a special anniversary style and trend section celebrating ten
years of Gem Visions and looking at the evolution of our jewellery
world.
“Celebrate”
delves into the changing attitudes, dreams and desires of jewellery
buyers, looking at the enduring appeal of the gemstone, and
explores their profound meanings and messages in the context
of today’s fast-changing markets. Most of all, “Celebrate”
ties the Gem Visions anniversary to the spirit of celebration
that is always an integral part of the jewellerybuying experience,
highlighting the different underlying impulses that drive the
desire for gems and jewels. |
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3) Tribute: Gem Visions Celebrate
2013
Designer: Priya Rathee
Companhy: Ganjam
Country: India
Material: Swarovski Gemstones Passion Topaz, Whte, Rainforest,
Honey, Blazing Red, Citrine, 18K Gold.
4) Tribute: Gem Visions Celebrate 2013
Design Title: Time Square
Designer: Claudia Lamassa
Company: MontecarioJoias
Country: Brazil
Material: Swarovski
Gemstones Passion Topaz- Honey, Paraiba, Turquoise Blue, White,
Black Spinel, Mozambique Garnet, Peridot, Rhodolite; 925 Silver
Black Rhodium Plated.
5) Tribute: Gem Visions Celebrate 2013
Designer: Susumu Matsushita
Company: Susum Matsushita Enterprise
Country: Japan
Material: Swarovski Zirconia White, Red TCFTM, Synthetic Ruby;
SV Rhodium Plated.
6) Tribute: Gem Visions Celebrate 2013
Designer: Glauchia Silveira
Companhy: Joias Dryzun
Country: Brazil
Material: Swarovski Gemstnes Black Spinel; 18K Gold. |
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Celebrate
Yourself - the gem and jewel rediscovered as the most powerful
expression of individuality; Celebrate Love - the emotions that
are the soul of a jewel, celebrating love, occasions, achievements
and milestones; Celebrate Life - the gemstone as a miracle of
nature, life-affirming; Celebrate Time - the gem as a work of
art, gem-cutting as a true art form, inspiring today’s
connoisseurship and appreciation of exquisite craftsmanship;
and finally, and most dramatically, Celebrate Light - the otherworldly
light within each gemstone, the light of life, elevating and
illuminating, the light that triggers emotions, unleashed by
Swarovski’s unrivalled mastery of precision-cutting in
each and every Swarovski GemsTM genuine gemstone and created
stone.
The
“Celebrate” section of the publication is lavishly
illustrated with jewels by talented jewellery designers across
the globe, both established and upand- coming, some recalling
the past ten years of Gem Visions, others newly commissioned
for “Celebrate”. Together Gem Visions 2013 and “Celebrate”
show that Swarovski GemsTM is all about precision, light, brilliance,
and colour, about inspiring ingenuity and innovation, bringing
creative visions to life and lifting the gemstone onto a new,
dynamic level as a work of art in its own right. |
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7) Tribute: Gem Visions Celebrate
2013
Designer: Sabine Roemer
Company: Sabine Roemer
Country: UK
Material: Swarovski Zirconia White, Synthetic Ruby Chaos Cut;
925 Silver Rhodium Plated.
8) Tribute: Gem Visions Celebrate 2013
Design Title: Collar Shirt Pave
Designer: Delfina Delettrez
Company: Delfina Delettrez
Country: Italy
Material: Swarovski Gemstones Blue Sapphires, Pink Sapphires,
Diamonds; 18K Gold.
9) Tribute: Gem Visions Celebrate 2013
Design Title: A Garden Full of Colourful Flowers, which itself
takes Form of a blooming rosebud
Designer: Hasun Park
Company: Golden Dew
Country: South Korea
Material: Swarovski Zirconia in various colours, 925 Silver
rhodiumplated. |
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Gem Visions 2013
As always Gem Visions
2013 brings insight into global cultural megatrends that will
shape our world and our market, including for example “True
Luxury” — the hunger for luxury in emerging markets,
“Owner Less” - fractional ownership, sharing and
leasing lifestyles, “Digital Marketing” —
the influence of augmented reality, “DIY Robotic Lab”
— the client’s involvement in the design process
through the immediacy of new technology; and “Womanity”
— the
new ideals of femininity.
Examining
our jewellery world, Gem Visions experts see the focus shifting
subtly away from complex design onto the rare, important gemstone
itself; the gem as the ultimate one-of-a-kind possession, made
even more appealing by its investment potential. In terms of
design, overall, Gem Visions 2013 shows a new sense of daring
and conviction that drives the escalating quest for ingenuity
and innovation, and a fresh wave of inspirations — whether
from Glamazon femininity or super-technology, from myth and
fable, or from the jewel’s intimate relationship with
the body — that are interpreted in a style of contemporary
fusion, perfectly integrating concept, form, material and craft. |
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10) Tribute: Gem Visions Celebrate
2013
Design Title: Oceanus
Designer: Chau Wai Chung
Company: Aaron Shum Jewelry Ltd.
Country: Hong Kong
Material: Swarovski Gemstones Passion
Topaz - Honey, Poppy, Pink and Blazing Red; 925 Silver; 18K
Yellow Gold.
11) Tribute: Gem Visions Celebrate 2013
DesignTitle: "Faith" Wing-Pendant from Collection
"Faith, Love, Hope"
Designer: Anna Foerster, Richard Wiktorczyk
Company: Kado Schmuckmanufaktur
Country: Germany
Material: Swarovski Gemstones Blue Sapphires, Swarovski Zirconia
Edged Cut White, Stainless Steel
12) Tribute: Gem Visions Celebrate 2013
Designer: Sarah Ho for Brown & Newirth
Country: UK
Material: Swarovski Zirconia White; 925 Silver
13) Tribute: Gem Visions Celebrate 2013
Design Title: Fantastic Flora
Creative Director: Nathalie Colin
Company: Swarovski
Country: France
Material: Swarovski Gemstones Amethyst, Swarovski Zirconia Amethyst,
Lavender, Swarovski Created Stones Alpinite; Swarovski Crystal;
925 Silver |
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Trends
In meditative mood, this gentle, quiet, low-colour look encapsulates
the luxury of comfort and serenity through a style of modern
minimalism, expressing the
quest for inner balance, harmony and life in the slow lane.
Goddess: A celebration of modern “womanity”, powerful,
sensual and exotic, travelling the Silk Route, from Byzantium
to India, paying homage to the
goddesses of near-Asia, encompassing the growing Arabic and
Ottoman Orientalist influences on contemporary design.
Take Time: Tinged with the last vestiges of nostalgia for a
faded elegance, for the leisured lifestyle of a lost era, its
“savoir vivre” and its “savoir faire”,
this trend rediscovers family heritage, through a style characterized
by a dark, poetic melancholy and a sense of the sacred.
Toxic Attraction: The fast-growing wealth, power and influence
of Asia nurtures this extreme style of modern Asian fusion glamour,
passionate and audacious, inspired by traditional costume, balanced
between attraction and repulsion.
Outer space: A contemporary space odyssey, pushing boundaries
through new technology and augmented reality, exploring new
materials and processes, generating a radical visionary space-age
style, between science, design, astronomy and mathematics.
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14) Tribute: Gem Visions Celebrate
2013
Design Title: Collier des Atolls
Designer: Philippe Bouasse
Company: Miss Perle
Country: Tahiti, French Polynesia
Material: Swarovski Zirconia in various colours. Tahitan Pearls:
925 Silver.
15) Tribute: Gem Visions Celebrate 2013
Company: Maruzen Co., Ltd.
Country: Japan
Material: Swarovski Gemstones Pink Sapphires, White Sapphires,
Yellow Sapphires, Spessartite; Rubies; Black Diamonds; White
Diamonds; Pearls; 18K Gold
16) Tribute: Gem Visions Celebrate 2013
Design Title: Naga
Designer:Guy Bedarida
Company: John Hardy
Country: Bali/ Indonesia
Material: Swarovski Gemstones, Pink Sapphire, Passion Topaz
- Baby Pink, Pink; 18K Gold, 925 Silver.
17) Tribute: Gem Visions Celebrate 2013
Design Title: Fancy Dream
Designer: Chen Juan
Company: Ebohr Luxuries International Ltd.
Country: China
Material: Swarovski Gemstones Amethyst, Passion Topaz; Ruby;
Diamonds, 18K Gold |
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Perfection
Swarovski GemsTM has energized the jewellery industry worldwide
with its exquisite array of genuine gemstones and created stones,
all of which are cut and polished in Swarovski’s own factories.
These establishments strictly maintain the highest standards
of quality and use the most sophisticated technology and advanced
research and development to achieve the acme of state-of-the-art
production. Each stone is crafted to meet the most stringent
criteria of colour, quality, size and shape, resulting in a
uniformity of calibration and quality unrivalled in the industry.
Swarovski GemsTM bear all the Swarovski hallmarks of perfection,
brilliance, ingenuity and innovation, and share the company’s
creative dynamism, which in turn brings artistic freedom to
the jewellery industry, inviting designers to express themselves
through a dazzling selection of genuine gemstones and created
stones, capable of bringing creative visions to life. |
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18)Tribute: Gem Visions Celebrate
2013
Design Title: Cachemire
Designer: Roberto Demeglio
Company: 1922 Manifatture Preziose Torino SPA
Country: Italy
Material: Swarovski Gemstones Black Spinel; Diamonds; 18K Gold
19) Tribute: Gem Visions Celebrate 2013
Designer: Queenie Dhody
Company: Jewels By Queenie
Country: India
Material: Swarovski Gemstones Citrine, Spessrtite, Peridot,
Passion Topaz - Poppy, Khaki; 925 Silver.
20) Tribute: Gem Visions Celebrate 2013
Company: Mizuno Co., Ltd.
Country: Japan
Material: Swarovski Jewel Chain in 925 Silver set with Swarovski
Zirconia; Silk. |
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21)
Tribute: Gem Visions Celebrate 2013
Designer: Andreas Ernst
Company: Ernstes
Design
Country: Germany
Material: Swarovski Zirconia White; Stainless Steel
22) Tribute: Gem Visions Celebrate 2013
Designer: Mr. Masakatsu Yamazaki
Company: Palladium
Alliance International
Country: Japan
Material: Swarovski Gemstones Blue Sapphire; Palladium.
23) Tribute: Gem Visions Celebrate 2013
Design Title: Triquetra Mobious
Designer: Walter Adler Chefitz
Company: Walt Adler
Country: USA
Material: Swarovski Gemstones Passion Topaz Rainforest, Turquoise,
Paraiba and Ice Blue; 925 Sterling Silver. |
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