Queen Mary's Most Iconic Necklaces: A Royal Jewelry Masterpiece.

The collection of Queen Mary is so vast that it could be admired endlessly. But today, we will focus exclusively on her necklaces. Prepare for an abundance of diamonds, pearls, and, of course, chokers, one of Mary's signature styles. These elegant pieces were perfectly suited to the refined Edwardian fashion of her era. We'll trace the journey of each necklace, uncovering which of them remain hidden in royal vaults and which continue to adorn modern royal figures. Get ready for a captivating exploration of royal treasures. You're in for a treat. Before we begin, please support my channel by clicking the Like and Subscribe buttons. Thank you. Queen Mary's Diamond Sautoire is an elegant piece with a fascinating history that begins with Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, wife of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia. This diamond riviere, composed of 38 substantial diamonds, was commissioned for Maria Pavlovna by her mother-in-law, Empress Maria Alexandrovna, for her wedding in 1874. The necklace became a staple in Maria Pavlovna's wardrobe, often worn to the grand balls and receptions of St. Petersburg. Maria Pavlovna, known as Grand Duchess Vladimir, was a prominent figure at the Russian imperial court. However, following the 1917 Revolution, she was forced to flee Russia, leaving behind her legendary jewelry collection, including the diamond riviere, hidden in a safe in her apartments at the Vladimir Palace. Her son, Grand Duke Boris, and British diplomat Bertie Stopford, orchestrated a daring operation to rescue the jewels, disguising themselves as workmen and smuggling the treasures out of the palace and into a London vault. After Maria Pavlovna's death in 1920, her jewels were divided among her children. The riviere was inherited by her daughter, Princess Nicholas of Greece, who was later compelled to sell it due to financial difficulties. It was subsequently acquired by Queen Mary. Queen Mary, renowned for her ability to transform jewelry into versatile masterpieces, had the riviere reimagined in 1928 by jeweler A. Sinzenik. The design was converted into a stunning sautoir necklace that could be separated into two necklaces of varying lengths with the remaining diamonds fashioned into two bracelets. This modular design provided Queen Mary with unparalleled flexibility in accessorizing. The diamond sautoir became one of Queen Mary's signature pieces in the 1930s. She frequently chose the sautoir for grand occasions such as concerts, gala dinners, and formal portraits, often pairing it with her iconic tiaras, including the Lover's Knot Tiara and the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara. After Queen Mary's death in 1953, the necklace was inherited by her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II. However, Elizabeth preferred shorter necklaces and jokingly remarked that long ones get into the soup. Despite this, the sautoir was photographed for Hugh Robert's book, The Queen's Diamonds in 2012, and remains a part of the royal collection, awaiting a potential reappearance. One of the most famous necklaces belonging to Queen Mary is undoubtedly her emerald necklace, part of the legendary Cambridge Emerald Perure. This extraordinary suite of jewelry traces its origins back to the 19th century when Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge, won a box of 40 cabochon emeralds, including round and pear-shaped stones, at a charity lottery in Frankfurt. The emeralds passed to Queen Mary in 1910 under dramatic circumstances. She had to buy them back from her brother's mistress, the Countess of Kilmory, to keep the gems within the family. In 1911, in preparation for the Grand Delhi Durbar, where she and King George V were proclaimed Emperor and Empress of India, Queen Mary commissioned Gerard to create a perure from the Cambridge emeralds. The set included a magnificent necklace, earrings, brooches, a bracelet, and adornments for the newly created Delhi Durbar tiara, named for the occasion. Queen Mary bequeathed the perure to her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II, with the exception of the tiara, which was passed to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Queen Elizabeth II frequently wore the necklace and other elements of the perure to official events, showcasing their historical and aesthetic significance. The Cambridge Emerald Perure was perfectly complemented by another emerald masterpiece from Queen Mary's collection, the iconic Art Deco Emerald Choker. The story of this remarkable piece begins in December 1911, when King George V and Queen Mary traveled to India for the Grand Delhi Durbar ceremony. On December 9th, Queen Mary was presented with a special gift from the Ladies of India, a necklace and pendant featuring emeralds adorned with diamond rosettes, as well as a carved emerald brooch. This gift, bestowed on behalf of Indian nobility, symbolized their deep respect and reverence for the royal couple. Touched by the gesture, Queen Mary expressed her gratitude in a heartfelt letter. Your jewel will always be most precious in my eyes, and whenever I wear it, my thoughts will fly to the homes of India, rekindling the joy of our meeting. Your gift shall pass down to future generations as an imperial heirloom, a symbol of the first meeting between an English queen and the Ladies of India. Queen Mary first wore the emerald necklace during the Delhi Durbar ceremony, pairing it with other pieces from the Cambridge Emerald Perure. 10 years later, in 1921, Queen Mary, always embracing modern trends in jewelry design, turned to garrard to transform the necklace. The emeralds and diamonds were reimagined into a stunning art deco choker, with cabochon emeralds alternating with diamond plaques featuring smaller emerald accents. After Queen Mary's death in 1953, the choker was inherited by Queen Elizabeth II. However, as the queen rarely wore chokers, the piece remained unused until 1981, when she lent it as a lifetime gift to Lady Diana Spencer upon her marriage to Prince Charles. Diana, Princess of Wales, quickly made the choker one of her signature accessories. One of its most iconic appearances occurred in 1985, when Diana famously wore the choker as a bandeau across her forehead during a dance evening in Australia. After her death, the choker returned to the Royal Collection and disappeared from public view for decades. In 2022, it made a striking reappearance when Catherine, the Princess of Wales, wore it to the Earthshot Prize Ceremony in Boston. When Princess May of Teck married the future King George V in 1893, she was showered with lavish gifts. Among the 130 pieces of jewelry she received from family, friends, and representatives of cities and counties across the British Empire was a pair of pearl and diamond bracelets from the Lord Mayor and the City of London. These exquisite latticework bracelets could be joined and worn as a choker. The City of London choker quickly became one of Queen Mary's favorite pieces. In the early years of her marriage, she wore it frequently, appreciating its versatility and elegance. Remarkably, this choker is one of the few pieces in Queen Mary's collection that remained in its original form. Known for her penchant for modifying jewelry, Mary chose to preserve this gift exactly as it had been presented to her. After her death in 1953, the City of London choker passed to Queen Elizabeth II. However, as we've seen with many chokers, it didn't align with her personal preferences and remained in the royal vaults for decades. Thanks to the diligence of devoted royal jewelry enthusiasts, it was later discovered that Princess Anne likely wore the choker in 2001 and 2005. The Queen Mary's Pearl and Diamond Riviere is a piece of refined elegance, featuring alternating diamond collets and round pearls. Despite its antique aesthetic, the exact origins of this Riviere remain unknown, though it was likely purchased by Queen Mary at auction, as was the case with many of her jewels. By the late 1920s, the Pearl and Diamond Riviere was firmly part of Queen Mary's collection. She wore it on several occasions, including a portrait session with her young granddaughter, the future Queen Elizabeth II. After Queen Mary's death in 1953, the necklace was inherited by her granddaughter, Princess Margaret. Margaret frequently wore it for state and formal events, occasionally adding a pearl drop pendant. After Princess Margaret, the Pearl and Diamond Riviere was passed on to her daughter, Lady Sarah Chateau, who has made it a signature piece in her wardrobe. Notably, this necklace avoided inclusion in the 2006 auction of Princess Margaret's jewels, further cementing its place as a cherished family heirloom. The next piece, which Queen Mary favored as a choker, has more recently been seen worn as a bracelet. The Diamond Choker Bracelet, designed in the Art Deco style, consists of elegant diamond bars, creating a sleek and modern appearance. This diamond choker was created around the 1920s, a time when the Art Deco aesthetic dominated jewelry design. Queen Mary wore it as a choker, as evident from a portrait from that era. However, it remains unclear whether the piece was initially intended as a bracelet or later modified. After Queen Mary's death in 1953, the choker was absent from public view for decades. It reappeared in 1975 when the Queen Mother wore it as a bracelet in portraits marking her 75th birthday. Upon the Queen Mother's death in 2002, the bracelet was inherited by Queen Elizabeth II, but remained unworn until 2015, when it was lent for the first time to Catherine, then the Duchess of Cambridge. Catherine wore the bracelet on several occasions in subsequent years, with its most recent public appearance at the 2018 diplomatic reception at Buckingham Palace. The next piece is one you likely recognize, thanks to Princess Anne, who has made it a key part of her wardrobe. However, its history begins long before her time and spans two royal dynasties. The sapphire choker, composed of four rows of pearls separated by diamond bars and featuring a geometric clasp adorned with sapphires and diamonds, once belonged to Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia, wife of Alexander III and mother of the last Russian emperor, Nicholas II. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Maria Feodorovna fled Russia, managing to retain only a small selection of her jewels. The choker remained with her until her death in exile in 1928. Shortly thereafter, her daughters sold the piece to Queen Mary. Queen Mary wore the choker a few times in the 1930s. After her death in 1953, the piece was inherited by Queen Elizabeth II, but like many chokers, it seldom appeared in public. In the early 1970s, the choker was given a new life when Queen Elizabeth II passed it on to her daughter, Princess Anne. Anne has since made it a signature accessory, wearing it at numerous significant events. The 11-row pearl choker is another breathtaking piece from Queen Mary's collection, featuring rows of fine pearls accented by two elaborate diamond floral elements. This necklace is believed to have been one of Queen Mary's wedding gifts in 1893. As the Princess of Wales in the early 20th century, Mary frequently wore this pearl choker. It can be seen in several early portraits of her, as well as in official photographs taken after she became queen. However, with the end of the First World War, Mary's preferences shifted towards larger, more striking diamond necklaces. The pearl choker was seen less frequently after this point. Following Queen Mary's death in 1953, the 11-row pearl choker was inherited by her third son, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester. His wife, Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, wore it during the 1950s and 1960s on notable occasions. Since the 1980s, the choker has found a new life in the wardrobe of the current Duchess of Gloucester, Birgit. She has worn it frequently in official portraits and at significant state banquets. In 1901, upon becoming Princess of Wales, Mary of Tech commissioned the creation of the magnificent Love Trophy Collar, celebrated for its intricate design and symbolism. This piece, believed to have been made by either Gerard and Company or Cartier, was crafted using precious stones inherited by Mary. The necklace was described as seven diamond-set panels, each depicting love symbols, a bow, torch, and quiver, encircled by laurel wreaths and adorned with elegant ribbons. As the Princess of Wales, Mary often wore the Love Trophy Collar, showcasing its sophistication in official portraits of the early 20th century. After her husband, George V, ascended to the throne in 1910, Queen Mary continued to wear the necklace, pairing it with delicate diamond tiaras, including Queen Adelaide's fringe tiara. However, the Love Trophy Collar disappeared from public view after the First World War. In the 1930s, Queen Mary passed the necklace to her daughter-in-law, the future Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. It was never seen on her. And after her passing, it was inherited by Queen Elizabeth II in 2002, along with other jewels. Though it has not been worn since Queen Mary's time, the Love Trophy Collar has remained intact in its original form and was featured in Hugh Robert's celebrated book, The Queen's Diamonds, in 2012. Today, the piece rests in the royal vaults, awaiting its moment to dazzle once again. Queen Mary's collection also included several tiaras that could be transformed into necklaces. One of these remarkable pieces was the Surrey Fringe Tiara, a wedding gift from the county of Surrey. The Surrey Fringe Tiara, crafted in a dazzling fringe style of diamond rays, could be worn as either a tiara or a necklace. It first appeared in photographs shortly after Mary's wedding. And in 1901, as the Duchess of Cornwall and York, she wore it with her 11-row pearl choker at an official reception in Ottawa during a tour of Canada. In 1905, as Princess of Wales, Mary chose the Surrey Fringe Tiara as a necklace for a series of portraits, pairing it with the Boucheron Loop Tiara and her iconic Love Trophy Collar, which we discussed earlier. However, these were the last public photographs of this tiara-necklace combination, as it was soon dismantled. In the 1910s, the diamonds from the Surrey Fringe Tiara were repurposed to create the Gloucester Honeysuckle Tiara and to replace the pearls in the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara. In this way, elements of the Surrey Fringe Tiara continued their legacy in other jewels that remain part of the royal collection to this day. Queen Mary's amethyst necklace was part of a perour that also included a tiara, earrings, and a brooch. This set was purchased at a charity auction. Queen Mary wore the perour on several occasions, including official portraits, but eventually passed it on to her daughter-in-law, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother, however, never wore the necklace or any other pieces from the set publicly. According to rumors, when she offered to pass the perour on to her daughter, Queen Elizabeth Perhaps the necklace did not meet the high standards of craftsmanship expected of the royal collection, or it may be that amethysts, traditionally associated with mourning, were not to the Queen's taste. Ultimately, the necklace, along with the tiara and other elements of the perour, was sold at auction. The pieces entered private collections, and in 2007, Queen Mary's amethyst necklace was spotted on Vogue editor Anna Wintour at a gala at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. What about you? Do you have a favorite among these necklaces? And which modern royal figure would you like to see wearing one of these treasures in the future? Thank you for watching this video. If you enjoyed it, don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to the channel so you won't miss more stories about royal jewels. 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