In 1911, the newly crowned King George V and Queen Mary prepared to head to India to be proclaimed Emperor and Empress of India at the Delhi Durbar. Though it has been reported as having been a gift from the Ladies of India (and is thus sometimes known as the Ladies of India Necklace), it was in fact made by Garrard as part of the rest of the grand parure using the Cambridge emeralds formerly belonging to Marys grandmother which was prepared for the occasion. The cost was met by George as a birthday present for his wife. The necklace includes 8 square and oval cabochon emeralds, each surrounded by diamonds and separated by a large diamond and two strings of smaller diamonds. It has two detachable pendants: a cabochon emerald and a Cullinan chip. This is Cullinan VII, a marquise-cut 8.8 carat diamond. (It is sometimes reported as Cullinan VI) Mary replaced Cullinan VII with a larger chip at least once, Queen Elizabeth inherited the necklace when Mary died in 1953. Though it isnt the only emerald necklace in her collection, it seems to be her favorite for occasions when emeralds are needed, especially when the emerald version of the Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara is worn.
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 17:52:45 +0000
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