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The Ocean Sapphire and Diamond Suite from the House of Mouawad has 241.54 carats of Sri Lanka sapphires and 156.61 carats of colorless diamonds total. |
The Carmen Lucia Ruby is 23.10 carats, and the Chalk Emerald is 37.8 carats.
The extremely rare Burmese ruby has a rich red color known as pigeon's blood, and the top-tier clarity and the bluish-green hue of the Columbian emerald make it one of the world's finest. Both are in the National Gem Collection at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC.
The Marie Antoinette earrings weigh 14.25 & 20.34 carats respectively, and the Bismarck Sapphire, designed by Cartier, is 98.57 carats.
Queen Marie Antoinette sent her jewelry for safekeeping to Belgium and onto her native Vienna one year before being guillotined in 1793 during France's Reign of Terror. Her nephew, the Austrian Emperor, gave the jewels to her only surviving daughter, Marie-Therese de France upon her release from captivity and arrival in Austria. The earrings may have been bought by Napoleon III for his wife Empress Eugenie and eventually ended up at the Smithsonian where they are today.
The magnificent blue sapphire on the right has perfect clarity and transparency and is the quality of sapphire we ordinary people wish we could buy! It is set with 312 brilliant and baguette-cut white (i.e., colorless) diamonds. Thankfully it is also on view at the Smithsonian for all to see.
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| The Divine Muzo and Pear Emerald Suite is from the House of Mouawad - The necklace emerald is 72.40 carats, the bracelet is 54.38 carats, the ring is 53.11 carats, and the earrings are 41.12 carats. |
This glamourous emerald suite is not in a museum. More information about the pieces is here.
In its 300 years of history, the Hope Diamond (below) had 3 sizes and several owners including France's King Louis XIV. Later during the Reign of Terror, it was stolen and cut down to its present size of 45.52 carats. Finally, jeweler Harry Winston bought it in 1949 and in 1958 gave it to the Museum of Natural History in Washington DC, and yes siree, Bob, Louie, Harry, I've seen it!
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| On public display - The Hope Diamond - It had 3 names ... |
Although it takes the artistry of wo/man to enhance the beauty of gemstones by expertly cutting and polishing them, as well as, a good eye for design setting, it all starts with Mother Nature, and isn't she a marvel? We also should think about the miners (and villagers) who search for, dig and extract the rough stones, and who throughout history were exploited and not paid fair market value for their finds. If we can't undo the past, certainly we can do better in the future to pay and treat people fairly. Let's take care of Mother Nature, her bounty, and one another.💎
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| Models of the Hope Diamond in its 3 sizes as the Tavenier at 115 carats, the French Blue at 69 carats, and as the Hope Diamond at 45.52 carats |
And now, let's have even more fun. I'll select a few of my favorite pieces owned by someone and not just any random someone, but namely, Queen Elizabeth II, who has a huge, priceless jewelry collection, some of it personal and some of it falls under the Crown Jewels -- estimated value to be around $4 billion dollars. However, The Crown Jewels are not insured and therefore have never been appraised.
The Coronation Necklace (passed down from Queen Victoria) -- and always worn by Queens and Queen Consorts to open Parlament; and the King George VI Victorian Suite -- given to his daughter as a wedding gift. Wow and wow!!
So what will you wear tonight, Debra 😁, um Your Majesty ... diamonds, sapphires, rubies, or emeralds? And oooh, which set of diamonds, sapphires, rubies or emeralds???
The Queen Mary Diamond Fringe Tiara worn with her Diamond Festoon Necklace😍; and Queen Victoria’s Crown Ruby necklace and Ruby Pendent with the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara.
Daughters, granddaughters, Debra 🤥 and the spouses of sons and grandsons get to borrow one of Queen Elizabeth's tiaras to wear on their wedding day, as well as, at special events. I'd be thrilled to simply try on my favorites if you stumble upon my blog, Your Majesty!
Burmese Ruby Tiara and the Baring Ruby necklace and Queen Mary’s Ruby Cluster Earrings; Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara. P. Eugenie's emerald and diamond drop earrings were a wedding gift from the groom.
Below is Queen Victoria's Sapphire Coronet, a piece I hope gets permanently donated to a museum. Designed by Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert (about 1842), the coronet was passed on to great-granddaughter Princess Mary as a gift from her father, King George V. Her descendants sold the coronet but it was bought by a wealthy someone who allowed it to be exhibited in 2002 at the Victoria and Albert Museum. It would be sad if this piece of history forever disappeared into a private collection and became unavailable for public viewing.
BTW, if I borrowed the gorgeous Mauawad Ocean Sapphire and Diamond Suite at the top I'd feel and look like a Queen, minus the state dinners to wear them to ... unless the Queen decided to invite me to attend one of hers. While Across the Pond perhaps my new royal girlfriend will let me take a look at those lovely Crown Jewels!😁💂
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