Happy Birthday to Sarah, Duchess of York, who turns 59 today! A former daughter-in-law of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, who has continued to be a prominent society figure, she still retains many of the jewellery from her days as a member of the Royal Family. To mark her birthday, we are taking a look at her York Diamond Demi-Parure.
York Diamond Tiara | Diamond Suite | Ruby Suite | Queen Victoria’s Bow Brooches
To mark her wedding to the Duke of York in 1986, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh presented their new daughter-in-law with this Garrard Diamond Suite, which consists of modern diamond earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet, that were bought at Garrard for around £250,000. The modern Diamond Suite was presented alongside a striking Diamond Tiara, which was worn on the Wedding Day.
The new Duchess of York began wearing the Garrard Diamond Suite soon after her Wedding and wore it for numerous Gala Events, among them the Royal Variety Performance later that year.
The Duchess also wore the Diamond Suite with her Diamond Tiara during the Royal Tour of Canada in 1987 and for the Saudi Return Banquet at Claridges Hotel in 1988, when the bracelet was threaded through her hair, in addition to numerous Galas and Concerts, among them a notable visit to Los Angeles in 1988.
In the early 1990s, the Duchess of York wore the Garrard Diamond Suite for countless Gala Dinners, Galas and Performances, which continued to be worn throughout the period of her separation from the Duke.
In 1995, the Duchess (or as she later claimed her lady-in-waiting, Jane Andrews) mistakenly put a case containing the Garrard Diamond Suite in the carry-on luggage while traveling back to London from JFK Airport.
The Jewels were stolen by a teenage baggage handler and stashed in a locker and in a toolshed behind his house, until being discovered by the FBI, whose assistant director questioned the decision by the Duchess after its return:
I don’t think it shows a lot of wisdom myself. I certainly wouldn’t do it. But I personally wouldn’t have a half a million dollars of jewelry.”
While she retained the Garrard Diamond Suite after her divorce, following the theft, Sarah, Duchess of York stopped wearing the Suite as regularly, with it only making a few rare appearances since the 1990s, most notably for a Garrard Party hosted by Jade Jagger at the Tower Of London in 2002, and the Diamond Butterfly Ball in 2011 and 2012.
More recently, Sarah, Duchess of York wore her Garrard Diamond Suite for an event at Claridge’s Hotel in London in July 2019. We saw Princess Beatrice wearing the York Diamond Tiara last year, so let’s hope we see the Diamond Suite worn sometime soon!
York Diamond Tiara | Diamond Suite | Ruby Suite | Queen Victoria’s Bow Brooches
York Diamond Tiara
Diamond Suite
Ruby Suite
Queen Victoria’s Bow Brooches
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To mark her wedding to the Duke of York in 1986, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh presented their new daughter-in-law with this Diamond Demi-Parure, along with the York Diamond Tiara, which consists of modern diamond earrings, necklace, and bracelet, which were bought at Garrard for around £250,000.
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During her tenure as a member of the Royal Family, the Duchess of York frequently wore her Diamond Demi-Parure, often with her Tiara, for a variety of events including the Royal Tour of Canada in 1987 and Saudi Return Banquet at Claridges Hotel in 1988, when the bracelet was threaded through her hair.
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The Duchess continued to wear her Diamond Demi-Parure in the 1990s, when she still attended events semi-official capacity. In 1995, she mistakenly put a case containing a jewels in the carry-on luggage while traveling through JFK Airport, which were stolen by a teenage baggage handler stashed in her locker and in a toolshed behind his house, until being discovered by the FBI, whose assistant director questioned the decision by the Duchess: “I don’t think it shows a lot of wisdom myself. I certainly wouldn’t do it. But I personally wouldn’t have a half a million dollars of jewelry.” In response, she claimed that her lady-in-waiting, Jane Andrews, had decided to check the bag.
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The Duchess has continued to wear the Diamond Demi-Parure at events even after her divorce, most recently in 2011 and 2012, when she wore the set at the Diamond Butterfly Ball. Many people expected to see it during Princess Eugenie’s recent wedding festivities, but it seems we will have to wait longer. UPDATE, the Duchess wore the necklace in July 2019.
