Greville Emerald Necklace

Today marks the anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, who died on this day in 2002. We have featured many of her jewels over the years, including her TiarasCoronation RivièreQueen Alexandra’s Wedding NecklaceIrish Guards Brooch, Sapphire Fringe EarringsMaple Leaf Brooch, and the Greville Festoon Necklace, and today, we are featuring the Greville Emerald Necklace-

Greville Tiara | Greville Emerald Tiara | Greville Festoon Necklace | Greville Emerald Necklace | Greville Emerald Earrings | Ruby Necklace | Greville Diamond Chandelier Earrings | Diamond Bow Brooch | Pearl Earrings | Greville Ivy Leaf Clips

Featuring large square emeralds set in an ornate diamond frame, with an emerald and diamond pendant, the necklace is reputed to come from the collection of either Empress Joséphine or Marie Antoinette, which is quite hard to authenticate, though it was in the collection of Dame Margaret Greville, the Hon Mrs Greville by the interwar era, when she was frequently described wearing her ‘famed’ emeralds, including the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara, in contemporary reports.

Dame Margaret Greville seems to have worn both Emerald Necklaces with the Greville Emerald Tiara and Emerald Earrings for a Concert at the Austrian Embassy in London in 1937, during the Coronation Festvities for King George VI.

On the death of Dame Margaret Greville, the Hon Mrs Greville in 1942, the majority of her magnificent Jewellery Collection, all pieces valued over 100 pounds, was inherited by Queen Elizabeth. In 1942, the Queen wrote to Queen Mary:

I must tell you that Mrs Greville has left me her jewels, She has left them to me ‘with her loving thoughts,’ dear old thing, and I feel very touched, I don’t suppose I shall see what they consist of for a long time, owing to the slowness of lawyers & death duties etc, but it is rather exciting to be left something, and I do admire beautiful stones with all my heart.”

When the jewels arrived to the Queen a few months later, there was much unwanted press attention on the contents of the initialled black trunk, which included the Greville Diamond Tiara, an Emerald Tiara, the Festoon Necklace, the Diamond Chandelier EarringsEmerald Earrings, a Ruby Necklacetwo Emerald NecklacesIvy Leaf ClipsDiamond Bow Broochand a pair of Pearl Earringsalongside several spectacular Diamond Earrings, Necklaces, Brooches and Bracelets, the true extent of which has never been publicly revealed.

Queen Elizabeth began wearing the Emerald Necklace by the late 1940s, paired with the Emerald Earrings and Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara.

The Queen Mother often wore the Greville Emerald Necklace after being widowed, usually paired with the Greville Diamond Tiara, being worn for Princess Margaret’s Engagement Gala Performance in 1960, the Belgian State Visit to Britain in 1963, the Wedding of her goddaughter, Princess Benedikte of Denmark, and Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg in 1968, and the Dutch State Visit to Britain in 1972, and the Swedish State Visit to Britain in 1975.

The Greville Emerald Necklace continued to be worn by the Queen Mother until the end of her life, being worn for the Queen’s ‘Dance of the Decades’ to mark the 90th Birthday of the Queen Mother, the 60th of Princess Margaret, the 40th of Princess Anne, and the 30th of Prince Andrew, at Buckingham Palace in 1990. After the Queen Mother’s death in 2002, the Greville Emerald Necklace, like all her jewels, was inherited by the Queen and has not yet been publicly worn.

Embed from Getty Images

However, that’s not the only emerald necklace from the Greville collection. The Queen wore a magnificent unknown emerald necklace at last year’s Diplomatic Reception, and it’s quite likely that the piece is from the Greville Bequest, though it remained publicly unworn for over 80 years. Let’s hope thats a sign that we’ll see the other Emerald Necklace worn again soon.

Greville Tiara | Greville Emerald Tiara | Greville Festoon Necklace | Greville Emerald Necklace | Greville Emerald Earrings | Ruby Necklace | Greville Diamond Chandelier Earrings | Diamond Bow Brooch | Pearl Earrings | Greville Ivy Leaf Clips

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Crown

Greville Tiara

Oriental Circlet Tiara

Delhi Durbar Tiara

Fringe Tiara

Turquoise Parure

Lotus Flower Tiara

Strathmore Rose Tiara

Cartier Halo Tiara

Teck Crescent Tiara

Cartier Bracelet Bandeau

Aquamarine Pine Flower Tiara

Teck Diamond Hoop Necklace

Queen Adelaide’s Fringe

Queen Alexandra’s Wedding Necklace

Greville Festoon Necklace

Greville Emerald Necklace

The Queen Mother’s Tiaras

Other Greville Jewels include the:

Greville Tiara

Greville Festoon Necklace

Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara

Greville Ruby and Diamond Floral Bandeau Necklace

Greville Pearl Earrings

2 thoughts on “Greville Emerald Necklace

  1. “the Wedding of her granddaughter, Princess Benedikte of Denmark”….we need to change granddaugter to goddaughter

  2. Recognition for another large post. I am pretty sure this piece has helped me save many hours of impression other similar posts just on the road to find what I was trying for. I just want toward say: Thank you!

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