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 Tiaras, Coronation Rivière, Queen Alexandra’s Wedding Necklace, Irish Guards Brooch, Sapphire Fringe Earrings, Maple Leaf Brooch, and the Greville Festoon Necklace, and today, we are featuring the Greville Emerald Necklace-

Mrs Greville wore the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara at a concert at the Austrian Legation in London in 1937! (credit or the find goes to my friend Beth from RJWMB) https://t.co/E5XmFfyCl9 pic.twitter.com/3xaZX44aVD

— The Royal Watcher (@saadsalman719) October 12, 2018

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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. After Mrs Greville’s death in 1942, she bequeathed her massive jewellery collection to the Queen Mother, who began wearing the Emerald Necklace in the late 1940s, soon after the end of the war.

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The Queen Mother frequently wore the Greville Emerald Necklace with the Greville Tiara and with either cabochon Emerald Earrings from Queen Alexandra or with briolette Emerald Earrings from the Greville bequest. Notable appearences of the Greville Emerald Necklace include Princess Margaret’s Engagement Gala Performance in 1960, the Wedding of her granddaughter, Princess Benedikte of Denmark, and Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg in 1968, and the Dutch State Visit in 1972.

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The last notable appearance of the Greville Emerald Necklace was at the Queen’s ‘Dance of the Decades’ to mark the 90th Birthday of the Queen, 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.

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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.

Other Greville Jewels include the:

Greville Tiara

Greville Festoon Necklace

Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara

Greville Ruby and Diamond Floral Bandeau Necklace

Greville Pearl Earrings