Greville Diamond Peardrop Earrings

Tomorrow marks the 160th Anniversary of the Birth of Dame Margaret Greville, the Hon Mrs Greville The illegitimate daughter of a brewery millionaire, she married the son of a Baron, and became a noted Society Hostess, from her magnificent home at Polesden Lacey, getting close to the Queen Mother, to whom she left her enormous Jewellery Collection, so we are featuring several of her jewels, continuing with the Greville Diamond Peardrop Earrings!

In the spring of 1938, Dame Margaret Greville ordered a pair of Diamond Drop Earrings from Cartier in London, which consisted of a 20.66 carat pear-shaped drop diamond and a 20.26 carat pear-shaped drop diamond, suspended from a pentagonal diamond and an emerald-cut diamond, which were finally delivered in May 1938.

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Two months later, Dame Margaret Greville may have loaned the Greville Diamond Peardrop Earrings to Queen Elizabeth when she wore the Greville Tiara and the Greville Festoon Necklace for a Banquet hosted by French Foreign Office during a State Visit to France.

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, Diamond Peardrop Earrings, the Diamond Chandelier Earrings, Emerald Earrings, the Ruby Necklace, two Emerald Necklaces, Ivy Leaf Clips, Diamond Bow Brooch, and a pair of Pearl Earrings, alongside several spectacular Diamond Earrings, Necklaces, Brooches and Bracelets, the true extent of which has never been publicly revealed.

Since Queen Elizabeth possessed the almost identical Coronation Earrings, it wasn’t until after the Accession of her daughter in 1952 that the Greville Diamond Earrings began to be worn by the Queen Mother, first appearing with Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara at a Gala Performance of ‘Sawn Lake’ in 1952, and then being worn with her Crown for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and with the Greville Tiara on a visit to Rhodesia.

For the next five decades, the Queen Mother alternated between the Oriental Circlet Tiara and the Greville Tiara, with the latter being paired with the Greville Festoon Necklace, Queen Alexandra’s Wedding Necklace, Greville Emerald Necklace, and Diamond Rivières, almost always with the Greville Diamond Peardrop Earrings, with appearances including a visit to New York City in 1954, at the RAF 40th Anniversary Banquet in 1958, for a visit to the Vatican in 1959, during the French State Visit to Britain in 1960, for a Gala Performance at Covent Garden in 1960, during the Belgian State Visit to Britain in 1963, at the RAF Golden Jubilee Banquet in 1968, on the Italian State Visit to Britain in 1969, and for the Commonwealth Leaders’ Banquet at Buckingham Palace in 1969, in addition to countless Gala Evenings.

The Greville Diamond Peardrop Earrings were also worn for the Japanese State Banquet at Buckingham Palace in 1971, during the Afghan State Visit to Britain in 1971, for the Ghillies Ball at Balmoral in 1971, during the Dutch State Visit to Britain in 1972, for the Swedish State Visit to Britain in 1975, the Wedding Gala of the Prince of Wales in 1981, the Oman State Visit to Britain in 1982, the Royal Film Premiere of Gandhi in 1982, the Dutch State Visit to Britain in 1982, for the Queen’s 60th Birthday Concert in 1986, and during the Spanish State Visit to Britain in 1986, alongside numerous Galas, Banquets, and Portraits.

The Queen Mother also wore the Greville Diamond Peardrop Earrings for the Wedding of Princess Margaret in 1960, the Wedding of Princess Alexandra of Kent in 1963, her 80th Birthday in 1980, the Wedding of Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, the Wedding of Duke of York in 1986, and the Wedding of the Earl of Wessex in 1999.

The Queen Mother continued to wear the Greville Diamond Peardrop Earrings into her 90s, with the Greville Tiara and the Greville Festoon Necklace, some notable appearances including the Polish State Visit to Britain in 1991, the Ghillies Ball at Balmoral in 1991, the Malaysian State Visit to Britain in 1993, and for Japanese and German State Banquets in 1998, as well as her 100th and 101st Birthday Celebrations.

After the Queen Mother’s passing in 2002, the Diamond Peardrop Earrings, like all of her other jewels, were inherited by her daughter, the Queen, who most notably wore them at a State Banquet for the President of Turkey in 2011, paired with the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara, Coronation Necklace and Queen Victoria’s Fringe Brooch. Lets hope we see this spectacular jewel worn again soon, likely on the Princess of Wales, who has been recently wearing the Greville Diamond Chandelier Earrings!