Kent Amethyst Parure

Today marks the 240th Anniversary of the Birth of Princess Victoria, Duchess of Kent, who was born on this day in 1786! The Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld Princess who was the Princess of Leiningen before marrying the Duke of Kent and becoming the mother of Queen Victoria, the Duchess was at the centre of splendid courts for her entire life, often wearing her magnificent Amethyst and Diamond Parure!

Kent Amethyst Parure | Fringe Necklace | Diamond Brooch

The Amethyst and Diamond Parure is composed of a Necklace, a pair of Earrings, three Brooches, and a pair of Hair Combs featuring large faceted and cabochon amethysts.

Similar Amethyst and Diamond Brooches and a Necklace have belonged to Lady Carew and the Earls of Wemyss, notably worn by Lady Mary Charteris, which demonstrates that the design was common among English jewellers in the mearly 19th century.

The Duchess of Kent notably wore the Amethyst and Diamond Parure at the Wedding of her granddaughter, Victoria, Princess Royal, and Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia in 1858.

After her death, Queen Victoria designated the Amethyst Parure an heirloom of the Crown to be passed from Queen to Queen, and wrote about that in her diary:

After luncheon went to the room where beloved Mama’s jewels were put out, & after much reflection, we began to divide the pearls & diamonds & best bracelets. The fine amethyst & diamond parure, & the miniature of George IV she always wore, I have kept & it is to be considered as an heirloom.

Queen Alexandra wore elements of the Amethyst and Diamond Necklace on her dress at the State Opening of Parliament in 1902 (found by British Royal Jewels).

While she was not a fan of amethysts, the Queen Mother notably wore the vthe Brooch with three pendants for a couple of occasions during the Second World War. Amethyst is a stone of mourning, so the Brooch had been used for funerals and memorial services.

The Duchess of Kent’s Amethyst Parure was inherited by the Queen in 1952, but she didn’t debut the Parure until a State Visit to Portugal in 1986.

The brooch with three pendants had also been rarely worn, with notable occasions including a State Visit to the United States in 1991 and her 40th Anniversary of Accession in 1992.

The Queen also wore the Duchess of Kent’s Amethyst Parure for the ‘Dance of the Decades’ at Buckingham Palace in 1990.

However, the Brooch without the Pendant had been a favourite of the late Queen, and was regularly among her most worn brooches every year for decades.

Queen Camilla wore the historic Kent Amethyst Necklace, without the Pendants, and the Earrings for the first time at a State Dinner at the White House in April 2026.

A few weeks later, Queen Camilla wore the Kent Amethyst Earring with her Diamond Serpent Necklace for ‘A King’s Trust Celebration’ at the Royal Albert Hall in London and there is no doubt the Parure will continue to be worn for years to come!