Monthly Archives: December 2019

The Greville Jewelry Collection

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Some of the most exquisite pieces of jewelry worn by the British Royal family came from a relatively unknown woman named Mrs. Greville.  Included in this small priceless collection are two beautiful tiaras, one is the Greville Diamond Tiara worn in the past by the Queen Mother and now by Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall and the other is the  Greville Emerald Kokoshnik worn by Princess Eugenie at her wedding in October 2018.  Another favorite item that was worn previously by the Queen Mother and now worn by the Duchess of Cornwall is the stunning Greville Festoon Necklace.  Also from the Greville collection is the Ruby and Diamond Floral Bandeau Necklace worn most recently by the Duchess of Cambridge.

Before I go into detail about several of the Greville jewelry pieces let’s find out about the women who originally possessed this amazing jewelry collection and how it came to the British Royal family.  Margaret Andersen Greville (born: December 20, 1863 died: September 15, 1942) was the daughter of the multimillionaire founder of the Fountain Brewery in Scotland, William McEwan, and his mistress Helen Anderson.  It is interesting to note that over twenty years later McEwan and Helen finally married in 1885 after the death of her first husband, at the time their daughter, Margaret, was 21 years old. 

In 1891, Margaret married the Hon. Ronald Greville who was eldest son of the 2nd Baron Greville and later he became a Member of Parliament.  In 1906 Margaret’s father purchased Polesden Lacey, a large country estate located in Surrey, England for the couple.  Sadly, Margaret’s husband died two years later in 1908 and then her father in 1913.  Since Margaret was the only child of McEwan, upon his death the bulk of his estate went to her thus making her a very wealthy woman.    

Mrs. Greville was a philanthropist, a socialite and she was named a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1922.  She was friends with many members of the British Royal family including Queen Mary and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later to become Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother).  In fact when Lady Elizabeth married Prince Albert (later to become King George VI) in 1923 they spent part of their honeymoon at Mrs. Greville’s country estate.

When Mrs. Greville died in 1942 she was buried at Polesden Lacey and the estate is now run by the National Trust and is open to the public.  So, throughout the years Mrs. Greville was a great collector of fine jewelry especially Boucheron and Cartier.   Since the Grevilles had no children the majority of her priceless jewelry collection went to the Queen Mother.  The size of the collection was not made known to the public at the time but it is estimated that there were about 60 pieces of jewelry. Then upon her the death of the Queen Mother in 2002 her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, inherited the Greville jewelry collection. 

So, let’s take a look at a few of the items from the Greville jewelry collection that has been worn by the British Royal Family over the past decades.

The Greville DiamondTiara

Perhaps one of the most iconic pieces from the Greville jewelry collection is a stunning diamond tiara.  Since the social elite were known to “repurpose” their jewelry often by taking the stones from one piece and using them to create a different piece, a necklace could be made into another necklace or a tiara could be used to create a necklace.   

The history of the Greville Tiara is an interesting example because it has taken on three distinct design styles.  The first version of the tiara, shown below, had a very different design that featured a floral motif and was worn by Mrs. Greville for the coronation of King Edward VII in 1901.  It has been noted that the diamonds used to create this tiara might have come from another tiara that had been a wedding present from her father.     

Then, in 1921 Mrs. Greville had that tiara redesigned into a second version, shown below, which became known as the Boucheron Honeycomb Tiara.  The platinum millegrain setting features an intricate “honeycomb” pattern with pave diamonds and large round diamonds set in the center of each section.  This is the version of the tiara that Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother received as part of the inheritance from Mrs. Greville.

Now known as the Greville tiara it became one of the Queen Mother’s favorites which she wore quite frequently.  Then in 1953 the Queen Mother sent the tiara, shown below, to Cartier to be redesigned into a third version.  There was an addition of five raised sections that featured a large marquise diamond with three large round diamonds at the center and four additional sections with each featuring four large round diamonds.   

After the Queen Mother’s death the Greville collection went to her daughter, the present Queen Elizabeth II but she never wore the Greville tiara in public.  Then in 2005 after her marriage to the Prince Charles Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall was given a long term loan of the Greville tiara and it has now become one of her favorites to wear.  

The Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara

The Emerald Kokoshnik tiara was commissioned in 1919 by Mrs. Greville and was made by Boucheron.  The tiara is designed in a style known as kokoshnik (a traditional Russian headdress) which was a type of tiara popular with the Russian Imperial Family.  The tiara features pave diamonds set in platinum with a large 93.7 carat cabochon-cut emerald in the center and several smaller square-cut emeralds set on either side.  

The Emerald Kokoshnik tiara was part of the Greville jewelry collection that was inherited by the Queen Mother and then Queen Elizabeth II.  The tiara was never worn by either of the two Queens and in fact it was not seen in public for several decades.  Then in 2018, Queen Elizabeth graciously loaned the tiara to her granddaughter to wear for her wedding to Jack Brooksbank, for more information on this British Royal Wedding please click on the link. 

The Greville Festoon Necklace

The Greville Festoon Necklace is perhaps one of the most extravagant pieces from the Greville jewelry collection that was inherited by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in 1942.  Mrs. Greville had commissioned Cartier to create the Festoon Necklace in 1929 “repurposing” stones from her previous jewelry.  The original design featured two long strands of diamonds set in platinum; each section of each strand has one large diamond flanked by two smaller diamonds.  A later version of the necklace added an additional shorter three strand necklace; the two pieces (the two strands and the three strands) worn together make a stunning necklace but look equally impressive if worn separately.

After the Queen Mother received the Festoon Necklace it became one of her favorite pieces and she would often were the three strand necklace by itself but for a special occasions she would “dress to impress” by wearing all five strands together with the Greville Tiara.  As she got older the Queen Mother and became frailer she would most often wear only the three strand necklace so as not to overwhelm her small stature.  When the Queen Mother passed away in 2002, the Greville jewelry collection went to her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II. 

After her marriage to Prince Charles, the Queen has given a long term loan of the Festoon Necklace to Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.  Much like the Queen Mother, the necklace has become one of her favorite pieces and looks very impressive when paired with the Greville Tiara.    

The Greville Ruby and Diamond Floral Bandeau Necklace

Mrs. Greville originally purchased the Ruby and Diamond Floral Bandeau Necklace from Boucheron in 1907.  The intricate floral design of the necklace features rubies and diamonds set in silver and gold and finished with a diamond pendant. 

After the necklace came into the possession of Queen Elizabeth (later known as the Queen Mother) she eventually gave it to her oldest daughter, Princess Elizabeth (later to become Queen Elizabeth II) as a wedding gift when she married Prince Phillip (later known as the Duke of Edinburgh) in 1947. During the 1950s, the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth wore the Rudy and Diamond Bandeau Necklace frequently for her evening engagements but the deep V of the necklace design with the added length of the diamond pendant made it a difficult piece to wear with her evening dresses.  Despite having it shortened, by the 1980s she wore the necklace less often. 

Then in 2017 the Queen loaned the necklace to Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge who paired it beautifully with a blush pink evening gown.   

The Greville Emerald and Diamond Necklace

It has been speculated that the Greville Emerald Necklace was created from emeralds that were once part of a necklace that belonged to Empress Josephine and the diamonds came from a necklace once owned by Marie Antoinette.  This might be an embellished story originating from Mrs. Greville to add even more significance to the impressive necklace.  The Greville Emerald Necklace design featured large square-cut emeralds surrounded by diamonds linked together with a central large rectangular-cut emerald pendant.    

The Greville Emerald Necklace was another beautiful item from the jewelry collection that was inherited by the Queen Mother in 1942 upon the death of Mrs. Greville.  The Queen Mother wore the Greville Emerald Necklace often for state banquets or other important engagements.  The Queen Mother wore it was for a formal portrait in 1990 as seen below with her daughter, Princess Margaret and two of her grandchildren, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne.

The Greville jewelry collection was inherited by Queen Elizabeth in 2002 after the death of the Queen Mother and she has not worn the Greville Emerald Necklace since that time.  Recently it was thought that the necklace she wore to a diplomatic reception at Buckingham Palace in 2019 was made from the Greville Necklace.  The 10 square-shaped emeralds surrounded by diamonds looks very familiar but with the addition of 10 emerald drops.  The Queen wore this new necklace with the Vladimir tiara which was also set with emerald drops that she paired with emerald and diamond earrings.     

The Greville Chandelier Earrings

The Greville Chandelier Earrings were made for Mrs. Greville by Cartier in an Art Deco style and feature diamonds in several different cuts and shapes including emerald, square, pear, baguette and more in a platinum setting.  The earrings were part of the Greville jewelry collection inherited by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in 1942 upon the death of Mrs. Greville.

When Princess Elizabeth (later to become Queen Elizabeth II) married in 1947 she was given the Greville Chanelier Earrings as a wedding gift from her parents.  Shown below is a 1953 photo of the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth wearing the earrings with the Diamond Diadem. 

Throughout the years the Greville Chandelier Earrings have become one of the Queen’s favorite pieces of jewelry wearing them quite frequently for evening engagements.  

The Greville Peardrop Earrings

The Greville Peardrop earrings were made for Mrs.Greville in 1938 by Cartier and feature two pear-shaped diamonds weighing over 20 carats which are suspended from emerald-cut and pentagonal diamonds and set in platinum.

After Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother inherited the Greville Peardrop Earrings became one of her favorite pieces from the grevillea jewelry collection and she wore them very often.  Upon the Queen Mother’s death in 2002 the Greville Peardrop Earrings were inherited to Queen Elizabeth.        

So, these are just a few of the pieces from the Greville jewelry collection that have been worn by the British Royal family since they were inherited from Mrs. Greville after her death in 1942.

Movie Costumes – Titanic

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In this post I will discuss the costumes worn in the 1997 Titanic film by director James Cameron.  The movie blends the tragic history of the sinking of the RMS Titanic during its maiden voyage with the fictional romantic love story of Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater as played by Leonard DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.  The film was both a critical and commercial success winning 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director for Cameron and Best Costume Design for Deborah Scott. 

For this post I will specifically focus on the dresses worn by the character of Rose.  The film is set in 1912 which was a time when first class women passengers were expected to travel on a transatlantic trip with an extensive wardrobe required because of the multiple changes per day that were needed according to the various social activities on board the ship.  There were traveling dresses or tailored suits worn when arriving at the departure port or disembarking at their destination, dresses worn in the morning when in the stateroom or while walking on deck, afternoon dresses worn for lunch or tea and of course elegant evening dresses worn for the formal dinners held each night in the grand dining room.  Several sets of undergarments would also be needed for dressing, starting with a chemise and bloomers worn under a corset and then a camisole, petticoat and stockings. Numerous accessories were usually needed to coordinate with each outfit and would include coats, shawls, shoes, gloves, hats and jewelry.  In addition, clothes for sleeping and silken robes to be worn when relaxing in the stateroom would complete the items of clothing required for first class women’s travel wardrobe.

Fashion Note:  Several of the beaded evening dresses worn by the character of Rose in the Titanic movie would be a great inspiration for a bridal dress for a formal wedding.  In fact the black beaded dress with the silk coral underskirt was duplicated in white for the final dream/heaven scene at the end of the film.  In addition, some of the less embellished dresses, such as the white chiffon with the pink sash, would be great style for a bride or bridesmaid dress for a spring or summer wedding. 

TAILORED SUIT

When arriving at a port to embark on an ocean voyage first class woman passengers would often wear their best tailored suit, these type of outfits were also a sensible choice for strolling on board the ship while in the colder climate of the North Atlantic.  A tailored suit, sometimes known as a traveling or walking suit, consisted of a straight “hobble” skirt that tapered to a narrow opening at the ankles thereby restricting movement. Matching jackets would extend over the hips and were often cut asymmetrical to further the illusion of length. White blouse were most often worn underneath, pin tucks or ruffles were sometimes added a feminine element to the severe suit style. 

Rose’s pin-striped traveling suit

In the beginning of the Titanic film a scene shows a women emerging from a car but her face is hidden under a rather large hat.  The dark straw hat features a wide brim with an enormous striped ribbon bow and as she raises her head to look at the towering ship we see that it is Rose.  The pin-striped tailored suit she is wearing features a straight narrow skirt and a matching long jacket with a dark velvet notched lapel accented with a dark belt at the waist, a white blouse with a rounded collar is worn underneath with a black tie; Rose completes her traveling ensemble by wearing sensible shoes, white leather gloves and carrying a parasol.

Movie Note: The large brimmed hat with the elaborate embellishment was a popular trend during the early 1900s and in the film this fashion choice really added to the drama of the scene as the character of Rose is revealed for the first time.

DAY DRESSES, SHAWLS AND COATS

While on board ship, the first class women passengers would continue to take extra care when dressing for lunch or tea since it would be another opportunity to show their high status in society and also their wealth by wearing the latest Parisian fashions.  Day dresses were generally made of silk or cotton material and featured long slim skirts that tapered at the ankles and often had long fitted sleeves.  Sometimes, for colder weather, these dresses would be worn with a matching wool jacket or coat for perhaps a beautiful shawl or luxurious fur coat for the older women.  

Movie Note: To visually aid in contrasting the distinction between the upper class and refined Rose and the lower working class Jack, she wears colorful dresses made in fine fabrics featuring lace and embroidery to define her upper class style while he wears drab brown colored trousers and well-worn shirts.   

Rose’s green lace dress

For lunch on the first full day at sea Rose is in the opulent dining room and she is feeling slightly bored by the dull conversation at the table and also confined by the social restrictions demanded by her mother and fiancé.  She abruptly leaves the table and goes to the ship’s upper class deck to clear her head and it is while standing at the railing looking out to sea that Jack sees her for the first time from below on the third class deck, He is intrigued by her beauty and Rose appears very poised and slightly aloof while she notices Jack staring at her. 

In these scenes, for the cooler North Atlantic climate, Rose is wearing a lovely green day dress with sensible long sleeves and an ankle length skirt featuring layers of beautiful lace, a bold wide red sash with a large fabric rose accents her trim waist.

Rose’s blue velvet dress and silk embroidered shawl

After a misunderstanding, Rose once again goes in search of Jack on board the ship to apologize for her behavior.  She finds him at the front of the ship as the sun is beginning to set over the North Atlantic.  To encourage Rose’s newfound feeling of freedom and to share in the pure joy of the moment, Jack has Rose climb the railing at the bow of the ship to let her experience the unique feeling of seemingly soaring over ocean.  This scene filmed with the background of the dramatic twilight lighting has become one of the most memorable and romantic of the movie.

For this iconic scene Rose is wearing a beautiful blue velvet dress with an ankle length skirt, long sleeves and lace detail at the bodice, worn over the dress is an ivory silk fringed shawl.  The color of the dress is a lovely contrast against her pale porcelain white skin and her stunning red hair. 

Rose’s white chiffon, pink sash dress and pink coat

After a scandalous rendezvous in Rose’s stateroom where Jack sketches her posing nude while wearing the extravagant “heart of the ocean” necklace (more on that piece of jewelry at the end of this post!) the couple is discovered and escape running into the various lower portions of the ship until they emerge onto the deck just in time to see the ship collide with an iceberg.  Rose and Jack return to the stateroom to inform her mother that the ship is sinking and the passengers are being evacuated.  Meanwhile her fiancé, after learning that Rose and Jack are now romantically involved, in a jealous rage unjustly accuses Jack of stealing the “heart of the ocean” necklace.  Throughout their remaining hours on board the sinking Titanic Rose and Jack are separated numerous times and they struggle to remain together until the ship goes down in the frigid waters of the north Atlantic Ocean.

In these final scenes of the film Rose is wearing an ethereal multi-layered white silk chiffon dress accented with shades of lavender layered across the bodice, light and darker pink silk sashes are draped around the high waist, tied and cascade down the back of the dress.  Then, as the passengers prepare to board the lifeboats, Rose is seen wearing a full length coat over her white dress as protection from the cold.  The coat is made of pink wool which is lined in matching pink silk and features black silk braiding at the collar and cuffs.  Rose eventually takes off the coat as the water begins to flood the ship as she searches for Jack.  When the couple is reunited and they return on deck Jack has gallantly gives Rose his long dark coat (more on the importance of the coat later in this post!)   

Movie Note:  Much like the fashion choice used in the film with the dramatic reveal of Rose hidden by the large hat, the dress she wears during these final scenes of the sinking of the Titanic was probably used to convey a subtle meaning.  At this point in the story Rose has rejected the social restrictions set by her mother and fiancé and must importantly she feels happiness in her love for Jack.  The white chiffon dress was an important choice because it appears so much lighter in style without the heavy embellishments of Rose’s other dresses worn earlier in the film and this helps to convey the change in her newfound feeling of freedom.   

EVENING DRESSES

During the long Victorian Era (1837 to 1901) women’s fashions were more modest in style with high collars and long sleeves, full skirts worn with several layers of heavy petticoats or crinoline and waistlines pulled in with uncomfortable corsets to achieve the desired hourglass silhouette.  Then, during the shorter period of time known as the Edwardian Era (1901 to 1910) the style of women’s fashions became more relaxed with narrower skirts worn with a single petticoat and less restricting corsets to create a long and slim silhouette.  The elegant evening dresses were more daring with lower necklines and shorter sleeves, these dresses were made with luxurious rich fabric such as silk and embellished with heavy beading and netting.   

Rose’s black and red evening dress

In a dramatic scene when a distraught Rose is holding onto the railing of the Titanic and contemplating jumping, Jack gallantly saves her and this is the moment when they first meet and their love story begins.

In this scene Rose is wearing a stunning black and red evening dress that features a narrow skirt, high waist and cap sleeves.  The dress is made of a rich red satin material with an overlay of black tulle netting that is embellished with embroidery and beading.

Rose’s black and deep coral evening dress

After the ordeal of Rose almost jumping, Jack receives an invitation to dine in the upper class section of the ship as a thank you for his rescuing her.  Jack is loaned a formal tuxedo since his lower class clothing would not be acceptable in the opulent dining room where the tables were set with crisp white linens, bone china, crystal glassware and numerous silverware. Later Rose and Jack join a festive and very lively party below deck in the lower class section of the ship

For these scenes Rose is wearing another beautiful evening dress.  The dress is made of a lovely deep coral taffeta with overlapping layers of black netting that is heavily embroidered and beaded. To complement her ensemble Rose is wearing long white gloves, a diamond necklace and earrings, her long red hair is worn in a loose bun and intertwined within her curls are long strands of beading to match the dress.     

Rose’s white beaded evening dress

In the final scene of the movie, in a heavenly dream we see the young Rose being reunited with Jack back on board the Titanic.  As the camera moves around the area of the grand staircase the couple is surrounded by a crowd of people, including the ship’s captain, the crew and several passengers who had all perished when the ship sank in 1912.

For this scene Rose is wearing a duplicate of the black and coral evening gown but this version is made of white taffeta and white beading, her hair is worn in loose curls.    

JEWLERY

Rose’s enameled butterfly hair comb

When watching a report on the artifacts that are discovered among the wreckage of the RMS Titanic, an elderly Rose is shocked when she sees Jack’s sketch of her that was done so many years ago and she makes arrangements to be flown out to the research ship.  As she looks at the items retrieved from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean she picks up a lovely enameled butterfly hair comb that she had worn during her time on the Titanic … and the memories start to come back to her and she begins to tell the story on what happened on that fateful maiden voyage.

Rose can be seen wearing the butterfly hair comb in the iconic romantic scene when she is at the bow of the Titanic.  The Art Nouveau design of the hair comb was a popular style during the late 19th and early 20th century and frequently featured very artistic designs of all different types of flora and fauna.  In this case the tortoiseshell hair comb had a large butterfly that was probably made in celluloid or glass cabochon in a lovely jade color and then hand finished with enamel detailing.

Movie Note:  There were actually two different butterfly hair combs used in the Titanic film, one is made to look like it was just bought by Rose during a shopping trip to Paris or London while the second one has an aged and worn look because it was supposed have been found in the ship’s wreckage at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

Heart of the Ocean necklace

While on the ship, Cal (Rose’s fiancé) has presented her with a stunning necklace known as the “Heart of the Ocean”. This is the same piece of jewelry that is worn when Rose scandalously asks Jack to sketch her in the nude.  The necklace is also used for a pivotal moment in the story when Cal unjustly accuses Jack of attempting to “steal” the priceless necklace. 

The “Heart of the Ocean” necklace in the Titanic film was inspired by the famous Hope Diamond (for more information, please watch for an upcoming post on this blog).  The necklace in the story was supposed to be a 171 carat heart-shaped Ceylon sapphire surrounded by 103 diamonds and set in platinum.  In fact, the prop necklace was made by Asprey & Garrard and features a large blue cubic zirconia to simulate the sapphire and clear cubic zirconia to simulate the diamonds set in white gold.     

Spoiler Alert: It is later, after Jack has died, and Rose is onboard the rescue ship that she reaches into the pocket of the coat that Jack had graciously given to her to protect her against cold temperature as the Titanic sank in the water of the North Atlantic Ocean.  She is shocked at the discovery but interestingly in all the years following the tragedy she never tells anyone that she has the expensive necklace!

After the success of the Titanic film, the Asprey & Garrard Jewelers created a duplicate Heart of the Ocean necklace which was donated to Sotheby’s auction house for an auction with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund.  This version of the Heart of the Ocean necklace was eventually donated to the Charlestown Shipwreck & Heritage Center (formerly known as the National Shipwreck Museum) located in Charleston, Cornwall in England where it can be currently seen on display.  

Movie Note:  It is the “Heart of the Ocean” necklace that the research crew is trying to find in the wreckage of the RMS Titanic.  In a very controversial scene at the end of the film, the elderly Rose steps onto the railing of the research ship and the “Heart of the Ocean” necklace slips through her hands and falls into the water of the North Atlantic Ocean. 

It is almost the exact spot where the doomed Titanic had hit an iceberg on the night of April 14 and sank within a few hours in the early morning of April 15 while making its first transatlantic voyage from Southampton, England to New York City in 1912.  Sadly, an estimated 1500 of the approximately 2200 passengers and crew died making it one of the worst marine disasters in modern history.