Today is the sixty-fifth anniversary of the accession of Her Majesty The Queen, and has been termed the Sapphire Jubilee.
The only other monarchs to celebrate a Sapphire Jubilee are King Louis XIV of France, who reigned for 72 years (the longest reign in European history); Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, who reigned for very nearly 68 years; Prince Johann II of Lichtenstein, who reigned for 70 years; and the recently-deceased King Bhumibol of Thailand, who reigned for 70 years.
In addition amongst exiled or claimant monarchs there are the King of Romania 1927-30 and since 1940, and Emperor-King Otto of Austria-Hungary for the period 1922-2011.
It is also longer than the claim of King James III and VIII - September 1701 to January 1766
Image: New York Times
On 6 February 2017, Buckingham Palace re-released an official 2014 portrait of The Queen by David Bailey, wearing the sapphire jewellery which she received from her father, the so-called 'George VI Victorian Suite'. It was a wedding gift from her father, George VI to her on her marriage to Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark in 1947.
A
parure is a set of jewellery which normally includes a tiara or diadem;
the parure came to true popularity in the 17th century. According to Encyclopaedia Britannica,
a parure in around 1700 could mean "earrings, brooch, necklace or
clasp, ring and sometimes shoulder brooches or buckles, all set with
diamonds" and its design is invariably adaptable, which allows its many
component pieces to be reset. Without at least three matching pieces,
the suite does not constitute a proper 'parure', and a 'demi-parure' is
instead the correct term for a necklace worn alone, together
with earrings or a bracelet or brooch. The term 'parure' comes from the
French for 'finery' and means 'a set' in the collaborative. The suite of
matching jewellery is intended to be worn as an overall ensemble.
The
'George VI Victorian Suite' is part of The Queen's personal jewellery
collection and originally was a sapphire and diamond necklace and
pendant earrings set. The 'George VI Victorian Suite' is called
Victorian, because the stones date from around 1850. It was purchased by
George VI from Carrington and Co. The set was altered by Garrards in
1952 to shorten the 18 sapphire cluster necklace by four and again in
1959, so that a pendant could be made from the largest sapphire -
however, the suite did not properly become a 'parure' until 1963 when a
sapphire and diamond bracelet and tiara were made to match the other
pieces. The tiara was made from a necklace that had originally belonged
to Princess Louise of Belgium, daughter of King Leopold II of Belgium
and wife of Prince Philip of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
The
Queen also owns the so-called 'Prince Albert Sapphire Brooch', perhaps
better known as the 'Queen Victoria's Wedding Brooch' which was gifted
by Prince Albert to Queen Victoria the day before their wedding
and consisting of a large oblong sapphire surrounded with open-backed
diamonds. Queen Victoria wore the brooch on her wedding day, 10 February
1840 - and continued to wear it often until the Prince's death in 1861.
Queen Victoria willed the brooch as a Crown heirloom, and the brooch
has been worn ever since.
Adapted from a post on the website Royal Central:
The original owner Princess Louise wearing the necklace, the tiara being worn by The Queen and the necklace and earrings given to her by King George VI
Image:the naturalsapphirecomany
and also in a Daily Mail online article The Queen's spectacular tiaras are the heart of her jewellery collection
from last year. They and other pieces are also featured in The 10 Most Amazing Royal Sapphire Tiaras Of All Time
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