Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue......

So I wake up at 3:00 in the morning to catch my first sight of the Princess Bride and I can hardly contain myself!  No one else in my house has shared my enthusiasm for the event, so I was on my own!  I was just staring to nod off during the opening pomp and circumstance when I was jolted back to reality with the arrival of Kate and her father at Westminster Abbey.  With minimal fanfare, they got out of the beautiful Rolls Royce, her sister helped her with her train, and they headed for the church.

In line with an old Royal tradition Kate Middleton headed down the aisle  with a sprig of the herb myrtle in her bridal bouquet to symbolize lasting love and fertility just like Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria; before her.  She was a raving beauty in her beautiful new wedding gown that was simply exuberating class as she approached her groom, wearing an understated diamond tiara borrowed from Queen herself; who received the tiara as a gift from her mother on her 18^th birthday.  Also in line with Royal tradition, Kate’s gorgeous blue sapphire engagement ring was paired with a royal wedding band made with gold from a mine in Wales, a tradition that began relatively recently with the Queen Mother's wedding in 1923.

It goes without saying while her gown and veil were nothing short of gorgeous,   I would have been overjoyed to see her wearing some of Diana’s pearls.  However, I am not disappointed.  In fact I understand perfectly.  Princess Catherine aka Kate Middleton, has the rest of her life to pay homage to her late mother–in–law, and wear her prized gems whenever she wants to.  All of a sudden, it makes perfect sense to me and I am quite excited for her. Today was her wedding day, the very first day of the rest of her life.  No reason to start it out in the shadow of the former princess who was also so loved by Prince William,  the United Kingdom as well as people from all over the world.  But you can be assured, I will be watching out for sightings of “The Princess and Her Pearls”, as she forges ahead in her new life.  I am certain there will be many of these sightings, because as all pearl lovers know, “the pearl is the queen of gems and the gem of queens”.  Best Wishes to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

The Princess and the Pearl

It is just one week away from the royal wedding and the fashion speculations of what the future Princess Kate will be wearing are in full force! Who is the lucky designer that will make the dress? What will her hair look like; up or down?   But if you ask me, the most important questions is “What or more specifically whose tiara and jewelry will she be wearing?”

If I were her royal stylist, or even the princess herself in my own little fantasy world, I know what my choice would be.  Not only as a tribute to Williams beautiful mother, Diana, but more importantly because they are absolutely stunning, I would opt to wear Diana’s pearl crown, her pearl  choker and her stunning South Sea pearl and diamond earrings.  Just like Princess Diana of Wales, Kate Middleton is the perfect example of a modern-day woman. She is the picture of elegance with an ever present touch of class.  Kate always dresses with style and presents herself with a certain level of class and dignity.  All of these traits just scream “PEARLS” to me. Like Diana,  Kate seems to have old-fashioned values and grace but is confidently still living in the 21^st century.  I would say that William is a lucky man, as Kate will make a wonderful princess.  I am just as certain wearing the pearls belonging to William’s mother would be a welcomed gesture and I think Kate should honor Diana while she sets out to create her own amazing legacy.

I am so excited!  I just can’t wait!

Farewell to a Legendary Pearl Lover

Elizabeth Taylor, the legendary actress famed for her beauty, her jet-set lifestyle, her charitable endeavors and her many marriages died on March 23, at Cedar Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. She was 79 years old.  She will be mourned, not only by her fans from her successful career in motion pictures, but from jewelry lovers around the world; primarily the ones who favor pearls.

In 1969, Richard Burton spent $37,000, narrowly outbidding Prince Alfonso de Bourbon Asturias, to gift his wife,  Elizabeth Taylor with La Peregrina, a stunning pear shaped pearl, for her thirty-seventh birthday. “  Included in the purchase of La Peregrina was the pearl’s interesting history, which is as fascinating as the pearl is rare and beautiful. A slave was set free after finding the pearl in the Gulf of Panama and bringing it to the Spanish court. It was later given to Mary Tudor of England upon her engagement to Spain’s Phillip II in 1554. Later, Queens Margarita and Isabel owned the pearl. Both were immortalized, wearing the pearl, in separate portraits by a famous  sixteenth century painter.  And finally, in the early part of the 1800’s, the famous Bonaparte family owned the pearl.

Elizabeth got her ideas of how she wanted the pearl necklace set from a painting of Mary, Queen of Scots, who was wearing it as a choker. The pearl’s former setting can be seen in publicity shots for Elizabeth’s cameo in the 1969 film, Anne of the Thousand Days, and the new, more elaborate setting in the films Divorce His—Divorce Hers and A Little Night Music.
 

Burton and Taylor had considered writing a book on the fascinating history of the pearl and its owners, but unfortunately they never did. They also considered purchasing a four-hundred year old painting with the pearl adorning Queen Mary—but nothing could match the brilliance and elegance of this amazing gem more than Elizabeth herself.