Tea at Trianon: The Queen’s Pearls

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Thursday, June 25, 2020

The Queen’s Pearls

From Royal Central:

In addition to the now-iconic double-and triple-strand pearl necklaces The Queen has frequently sported throughout her life as part of an unofficial uniform, she also has at her disposal many pearl pieces (necklaces, brooches, and earrings) that she wears with her outfits. Today, we’re going to look at some of the classic pearl pieces The Queen likes to wear.

The Queen received a demi-parure of pearls and diamonds from the Emir of Qatar during her state visit to the country in 1979 and also included a pair of matching earrings. The pearl and diamond necklace features six strands of pearls offset with smaller diamonds throughout that span two strands and features a large diamond plaque that spans all six strands. (Read more.)