King Charles recently hosted a special dinner at his Highgrove Estate in Gloucestershire, celebrating the “Slow Food” initiative – a movement founded in Italy in the 1980s that champions sustainability and the joy of good food for all.
Queen Camilla looked stunning in a midnight blue velvet evening gown, accessorised with some familiar jewels, including her late grandmother’s diamond serpent necklace.
However, she wasn’t just paying tribute to her grandmother with her jewellery choices. On her wrist, she wore two bracelets that once belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
Leading diamond experts at UK retailer Steven Stone have taken a closer look at these pieces, revealing all the details behind their timeless beauty.
What do we know about the bracelets?
Acquired from Cartier in the 1920s, the bracelets are part of a stunning set of five, each showcasing the distinctive Art Deco aesthetic. Two are adorned exclusively with diamonds, while the remaining three combine diamonds with vibrant gemstones – one featuring rubies, another sapphires, and the third emeralds.
The five bracelets were Christmas and birthday gifts from the Duke of York to his Duchess, given between 1923 and 1925. After receiving all five bracelets, the Duchess acquired a bandeau mount from Cartier. This allowed her to wear the piece as a bandeau, elegantly assembling three of the five bracelets into a striking headpiece.
While Queen Elizabeth often wore all five stacked elegantly on one wrist, Queen Camilla opted for a more understated approach, wearing just two – the diamond bracelet and the sapphire-and-diamond piece, which perfectly complimented her blue dress.
Which Royals have worn the bracelets?
Queen Camilla has showcased the exquisite bracelets on multiple occasions. On Valentine’s Day 2024, she elegantly paired the diamond-and-emerald piece with a green velvet dress for a reception at Grosvenor House. In December, she accessoriaed a red velvet gown with the diamond-and-ruby bracelet for the Qatari State Banquet.
Though before becoming part of Queen Camilla’s collection, the bracelets belonged to Queen Elizabeth II, who often chose to wear them individually or in pairs. For her final gala appearance in 2019, the late monarch adorned her right wrist with a diamond bracelet alongside the diamond-and-emerald piece.
In 1983, Queen Elizabeth II lent one of the bracelets to the Princess of Wales, for her first tour of Australia, who wore it for a State Dinner in Hobart.
“Queen Camilla often pays tribute to late family members through her choice of jewellery, so it’s no surprise that she has been seen wearing two bracelets that once belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
Perfectly complimenting her midnight blue velvet dress, Her Majesty wore a diamond-set bracelet alongside a sapphire-and-diamond piece. Both acquired from Cartier in the 1920s, the exquisite bracelets embody the timeless elegance of the Art Deco era. Both bracelets are primarily composed of round-cut diamonds, with one featuring occasional rows of three princess-cut sapphires, while the other showcases the same design but with princess-cut diamonds.
Of course, these aren’t the only pieces connecting Queen Camilla to Queen Elizabeth. Her engagement ring features a breathtaking five-carat emerald-cut diamond, elegantly framed by three diamond baguettes that were gifted to the Queen Mother in 1929.”
maxwell stone, creative director, steven stone
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