Queen Mary acquired many of the famous jewels that form the
collection of the Royal Family. One of her choker-style emerald and
diamond necklaces has become one of the most iconic pieces in the
jewellery box and it was brought right into the 21st century by the
Princess of Wales.
However, it began life over a century earlier when it became a
favourite piece of Queen Mary. Mary loved jewels and was given some
stunning pieces. This emerald choker is among the sparkling
presents she received.
Prince and Princess of
Wales/ Instagram
It was presented to her as a gift during her visit to India and
Queen Mary, famed for her inventiveness with jewels, turned the
original looser necklace into a choker that sat better in a stack
of gems she liked to wear.
Among the jewels she chose to wear this new choker with were
pieces made with the Cambridge emeralds that came to Mary in a
rather convoluted way. Her grandmother, Augusta, had won the
Cambridge emeralds in a lottery and left them to her own daughter,
Mary Adelaide in her will.
The spectacular emeralds were then passed on to the future-Queen
Mary’s brother who then left them to his mistress. The Queen chose
to buy the emeralds back for £10,000 in 1910. In 1911, Queen
Mary had Garrard use the emeralds in several different pieces. The
famous choker, however, was made with emeralds given to her in
India.
It began life as a necklace but, in 1927, Queen Mary asked
Garrard to redesign the necklace into the fashionable Art Deco
style preferred in the 1920s.
BBC still/ fair
use
Queen Mary left the choker to her own granddaughter, Queen
Elizabeth II, who was never seen wearing it in public. She gave it
to her daughter-in-law, Diana, on her marriage in 1981. Diana,
Princess of Wales wore the choker often. However, Diana, ever a
creative dresser, chose to wear the choker as a headband one
occasion. In 1984, while in Australia she wore it as a bandeau
across the forehead, leading to one of the most iconic modern royal
photos.
The choker returned to the Royal Family on Diana’s death in
1997. It wasn’t worn for over 20 years but in 2022, the new
Princess of Wales wore it for a major event. Catherine chose it for
the green carpet at the Earthshot Awards held in the US. She paired
it with a rented dress, to match the sustainability theme of the
evening.
The choker remains one of the most famous pieces of royal
jewellery in the world.