Queen's Jewels

by Leslie Field

Here is the first definitive account of the priceless jewels owned by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II to be published with the full cooperation of Buckingham Palace. It includes stories and pictures of jewelry as worn by members of the royal family for over 400 years. Author Leslie Field, former fashion editor of The Sunday Times (London) and former editor of The Tatler, pored over little-known memoirs, photographs, and documents from the Royal Archives to write her lively and anecdotal text. Nearly 300 photographs capture the beauty and radiance of the jewels themselves and offer revealing glimpses into the lives of the world's most famous royal family.

Genres: Royalty, History, Nonfiction, Jewellery, Gemstones, British Literature, Fashion

192 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1987

Reviews

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining and jaw dropping read. Of course the jewels covered are only ones that have been in the public eye and it is common knowledge that many pieces are gifted to the Queen and her family by foreign heads of state (read Middle Eastern Kingdoms) over the last 50 years, the items that would have been extracted shall we say, from India and Pakistan could be considerable as well.

My favorite is on page 73 with the exact size of the Cullinan diamond brooch (the two diamonds that make up the item are probably about 2 1/2 and 1 1/2 inches long! Unbelievable that a diamond can be that huge. No wonder the Queen has to have her clothing reinforced to carry the weight of the brooch. While in Britain a few years back, there was a display at the Millennium Dome / O2 Arena a 10+ carat diamond that I thought was huge--- these pieces of the Queen's were almost 94.4 metric carats and close to 63.6 metric carats. And these are the smaller of the largest four cuts! Astounding.

[Donnie Loftus · Rating 5 out of 5]

As i understand it the author spent years on this book with help from the palace. She would send what she had written, they would send simple messages back, "wrong" etc. Alot of time spent getting the dates correct. All of the pieces we are told are the personal collection of the Queen, not state pieces

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating look at a lifestyle unattainable to the vast majority. The pictures were wonderful.
The family tree used as endpapers was very interesting. One of the ancestors was Charlotte and she had 15 children. The first at 18 and the last at 38. Talk about continual pregnancy. She was pregnant or recovering from birth virtually her entire adult life. For 20 years.

[Thena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative, but you have to remember that this book was written in the '80s and parts of it have been disproven.

[Susan OBrien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting history of the Crown jewels and personal jewelry of Elizabeth II

[Elizabeth Boyde · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love jewels and jewelry.

So you can imagine how fascinating I find this book. Filled with precise descriptions of most pieces and the history/background of the stones or item, and with lots of photos of various royal women wearing the same piece of jewelry, it's coffee-table size but not near so heavy. It's amazing how styles have changed so; what the current Queen wears is at least recognizable (whether we think it attractive or not lol), but to look at royals from the late Victorian era/turn of the 20th century and realize that women aspired to dress like this!



Queen Alexandra and her sister Empress Marie of Russia

(Of course I also feel like that when I look at the runway shots of the latest fashion show....)






Is it just me, or does the model walking away look like she's had an unfortunate accident?

I love reading the history of the different stones, especially of the Koh-i-noor, but even that so-and-so got this from her parents for her 18th birthday, or for her debut. I really liked it when someone received it from the Queen for such-and-such reason; how fun to think that the leader of the nation took thought for what you might like to have ....

A quibble: I do wish the author could have included more shots of just the jewelry. Some of the pictures were so small you can barely see the piece. Most especially with Queen Alexandra. While she did embody the idea of 'dripping with jewels', it's difficult to tell where one piece begins and another leaves off.



Alexandra at her Coronation as Queen Consort - 1902

I'm so glad that Queen Elizabeth II has learned the beauty of 'less is more'!



The Queen in full Coronation Regalia - 1953

[Sawy-o · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because who doesn't like to ogle at the queen's jewelry and hear about the important galas she wore them to? And for that matter learn about the thought process that goes into when to wear each one? This book has the advantage of being older so things are even more retro-tastic. Voyeurism for those among us that don't like to wear big flashy jewelry.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating! It took much longer to read than it ought, because I couldn't stop staring at the plentiful photos of the jewels. I also found the geneaology in the frontispiece very useful; I now have a much clearer understanding of the relationships (and interrelationships) among the members of the Royal Families throughout Europe. Highley recommended!

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this marvelous collection of some of the jewels of Elizabeth II. It is interesting how the royal family has reused gems in updating jewelry. You can gain good ideas in designing your own jewelry. LOVE this book.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the history of how the jewels went from person to person. And the great photos and paintings showing the jewels being worn by their various owners.