The story of the British royal family’s jewellery is one of constant evolution, but perhaps no single figure influenced the collection as profoundly as Queen Mary, From family heirlooms to her own creations and even treasures acquired from distant empires, the jewels of the British royals stand as a testament to her transformative influence.
The Delhi Durbar Parure was Queen Mary’s most impressive suite of jewels. This elaborate set combined her family’s jewels, gifts from Maharajas, and significant diamonds from the Royal Collection.
Born Princess May of Teck, Queen Mary’s family was not wealthy despite her mother being a granddaughter of King George III. Consequently, they possessed few jewelled heirlooms, however the Cambridge Emeralds were a notable exception.
Augusta of Hesse-Kassel (Queen Mary’s grandmother) her husband Prince Adolphus, the Duke of Cambridge and entered a lottery for charity on a stop in Frankfurt and won. Their prize was a box of cabochon emeralds (which according to some may once have belonged to Indian royalty). There are conflicting sources on the exact number of emeralds in the prize, but between 30 and 40 is probably most accurate.
Augusta, a keen patron of fine jewellery, transformed several emeralds into exquisite drop earrings and a pendant necklace. These stunning pieces were later inherited by her daughter, Mary Adelaide, the Duchess of Teck (Queen Mary’s mother). Mary Adelaide occasionally showcased some of these emeralds alongside a stomacher she had acquired from Garrard.
Upon Mary Adelaide’s passing, the Cambridge emeralds were bequeathed to her son, Prince Francis of Teck, affectionately known as Frank. Frank was known for his love of gambling and his affection for Ellen Constance, the Countess of Kilmorey, a former mistress of King Edward VII. In 1910, Frank died unexpectedly, and it was discovered he had controversially left the valuable family emeralds to his married mistress.
Understandably, Frank’s sister, Queen Mary, was far from pleased. To prevent a scandal just before her coronation, she had Frank’s will sealed (a practice that subsequently became standard for royal wills) and was determined to reclaim the emeralds.
Queen Mary ultimately paid the Countess £10,000 for the emeralds, a substantial sum equivalent to roughly £800,000 or more today. And so, the emeralds were returned to the royal collection.
In 1911, The Kings of Great Britain were also the Emperors of India. King George V and Queen Mary travelled to India to become the first to be crowned there. However, they needed a new set of crown jewels to take with them because by law the British Crown Jewels cannot leave the UK. This gave Mary the opportunity to commission a new suite of jewels that incorporated her family’s emeralds into a grand royal parure.
