17. Queen Elizabeth’s Cartier Bracelet Bandeau

   In 1923 and 1924, King George VI, whilst still Duke of York, acquired for his wife a set of five identical bracelets: two of which were set with all-diamonds, one with sapphires, and one with rubies and one with emeralds.

   Queen Elizabeth was pictured wearing these bracelets often.[1]

   In 1925, Cartier provided a diamond mount for these bracelets allowing three of them to be worn simultaneously as a bandeau, with one of the coloured-stone bracelets set between the two diamond ones. This image of this bandeau, from the Cartier Archives, can be seen published in Munn’s Tiaras.[2]

   Queen Elizabeth was pictured wearing this bandeau frequently during the early years of her marriage.[3]

   It is likely that these bracelets and the bandeau mount were at some point given by Queen Elizabeth to The Queen, as she is pictured occasionally wearing the bracelets to less formal evening events.[4]

1. Field, The Queen’s Jewels, p. 141
2. Munn, Tiaras, p. 152
3. Ibid. p. 153
4. Field, The Queen’s Jewels, p. 141