Here's a birthstone riddle for the month of August: What do the world's largest faceted peridot and the Brooklyn Bridge have in common?



If you're stumped, a little background may help...

About the Peridot
The 311-carat faceted peridot (shown in the grouping, above) is currently part of the Smithsonian's National Gem Collection in Washington, DC, but originated on Egypt's Saint John's Island in the Red Sea.

As early as 1500 B.C., ancient Egyptians mined peridot on that same island (then known as Topazios) and anointed the vibrant green stone as the “gem of the sun.”

Legend has it that miners on the island worked day and night to collect the green gems for the Pharaoh. Nighttime mining was possible because of the way the gems reacted to lamp light in the darkness. It is also believed that many, if not all, of Cleopatra's emeralds were actually deep green peridot stones from the Topazios mines.

While nearly all of the peridot that you see in your jeweler’s showcase was born deep within the Earth’s mantel, it's also first gem to be discovered on another planet. The Mars landing of 2003 revealed that green peridot crystals — in the form of the gem’s less-precious cousin, olivine — cover about 19,000 square miles of the Red Planet’s surface.



About the Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge was one of the most impressive engineering feats of the 19th century. Designed by John A. Roebling, the world's largest suspension bride at that time would span 1,595.5 feet, linking Brooklyn and Manhattan. The 14-year project was started in 1869, the same year Roebling would pass away at the age of 63.

Roebling's son, Washington, supervised the construction of his dad's vision, with the assistance of his wife, Emily. On May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was unveiled to the world during a celebration attended by President Chester A. Arthur, Gov. Grover Cleveland of New York and hundreds of thousands of curious onlookers. Circus promoter P.T. Barnum famously displayed the strength of the bridge by leading 21 elephants across it.

What's in Common?
What few people know about Washington Roebling was that the world famous civil engineer was an avid collector of rocks and minerals. Upon his death in 1926, Roebling's collection of 16,000 specimens and an endowment of $150,000 for its maintenance were donated by his son, John A. Roebling II, to the Smithsonian Institution. The collection, which included the world's largest faceted peridot, would became an integral part of the National Gem Collection.

So, what connects the famous peridot with the famous bridge? Washington Roebling.

Credits: Image of peridot grouping by Chip Clark/Smithsonian. Brooklyn Bridge by Suiseiseki / CC BY-SA.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you fun songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, country star Cody Johnson's hands are shaking like a canebrake rattler as he pops the question in his 2011 release, "Diamond In My Pocket."



In the song, Johnson portrays a young man who realizes, despite his anxiety, that there will never be a better time to make the ultimate commitment to the love of his life. He can't afford to take her to a Broadway play, so he opts for a midnight ride to Kickapoo Creek, where the crickets are singing to the radio. With a shooting star flashing across the sky, Johnson lays it all on the line.

He sings, "Cause baby, there's a shooting star, / That was for me and you. / So, hold me tight, and make that wish, and pray that it comes true. / I ain't sure of much, / But this I know... / I got a diamond in my pocket and my baby's got a heart of gold."

Written by Johnson, Trent Wayne Willmon and Thomas Daniel Green, "Diamond In My Pocket" appeared as the third track on Johnson's self-released album, A Different Day.

Johnson is credited with six self-released albums, the last of which made its debut at #2 on the Billboard U.S. Country Albums chart without the benefit of major label support or widespread radio play. His seventh album, Ain't Nothin' to It, was released via Warner Bros. Records Nashville and reached #1 on the Billboard U.S. Country Albums chart.

The 33-year-old country star's road to success was hardly paved with gold. Born in Sebastopol, Texas, Johnson discovered his passion for music as a pre-teen and started writing songs in junior high school. In 2006, at the age of 19, he formed the Cody Johnson Band with his dad, Carl, and drummer Nathan Reedy. The group played the rodeo circuit and sold albums out of the back of Johnson's pickup truck.

The struggling artist worked as a corrections officer in Huntsville, Texas, but his wife, Brandi, encouraged him to pursue his dream and record full time. In 2011, Johnson got a big break when he won the Texas Regional Music Award for New Male Vocalist of the Year. That accomplishment landed him better gigs at larger venues. He became the first unsigned independent artist to play to a sold-out crowd at the 74,177-seat Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Please check out the video of Johnson's live performance of "Diamond In My Pocket" at the Troubadour music room in Dallas. The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"Diamond In My Pocket"
Written by Trent Wayne Willmon, Thomas Daniel Green and Cody Daniel Johnson. Performed by Cody Johnson.

Saturday night and the moon is out
Just shinin' over top of the pines
I'm headin' on down to my baby's house
Gonna take her on a midnight ride
Down those backroads winding down to Kickapoo Creek
Dancin' and singin' to some good ol' boys like me

Baby, there's a shooting star,
That was for me and you.
So, hold me tight, and make that wish, and pray that it comes true.
I ain't sure of much,
But this I know...
I got a diamond in my pocket and my baby's got a heart of gold.

I brought along a little courage and Coleman cooler just to help me out
My hands are shaking like canebrake rattler,
Nothing's gonna save me now
Might as well jump in head first, lay it all on the line
What am I worrying about never gonna be a more perfect time

Cause baby, there's a shooting star,
That was for me and you.
So, hold me tight, and make that wish, and pray that it comes true.
I ain't sure of much,
But this I know...
I got a diamond in my pocket and my baby's got a heart of gold.

Well I didn't have money for a Broadway show but the crickets are singing to the radio.
And we got tickets, on the very front porch.

Baby, there's a shooting star,
That was for me and you.
So, hold me tight, and make that wish, and pray that it comes true.
I ain't sure of much,
But this I know...
Well, I got a diamond in my pocket and my baby's got a heart of gold.

I got a diamond in my pocket and my baby's got a heart of gold.
Yeah, my baby's got a heart of gold.


Credit: Screen capture via YouTube.com.

Today's virtual tour of the Smithsonian’s National Gem Collection delivers an up-close-and-personal look at the incomparable “Carmen Lúcia Ruby.” The 23.10-carat specimen has the distinction of being the largest faceted ruby in the collection and one of the finest Burmese rubies ever known.



Exhibiting a richly saturated red color known as “pigeon’s blood,” the Carmen Lúcia Ruby generated a wave of excitement when it arrived at the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals back in 2004. At the time, curator Jeffrey Post called the gem “the most important addition to the collection in the 20 years that I’ve been here.”

Until this past spring, it would have been easy for visitors to see the Carmen Lúcia Ruby. But with all the Smithsonian museums in Washington, DC, remaining temporarily closed to support the effort to contain the spread of COVID-19, we’ve been presenting these virtual tours.

Previous stops on the tour have included the “Chalk Emerald,“ “Gifts from Napoleon,“ “Stars and Cat’s Eyes,“ the “Logan Sapphire,“ the “Dom Pedro“ aquamarine, the “Steamboat“ tourmaline and a collection of enormous topaz.



Here’s how to navigate to the exhibit called “Rubies and Sapphire.” The first item in the ruby case is the Carmen Lúcia.

— First, click on this link… The resulting page will be a gallery called “Geology, Gems & Minerals: Precious Gems 1.”

— Next, click the double-right-arrow once to navigate to the gallery called “Geology, Gems & Minerals: Precious Gems 2.”

When you arrive, the center-left of the screen will be filled with a topaz exhibit.

– Click and drag the screen 90 degrees so you can view the wall of cases to the right.

– Touch the Plus Sign to zoom into the exhibit titled "Rubies and Sapphires."

(You may touch the “X” to remove the map. This will give you a better view of the jewelry. You may restore the map by clicking the “Second” floor navigation on the top-right of the screen.)

The panel between the ruby and sapphire cases explains that they are both gem varieties of the mineral corundum.

"Colorless in its pure state, corundum rarely has sufficient clarity or richness of color to be a gemstone," the display states. "When it does, the difference between a ruby and a sapphire is just a tiny bit of impurity. Rubies are, by definition, red. The color results from light interacting with a few atoms of chromium trapped as the crystals grew. Ruby is the July birthstone. Sapphires are corundum crystals in all colors but red. Best known are the blue varieties, tinted by iron and titanium impurities. Sapphire is the September birthstone."

The Carmen Lúcia Ruby is named for Carmen Lúcia Buck, the beloved wife of Dr. Peter Buck, who donated the ring to the Smithsonian after her passing in 2003. Carmen had been undergoing cancer treatments in 2002 and had heard rumors that the magnificent ruby might be coming on the market after being in private hands for decades. Carmen had hoped to purchase the ring to celebrate her recovery. Sadly, she would never wear it.

Knowing how much she admired the ring, Peter Buck, decided to provide the Smithsonian with the funds to purchase it and put it permanently on display. The Carmen Lúcia Ruby would be a gift to the American people and a testament to his everlasting love.

“So it seemed like a really appropriate thing to do, to give it to the nation so people could come and see it,” he told The New York Times in 2004. “She would have really liked that people could see it and know it was the Carmen Lúcia Ruby, and that it wasn’t locked away in a vault somewhere.”

The oval stone was sourced in the fabled Mogok region of Burma in the 1930s. While sapphire, emerald and diamond gems weighing hundreds of carats exist, high-quality Burmese rubies larger than 20 carats are extraordinarily rare.

A nuclear physicist by trade, Peter Buck is famous for making one of the most brilliant investments in U.S. history. In 1965, at the age of 35, Buck loaned $1,000 to his family friend, Fred DeLuca, so he could open a sandwich shop. That shop was intended to help the 18-year-old DeLuca pay for college at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. DeLuca honored his benefactor by naming the shop “Pete’s Super Submarines.” That single store has since grown into the Subway sandwich chain, with 44,758 restaurants in more than 100 countries.

Credits: Photo by Chip Clark / Smithsonian; Screen capture via naturalhistory2.si.edu.

In a move that promises to fundamentally change the way diamonds are graded for clarity, the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) has joined forces with tech giant IBM to add artificial intelligence (AI) to the process.



GIA, the world’s leading independent diamond identification and grading authority, and IBM Research, one of the world’s largest and most influential corporate research labs, are developing an advanced AI system built on the standards of GIA’s universally recognized International Diamond Grading System™. The artificial intelligence is fueled by data from tens of millions of diamonds examined by GIA’s expert diamond graders in the Institute’s state-of-the-art grading laboratories around the world.

The example, above, shows how an image captured using GIA-developed hardware trains IBM Research’s artificial intelligence software to recognize inclusions and reflections. In the computer rendering, the AI system has correctly identified the clarity characteristics, enabling the AI system to assign a clarity grade.

“GIA is uniquely positioned to leverage AI and set a new bar in diamond grading standards,” said Tom Moses, GIA executive vice president and chief laboratory and research officer. “IBM’s AI technology combined with GIA’s expertise, extensive data and gemological research capabilities enables us to deliver advancements in consistency, accuracy and speed unlike any other organization.”

The proprietary system, which is now in limited use in the Institute’s New York and Carlsbad laboratories, will dramatically expand the reach of GIA’s independent diamond grading reports. Initially concentrating on the most popular diamond sizes, GIA will scale the AI system to bring accurate and efficient diamond grading to more diamond sizes, shapes and qualities.

“Adding AI to our grading methodology reflects GIA’s commitment to protecting consumers in new ways,” said Pritesh Patel, GIA’s senior vice president and chief operating officer, who leads the Institute’s digital transformation effort. “We are proud to be the first to collaborate with IBM to bring this innovative approach to the gem and jewelry industry, especially as we prepare to adapt to the accelerated changes we know are coming. This is just the beginning.”

“This newest application of IBM Research’s AI technology for the diamond industry combines GIA’s deep gemological knowledge and data with IBM’s leadership in AI innovation,” said Donna Dillenberger, IBM Fellow, Enterprise Solutions at IBM Research. “This system has the ability to accurately and consistently evaluate the overall effect of diamond clarity features like never before.”

Plans are in development to expand the collaboration between GIA and IBM for future projects combining gemological evaluation and AI.

Credits: Images © GIA.

The emerald-and-diamond engagement ring that billionaire business tycoon Howard Hughes gave to Hollywood legend Katharine Hepburn in 1938 was recently purchased for $108,000 at Los Angeles auction house Profiles in History. The anonymous buyer's winning bid exceeded the presale high estimate by $78,000.



Hughes and Hepburn never married, but the couple's 18-month romance was chronicled in the 2004 film, The Aviator, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Cate Blanchett.



According to the Profiles in History auction catalog, the ring features a 2.67-carat rectangular step-cut emerald flanked by four diamonds — two near colorless emerald-cut stones weighing approximately 1.20 carats and two near colorless epaulet-cut diamonds weighing approximately 0.70 carats. Epaulet-cut gems have five sides and resemble a shield.

The platinum ring is stamped with the symbol, "B & Co.," which represents Brock & Co., a Los Angeles-based jeweler catering to the Hollywood set, according to Profiles in History.

Overall, the sale of Hughes memorabilia grossed $1.4 million and included the magnate's iconic fedora ($51,200) and the two-tone jacket ($89,600) he wore while piloting his ill-fated Spruce Goose flying boat. Also included in the sale were 55 handwritten notes, cards and love letters penned by Hepburn using her pet names, "Country Mouse", "C. Mouse," "Mrs. H.R. Countrymouse," "Mrs. Boss" and "H. Muskrat." Hepburn's writings sold for $44,800.

Hughes and Hepburn had been introduced to each other by Cary Grant during the production of Sylvia Scarlett in 1935.

During the 1920s and early 1930s, Hughes gained worldwide fame by producing big-budget Hollywood films. In the 1930s and 1940s, he turned his attention to aeronautics as he formed Hughes Aircraft Company and set multiple world air speed records.

In his later years, Hughes confided to associates that the biggest mistake he ever made in his life was not being able to convince Hepburn to marry him. He passed away in 1976 at the age of 70. Hepburn lived to the age of 96 and passed away in 2003.

The extensive collection of Hughes memorabilia had been assembled by the late Vernon C. Olson, who was the billionaire's private accountant. When Olson passed away in 2012, he left the collection to his daughter, Mindy.

Credits: Jewelry images via profilesinhistory.com; Howard Hughes photo by Acme Newspictures / Public domain. Katharine Hepburn photo by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio (work for hire) / Public domain.

This past Thursday, songstress Demi Lovato thrilled her 88.9 million Instagram followers with romantic pics of her Malibu engagement to actor Max Ehrich, who proposed with a massive emerald-cut diamond ring.



Jewelry-industry insiders told various celebrity websites that the center stone appeared to be 8 to 10 carats with a value of $500,000 or more, depending on the color, cut and clarity of the stone.



The center stone is set with double-claw prongs in white metal (likely platinum) and is flanked by two trapezoid-shaped diamonds, adding approximately 2 carats to the total weight of the ring.

Eonline.com reported that the ring was designed by Beverly Hills-based Peter Marco using the center stone from an heirloom necklace.

Lovato and Ehrich shared of series of pics on their respective Instagram pages.

The “Skyscraper” singer wrote, "@maxehrich - I knew I loved you the moment I met you. It was something I can’t describe to anyone who hasn’t experienced it firsthand but luckily you did too. I’ve never felt so unconditionally loved by someone in my life (other than my parents) flaws and all. You never pressure me to be anything other than myself. And you make me want to be the best version of myself. I’m honored to accept your hand in marriage. I love you more than a caption could express but I’m ecstatic to start a family and life with you. I love you forever my baby. My partner. Here’s to our future!!!!

Lovato, 27, also gave a shoutout to photographer Angelo Kritikos, who hid behind boulders to capture the romantic, beachside proposal.



Ehrich's caption read, "Ahhhh. You are every love song, every film, every lyric, every poem, everything I could ever dream of and then some in a partner in life. Words cannot express how infinitely in love with you I am forever and always and then some. I cannot spend another second of my time here on Earth without the miracle of having you as my wife. here’s to forever baby. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

The former Young and the Restless actor, 29, punctuated the post with an engagement ring emoji.

The couple's engagement comes less than four months after People magazine revealed they were dating.

Us magazine reported that the surge in popularity of emerald-cut diamonds is attributed to the way the elongated shape flatters the wearer's finger. The shape has been favored by Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Lawrence, Nikki Bella and Alex Guarnashelli, to name a few.

Credits: Images via Instagram/ddlovato; Instagram.com/maxehrich.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you new tunes with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Netherlands-born Danny Vera extols the virtues of hard work in his 2019 international release, "Pressure Makes Diamonds."



The song's basic theme draws on the fact that pure carbon can become a diamond when the element is subjected to high temperatures and extreme pressure deep within the Earth. In the song, "pressure makes diamonds" becomes a metaphor for how success can only be achieved by learning from our mistakes and powering through obstacles.

He sings, "Pressure makes diamonds, not silver or gold / It breaks to pieces the hardest of stone / And it shines brighter than the stars that you know / Pressure makes diamonds and hard work pays off."

Later in the song, the 43-year-old singer-songwriter-musician gives a nod to the labor-intensive diamond-cutting process when making his case for having a strong work ethic: "You have to sharpen the edges, smoothen the surface / It’ll take you some time ’cause it’s rough and it’s tough."

Written by Vera under his birth name, Danny Polfliet, "Pressure Makes Diamonds" is the ninth track of Vera's 2019 album, Pressure Makes Diamonds 1&2.

Although he was born and raised in the southern Dutch province of Zeeland, Vera's musical style was heavily influenced by Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Chris Isaak and his idol, Elvis Presley. In The Netherlands, Vera's genre is considered "Americana" — a mix of country, rock, folk, bluegrass and blues.

Vera formed his first band in 1999 and earned a record contract with Universal Music in 2002. Vera's career got a big boost in 2009, when he and his band landed a running gig on Holland's popular sports talk show, Voetbal Inside.

Please check out the video of Vera's live performance of "Pressure Makes Diamonds." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"Pressure Makes Diamonds"
Written by Danny Polfliet. Performed by Danny Vera.

Pressure makes diamonds, not silver or gold
It breaks to pieces the hardest of stone
And it shines brighter than the stars that you know
Pressure makes diamonds and hard work pays off

Pressure makes diamonds, no giant can hold
He thought he could carry this world on his own
But even the strongest can’t do it alone
Pressure makes diamonds and hard work pays off

You have to sharpen the edges, smoothen the surface
It’ll take you some time ’cause it’s rough and it’s tough

Then you will find what you’re looking for
They’ll appear like a falling star
Shake off the dirt and let it shine

Pressure makes diamonds, a long heavy road
First the weight on your shoulders, it’s crushing your bones
And then it gets darker than the blackest of coal
Then pressure makes diamonds, ’cause hard work pays off

You have to sharpen the edges, smoothen the surface
It’ll take you some time ’cause it’s rough and it’s tough

Then you will find what you’re looking for
They’ll appear like a falling star
Shake off the dirt and let it shine

Pressure makes diamonds, not silver or gold
It breaks to pieces the hardest of stone
And it shines brighter than the stars that you know
Pressure makes diamonds and hard work pays off
Pressure makes diamonds and hard work pays off


Credit: Image by Paul Luberti / CC BY.

Princess Beatrice, the newest Royal Family bride, bucked nearly 100 years of tradition by choosing an ornate platinum-and-diamond wedding band instead of a simple band of Welsh gold.



Since the Queen Mother’s nuptials in 1923, royal wedding bands have been crafted of pure Welsh gold, sourced at the Clogau mine in Bontddu. The mine dates back to the Bronze Age, and commercial mining began there in the mid-1880s. The mine was closed in the 1990s, but Queen Elizabeth II had received a kilogram of the rare gold for her 60th birthday in 1986. The Queen’s reserves have been the source of royal wedding bands ever since.

Princess Eugenie, Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton each received a Welsh gold band as they took their vows.



Princess Beatrice, who tied the knot with real estate developer Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi during a private ceremony on Friday, preferred a platinum wedding band that complements her engagement ring.

Designed by British jeweler Shaun Leane, the handcrafted, diamond-adorned wedding band fits perfectly to the shape of the engagement ring so the two rings sit seamlessly together.

Leane described the engagement ring as a "fusion of Victorian and Art Deco designs," and revealed that the piece "is filled with personal and sentimental signifiers for the couple and unique to them."

On his Instagram page, Leane explained how he and Mozzi collaborated on the design.

“The bespoke experience was a beautiful journey; from imagining the design with Edoardo to the crafting of the finished rings," he wrote. "Being able to incorporate both Edoardo and Princess Beatrice’s characters into the design has resulted in a unique ring that represents their love and lives entwining.”

Even though Princess Beatrice pushed back on the Welsh gold tradition, she fully embraced the opportunity to don the same wedding tiara her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, wore on her wedding day in 1947.

The Queen Mary Fringe Tiara was originally crafted in 1919 for Elizabeth’s grandmother, Queen Mary, by royal jewelers Garrard and Co. The diamonds set upon the 47 vertical bars of the tiara were harvested from diamond necklaces given by Queen Victoria to Mary on the occasion of her wedding in 1893.



Back in May of 2018, an estimated three billion people worldwide tuned into see American Meghan Markle tie the knot with Prince Harry of Wales. In the photo, above, you can see the Prince placing a Welsh gold band on his bride's finger.

Credits: Platinum bridal jewelry image courtesy of Shaun Leane; Princess Beatrice wedding photo by Benjamin Wheeler / Handout. Megan Markle screen capture via YouTube.com/BBC.

When Doug Faucher pulled a men's wedding band from the sand near Cato's Bridge in Jupiter, FL, he was determined to use the power of social media to solve the mystery and right the wrong.



"Marriage is sacred and I’m sure the rightful owner was devastated when [he] lost this wedding ring," the Tequesta, FL, resident wrote on Facebook.

Interestingly, the Good Samaritan didn't hesitate to post photos of the white gold ring even though it wasn't inscribed and had no other unusual markings. The way Faucher was able to verify the owner was the same way Prince Charming was able to match the glass slipper with Cinderella. It was all about the fit.



It was late June when Faucher turned to Facebook to implore his friends from Jupiter and Tequesta to share his post until the owner could be found.

Along with three photos of the rings, Faucher offered details of how he was "chillin in lap deep water" south of Cato's Bridge in a spot the locals call "Sand Mountain."

He also told the Palm Beach CBS affiliate, CBS12, that he had been sitting in the water with his hands in the sand.

"Next thing I knew, I found the ring,” Faucher said. “I free dive a lot in the local area. Sometimes I find a $10 bill or a $20 bill that might have fallen out of a surfer’s pocket, but nothing of this significance.”

About three weeks later, one of the 500-plus shared posts found its way to Jason Baxter, a resident of Palm Beach Gardens, who had accidentally dropped his ring in the water while on a boat outing. That was three years ago.

“I got a post from Jason and Jason said, ‘Hey, I think that’s my ring. Then he also attached two photographs with it. One photograph was when he was signing his marriage certificate,” Faucher said. “You can really see how the ring looked and obviously it was a perfect match.”

More importantly, Faucher needed to confirm Baxter's very unusual ring size.

(A well known online jeweler claims the most commonly purchased men's rings range between size 8 and 10.5, with size 9 being the most popular. Other sources report that their most popular men's ring size is 10.)

Faucher knew he had his man “because it’s a very large ring and Jason has a size 13 finger,” Faucher told CBS12. “He was so excited and I can’t wait to get the ring to him.”

The TV station reported that life has changed dramatically for Baxter since his lost his wedding ring three years ago. He's now a father of three, including newborn twins.

“Never in a million years did I ever think I would see this ring again,” he told CBS12.

“It shows a lot about his character, that he would take the time and the effort to try to find the owner," Baxter continued. "I’m sure he was thinking it’s a one in a million shot that he would find me, and he did. Again, it shows a lot about Doug’s character and the kind of person he is and I’m very thankful.”

Credits: Images via facebook.com/douglas.faucher.77.

Princess Beatrice wore a very special diamond tiara as she exchanged wedding vows with Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi during an understated, private ceremony at The Royal Chapel of All Saints on Friday. Famously known as the Queen Mary Fringe Tiara, the headdress is the same one worn by Beatrice's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, on her wedding day in 1947.



The 94-year-old monarch is reportedly extremely close with her 31-year-old granddaughter and wanted her to wear what is arguably the most sentimental piece in her vast jewelry collection.



The treasured heirloom was originally crafted in 1919 for Elizabeth's grandmother, Queen Mary, by royal jewelers Garrard and Co. The diamonds adorning the 47 vertical bars of the tiara were harvested from diamond necklaces given by Queen Victoria to Mary on the occasion of her wedding in 1893.



While Princess Beatrice wore the Queen Mary Fringe Tiara with no incidents on Friday, the same piece was nearly a "no show" at Queen Elizabeth's wedding 73 years earlier. In 1947, as the 21-year-old bride-to-be was getting ready at Buckingham Palace before leaving for Westminster Abbey, a hair stylist accidentally snapped the frame of the tiara.

Fortunately, a jeweler from Garrard and Co. was standing by in case of an emergency. Legend has it that the jeweler was rushed back to his workshop via police escort. There, he quickly mended the tiara and returned it to Westminster Abbey just before the ceremony.

During the Queen's long reign, she has generously lent tiaras from her collection to the young brides of the royal family.

According to British Vogue, Kate Middleton chose the 1936 Cartier Halo tiara (2011), Meghan Markle favored Queen Mary’s 1932 Diamond Bandeau (2018) and Princess Eugenie selected Boucheron’s 1919 Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara (2018).



Rarely has the Queen Mary Fringe Tiara been seen in public and it was last loaned to Princess Anne for her wedding to Mark Phillips in 1973. In the photo, above, the Queen is wearing the tiara for her official Diamond Jubilee portrait for New Zealand.

Princess Beatrice's wedding celebration was kept low key due to health concerns stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. It was attended by The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh and close family. A much larger ceremony — originally set for May 29 — had been postponed.

Credits: Princess Beatrice photos by Benjamin Wheeler / Handout. Queen Elizabeth photograph taken by Julian Calder for Governor-General of New Zealand / CC BY-SA.