Saturday Sparkle: The Queen Adelaide Bracelet, 1835

Queen Adelaide
Bracelet
Diamonds, Gold, Enmael, Ivory, Watercolor
1835
"Purchased" by Queen Mary
Presented to Albert, Duke of York,
later King George VI
The Royal Collection

Mary of Teck, as Queen of England, made it a goal to ensure that all pieces of Royal art and jewelry which had someone wandered out of the possession of the Royal Family were returned to the Royal Collection for posterity. She was quite successful at it.


As Queen, Mary had an interest in those Queens and Queen Consorts who had passed before her. I’m sure she was quite thrilled to come across this bracelet made in 1835 which features a portrait of Queen Adelaide, consort of Queen Victoria’s predecessor and uncle, King William IV.

The portrait is watercolor on ivory; set in a Tudor rose diamond brooch. This brooch was later converted into a blue and gold enamel bracelet, decorated with shamrocks, roses and thistles—floral symbols of the Empire.

Theoretically, the bracelet was purchased by Queen Mary from Adolphus, Marquess of Cambridge (her brother's wife), in March 1919. She made a gift of the bracelet to Prince Albert (“Bertie”), Duke of York, later King George VI, who, I’m fairly certain, gave it to his daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth II.