Precious Time: Queen Victoria's Rock Crystal, Diamond and Ruby Clock, 1900

Clock
Michael Perchin
c. 1900
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Images Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Created by Fabergé workmaster Mikhail Evlampievich Perkhin (1860-1903) around 1900, this desk clock of carved rock crystal is mounted with gold, silver-gilt, enamel, rose diamonds and rubies.  It was presented to Queen Victoria by Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna, her granddaughter,  in 1900.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

Her Majesty had a fondness for her Tsarina granddaughter.  According to the Royal Collection, "On receipt of the news of the death of Tsar Alexander III, on 1 November 1894, the Queen wrote of the new Tsar and Tsarina in her journal:

‘What a terrible load of responsibility & anxiety has been laid upon the poor Children! I had hoped and trusted they would have many years of comparative quiet & happiness before ascending this thorny throne.'"

The Queen was thrilled with this gift from the young Tsarina and appreciated its unusual, noting its difference from the majority of Fabergé’s clocks in her collection.  The others are in the form of gold strut clocks, enameled in a wide variety of colors and set with gemstones in gold. 

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

This clock, however, is crafted predominantly of rock crystal which has been engraved with trophies incorporating torches and a quiver as well as musical attributes. The rock crystal lobed panels are divided by four mounted gold arrows set with rubies and diamonds. 

White enamel forms the dial which is  surrounded by a bezel of green enamelled laurel with diamond-set ribbon ties. 

Upon the death of Queen Victoria, the clock was given to the future King George V who kept it on his desk until his own death.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

Precious Time: Queen Victoria's Rock Crystal, Diamond and Ruby Clock, 1900

Clock
Michael Perchin
c. 1900
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Images Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Created by Fabergé workmaster Mikhail Evlampievich Perkhin (1860-1903) around 1900, this desk clock of carved rock crystal is mounted with gold, silver-gilt, enamel, rose diamonds and rubies.  It was presented to Queen Victoria by Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna, her granddaughter,  in 1900.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

Her Majesty had a fondness for her Tsarina granddaughter.  According to the Royal Collection, "On receipt of the news of the death of Tsar Alexander III, on 1 November 1894, the Queen wrote of the new Tsar and Tsarina in her journal:

‘What a terrible load of responsibility & anxiety has been laid upon the poor Children! I had hoped and trusted they would have many years of comparative quiet & happiness before ascending this thorny throne.'"

The Queen was thrilled with this gift from the young Tsarina and appreciated its unusual, noting its difference from the majority of Fabergé’s clocks in her collection.  The others are in the form of gold strut clocks, enameled in a wide variety of colors and set with gemstones in gold. 

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

This clock, however, is crafted predominantly of rock crystal which has been engraved with trophies incorporating torches and a quiver as well as musical attributes. The rock crystal lobed panels are divided by four mounted gold arrows set with rubies and diamonds. 

White enamel forms the dial which is  surrounded by a bezel of green enamelled laurel with diamond-set ribbon ties. 

Upon the death of Queen Victoria, the clock was given to the future King George V who kept it on his desk until his own death.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

Precious Time: The John Pyke Clock, 1750

Clock
John Pyke, circa 1750
Painted Pine, covered in paper,
gilt, with gilt brass mounts
Purchased by Queen Elizabeth II
1960
The Royal Collection

This monumental clock created by John Pyke in the mid-Eighteenth Century was not originally part of the Royal Collection. Its original owner is unknown, having been purchased in 1960 by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.


An exceptionally fine case of pine has been overlaid with paper, painted with an intricate design, gilded and adorned with gilt brass mounts including a figure of “Victory” or “Fame” at the top. In addition to showing the equation of time, the clock also indicates the hours of the sunrise and sunset as well as the sign of the Zodiac. At one point, it housed a musical mechanism which is no longer in existence.

Precious Time: The Cartier Owl Clock, c. 1932

Desk Clock
Cartier, c. 1932
Presented to Queen Mary
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Lapis lazuli, nephrite, mother-of-pearl, enamel, gold, diamonds and sapphires comprise this gorgeous desk clock, a gift from Sir Philip Sassoon to Queen Mary, consort of King George V, on the occasion of Her Majesty's birthday on May 26, 1932.  

Made by Cartier, this ball-shaped clock boasts a flattened mother-of-pearl face (with gold hands) set upon a case of lapis lazuli.  The gold frame around the clock face is adorned with groups of two sapphires on either side of diamonds.  The ball-shaped case sits upon a base formed by three geometricized nephrite owls with sapphire eyes and a triangular lapis plinth with a mother-of-pearl star and silver base.

Mastery of Design: Queen Victoria's Rock Crystal, Diamond and Ruby Clock, 1900

Clock
Michael Perchin
c. 1900
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Images Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Created by Fabergé workmaster Mikhail Evlampievich Perkhin (1860-1903) around 1900, this desk clock of carved rock crystal is mounted with gold, silver-gilt, enamel, rose diamonds and rubies.  It was presented to Queen Victoria by Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna, her granddaughter,  in 1900.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

Her Majesty had a fondness for her Tsarina granddaughter.  According to the Royal Collection, "On receipt of the news of the death of Tsar Alexander III, on 1 November 1894, the Queen wrote of the new Tsar and Tsarina in her journal:

‘What a terrible load of responsibility & anxiety has been laid upon the poor Children! I had hoped and trusted they would have many years of comparative quiet & happiness before ascending this thorny throne.'"

The Queen was thrilled with this gift from the young Tsarina and appreciated its unusual, noting its difference from the majority of Fabergé’s clocks in her collection.  The others are in the form of gold strut clocks, enameled in a wide variety of colors and set with gemstones in gold. 

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

This clock, however, is crafted predominantly of rock crystal which has been engraved with trophies incorporating torches and a quiver as well as musical attributes. The rock crystal lobed panels are divided by four mounted gold arrows set with rubies and diamonds. 

White enamel forms the dial which is  surrounded by a bezel of green enamelled laurel with diamond-set ribbon ties. 

Upon the death of Queen Victoria, the clock was given to the future King George V who kept it on his desk until his own death.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A French Bronze and Alabaster Mantel Clock, 1860

Mantel Clock, 1860
Alabaster, Bronze, Ormolu
Victoria & Albert Museum

Everyone in my family has an affinity for antique clocks. We’d be quite pleased to own this one. However, The Victoria & Albert Museum got to it first.


With a movement created by the famed French firm Japy Frères, this clock dates to 1860. The clock case—set atop an ebonized base and under a glass dome—was most likely crafted for the retailer, H.Y. Marc of Paris. The alabaster case features a shimmering bronze and ormolu sculpture of a warrior atop a charging stead. The timepiece is an excellent example of the singularly fine craftsmanship of the French clockmakers of the period.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: Queen Alexandra's Diamond Coin Purse, c. 1902

Purse
Once Belonged to Queen Alexandra
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Alexandra knew how to live, I must say. Even this little coin purse was the height of elegance. Gold-mounted leather (once a bright green, but since faded to a putty color) features an inset clock. The face of the clock boasts numbers of blue enamel (except for the 12, which is red) and a frame of glittering diamonds.  

The Royal Collection

The reverse of the purse, still green, is adorned with a diamond “A” ringed with a diamond crown. The oval thumbpiece is also diamond-set around a sparkling Burmese ruby. The interior compartments also feature gold and ruby fasteners.

While the maker is unknown, the purse is thought to have been made around 1902. The once-brilliant green of the leather combined with the diamonds and rubies must have once made for a stunning, but useful accessory.

The Royal Collection