



Battenberg Pearls Pearl Necklace Pearl String| Princess Victoria of Hesse, Princess of Battenberg|Countess Milford Haven
A Pair of Diamond and Pearl Bracelet and a Pair of Pearl and Diamond Bracelet Jewels of Queen Alexandra British Royal Jewels
After four decades of mourning under Queen Victoria, the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra was envisioned as a dazzling public spectacle, symbolizing a new era of glamour for the monarchy. However, just three days before the scheduled ceremony, Edward underwent emergency surgery for appendicitis, postponing the event by six weeks. When the coronation finally took place on August 9, 1902, it became one of the most opulent royal celebrations in British history.
Traditionally, coronation gowns were simple white or cream robes, inspired by ecclesiastical attire. Yet Alexandra, a global fashion icon, defied convention with a striking gold dress designed by the Parisian fashion house Morin Blossier, led by women. The gown was adorned with thousands of tiny gold spangles, meticulously crafted to shimmer under the newly installed electric lights in Westminster Abbey—a first for such an event.
At Alexandra’s suggestion, her coronation dress became the first royal ensemble to incorporate Britain’s national emblems—the rose, thistle, and shamrock—a tradition upheld in every subsequent coronation dress, including those of Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Camilla. The intricate gold net of the gown was embroidered over five months by forty artisans in Delhi before being sent to Paris, where it was layered over cloth of gold to create the final masterpiece. Now exceedingly fragile, the rarely exhibited dress required over 100 hours of meticulous conservation work to prepare for display.
Alexandra adorned herself with an array of jewels and pearls for the coronation, including a diamond necklace and earrings—a wedding gift from Edward—displayed here for the first time, alongside the Dagmar necklace, a present from the King of Denmark. Also featured is her ostrich feather fan, its handle embellished with a diamond crown, an ‘A,’ and the national emblems.
The choice of a radiant gold fabric would have been breathtaking at the time, with contemporary accounts describing moments during the ceremony when the Queen appeared bathed in a golden glow, her dress illuminated by the Abbey’s electric lights. This shimmering vision epitomized Edward and Alexandra’s delicate balance of tradition and modernity as they ushered in the 20th century—a fleeting moment of splendor before the world descended into war.
Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, Grand Duchess of Hesse by Rhine, wearing her pearl jewels – the pearl string collier with a diamond pearl clasp, a pair of pear shaped ear pendants a pearl brooch a pearl pendant, from her wedding gifts, later called the „Battenberg Pearls“, it’s known the royal pearls are presented from Queen Victoria, to her daughter Princess Alice the Grand Duchess of Hesse, as wedding gift and later presents.
A small gold tiara is in her hair, probably the wedding gift from the Duchess of Sachsen-Coburg ,notice the emerald clasp on the wrist, we had in a post before as center of a necklace and I will do an addition about it, as well as the emerald drop on the side.
The Cartier Diadem, was set with 1,033 brilliants, 84 baton diamonds and 17 diamond beads.
Account dated 8 January 1948, £5,000;