Princess Alexandra of Denmark was chosen at the age of sixteen to be the future wife of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. When Queen Victoria, her mother-in-law, died in 1901, Alexandra became queen-empress consort to the new king of Wales. In public Alexandra was dignified and charming, and in private affectionate and jolly.
In the 1900s, most fine jewelry was white and made from either white diamonds or pearls. Queen Alexandra used pearl jewelry in the form of dog collar chokers, called a ‘collier de chien’ to cover the presumed scar on her neck.
The love for pearls started when Queen Alexandra visited India. There she got fascinated with Indian jewelry fashion and admired the ones worn by the princes and kings. When she returned to England she asked to implement these new styles and designs in jewelery making.
This presumed neck scar was believed to be the result of a childhood operation. By wearing choker necklaces and high necklines, the Queen sett in a fashion style. Alexandra’s fashion effect was so profound that society ladies copied entirely her style for more than fifty years.
Source: www.en.wikipedia.org and www.fashion-era.com
Tags: famous jewelry, fine jewelry, necklaces, pearl, pearl jewelry, pearl necklace, royal jewelry
October 30th, 2008 at 7:16 am
Wow! what a mysterious story about Queen Alexandra’s pearl fashion.
January 28th, 2010 at 3:01 am
that’s a nice story about the Queen Alexandra’s pearl fashion. Very interesting!