FD Gallery

FD Gallery FD Gallery is located on Manhattan's Upper East Side, specializing in one-of-a-kind contemporary and estate jewelry.
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08/30/2026

Lady Cynthia Asquith, writing in her diaries, vividly described how Queen Mary wore her sumptuous jewels as an extension of her stately presence:

“She was literally stuck all over with diamonds, they blazed from her brow, her throat, her arms, her hands; and swayed and scintillated as she moved… But her dignity and her love for state and ceremony made them all seem right.”

08/29/2026

In 1911, Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich commissioned Cartier to create a sapphire sautoir necklace for his wife, Grand Duchess Victoria Melita, granddaughter of Queen Victoria. The central 311 carat cabochon sapphire originally belonged to Cyril’s mother, the indomitable Grand Duchess Vladimir.

Victoria and Cyril’s marriage, following her divorce from Empress Alexandra’s brother Ernst of Hesse, had caused their exile from Russia. They were only allowed to return in 1910. Seven years later, the Russian Revolution forced the family to escape Russia in disguise, smuggling their jewels —including this necklace—inside their children’s dolls to avoid confiscation.

Facing financial distress while in exile, Victoria sold the necklace to her sister Queen Marie of Romania in 1921, whose jewels had been depleted by wartime losses. The necklace subsequently passed to Queen Marie’s daughter princess Elisabeth, who had a short tenure as a Queen consort of Greece and then returned to Romania, but was exiled during the communist takeover.in 1947.

This necklace is currently in a private collection.

RomanianRoyalFamily AnniversaryGift VladimirSapphires JewelryHistory

Crown Princess Märtha, mother of King Harald V of Norway, wearing the Norwegian Emerald Parure. Long before it entered t...
08/28/2026

Crown Princess Märtha, mother of King Harald V of Norway, wearing the Norwegian Emerald Parure.

Long before it entered the Norwegian royal vaults, this emerald parure began its life in early nineteenth-century France — its emeralds, likely mined in Colombia, set by court jewelers and tied by family legend to the House of Leuchtenberg, descendants of Napoleon’s Empress Joséphine.

From there, its path traces a map of Europe’s crowned houses: inherited by Princess Amélie when she became Empress of Brazil, bequeathed in 1873 to her sister Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway, then passed to Queen Sofia, and in 1913 to Princess Ingeborg of Sweden. Somewhere along the way the tiara itself was altered — its pear-shaped emerald clusters lifted from either side of the central rectangular stone, reborn as a pair of drop earrings, and replaced on the diadem with diamond anthemions.

The parure’s most poignant chapter arrived in 1940. As N**i forces swept into Norway, Ingeborg pressed the emeralds into her daughter’s hands — Crown Princess Märtha was fleeing into American exile with her three children at President Roosevelt’s invitation — with instructions to sell the stones one by one if hardship struck. It never came to that. Märtha carried the parure safely through the war and wore it to Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953, the year before her own early death — she never lived to become queen herself.

Today the emeralds remain in the Norwegian royal collection.

08/27/2026

The “Indian Tiara” was made by Cartier in 1923, almost certainly in the Paris workshop, with the work attributed to Cartier’s head craftsman Henri Lavabre. It is set with diamonds, sapphires individually cut to fit the bold architectural motifs, and pearls, arranged in tall graduated pinnacles that echo Mughal and Indo-Islamic forms rather than copying any single Indian jewel.

The “Indian” name refers to its Indian-inspired design language, which drew on Cartier’s 1920s fascination with sarpeches, turban ornaments, and Mughal architecture, rather than to a commission from an Indian patron. Contemporary descriptions emphasise the tiara’s dramatic height and the way sapphire “hatching” on one side of the pinnacles gives an almost skyline effect across the bandeau-like base.

Beatrice Mills, Countess of Granard, a wealthy American heiress and major Cartier client, acquired the tiara in 1923. At some point she altered the composition, having Art Deco diamond brooches mounted into the tiara in place of the original aquamarines mentioned in some accounts, further emphasising its strong 1920s aesthetic.

By the mid‑1930s Lady Granard returned the tiara to Cartier, likely as part of a reshaping of her jewel collection and possibly to fund other acquisitions, which was common practice among transatlantic Cartier clients of the period.

Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, bought the tiara from Cartier in 1937, specifically to wear at the coronation of King George VI. She wore it again at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, by which time it had become her signature grand tiara; the famous Cecil Beaton portraits show her in the piece alongside other jewels she had owned since her wedding.

On her death in 1956, Princess Marie Louise left the Cartier Indian Tiara to her godson, Prince Richard of Gloucester, with the specific intention that it should be worn by his future wife. When Richard unexpectedly became Duke of Gloucester after his elder brother’s death in 1972, his wife Birgitte gained access both to this tiara and the wider Gloucester jewel collection.

King George I of Greece. Originally a Danish prince, he was born in Copenhagen, and seemed destined for a career in the ...
08/26/2026

King George I of Greece.

Originally a Danish prince, he was born in Copenhagen, and seemed destined for a career in the Royal Danish Navy. He was only 17 years old when he was elected king by the Greek National Assembly in 1863.

His nomination was both suggested and supported by the Great Powers and became the first monarch of a new Greek dynasty: the House of Glücksburg

08/26/2026

Princess Alexandra married Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, in March 1863. As part of her wedding gifts from Denmark, she received the Dagmar Necklace from her father, King Christian IX. The necklace was created by Danish court jewelers and features a striking arrangement of pearls and diamonds. The Dagmar Necklace also includes a replica of the famous 12th-century enameled cross associated with Queen Dagmar of Denmark, with historical elements incorporated into the design such as fragments reputedly linked to religious relics.

The necklace is crafted in a Byzantine style, characterized by intricate swags and scroll motifs composed of alternating diamonds and pearls. Gold medallions linked by diamond festoons form the frame, each featuring large diamonds at the center. The design is complex, with several elements being detachable for different formal or ceremonial arrangements, giving it versatility and adaptability for Queen Alexandra’s varied royal appearances.

A highlight of the necklace is the enamel pendant replica of the historic Dagmar Cross, suspended as a central focal point. This cross is a recreation of a revered 12th-century Danish relic, said to contain a fragment of the True Cross and silk from King Canute’s grave, reflecting the necklace’s religious and cultural lineage. Sometimes, Queen Alexandra wore the necklace with or without the cross and pendants, depending on the occasion.

The Dagmar Necklace quickly became one of Alexandra’s most cherished jewels, symbolizing her connection to her Danish heritage and her new role as Princess of Wales.

The Buccleuch diamond belt tiara is one of those rare aristocratic jewels that literally climbed the body over time: cre...
08/26/2026

The Buccleuch diamond belt tiara is one of those rare aristocratic jewels that literally climbed the body over time: created in the 1840s as a spectacular Victorian diamond belt, it evolved into a towering tiara and a visual signature of the Duchesses of Buccleuch at English coronations and great court occasions.

Originally made for the Montagu‑Douglas‑Scott family, the belt reflects mid 19th century taste for grand “body jewels” and convertible parures: articulated diamond cluster and scroll panels forming a continuous, armor‑like band around the waist, with a substantial central “buckle” that could detach and later be set with a colossal emerald for use as a stomacher or bodice ornament.

By the later Victorian era, the Buccleuchs had begun mounting these panels on a frame so the whole belt could be worn as an enormous tiara, while individual elements still functioned as brooches—an ideal case study in how great families treated their diamonds as working assets. Louisa, 6th Duchess of Buccleuch and Mistress of the Robes to Queen Victoria, wore the jewel at court functions such as the 1896 wedding of Prince Carl of Denmark and Princess Maud of Wales, the Devonshire House Ball of 1897, and the 1902 coronation of Edward VII.

In the 20th century, Mary “Mollie” Lascelles, 8th Duchess, turned the belt tiara into a modern icon. She wore it for a famous Cecil Beaton portrait in the 1930s, pairing it with the Buccleuch Emerald Tiara and vast diamond rivières, cementing the family’s reputation as custodians of one of Britain’s most important private jewel collections. She then carried it into both the 1937 coronation of George VI and Queen Elizabeth—where she served as one of the Queen’s train‑bearers—and the 1953 coronation of Elizabeth II, earning contemporary quips that she seemed to possess five tiaras thanks to the collection’s transformability.

08/25/2026

The Delhi Durbar Tiara was created by Garrard & Co. for Queen Mary to wear at the 1911 Delhi Durbar — the ceremonial gathering held on 12 December 1911 in Delhi that marked King George V’s succession as King-Emperor of India. Since the actual Crown Jewels were legally barred from leaving Britain, both King George V (who received the newly-made Imperial Crown of India) and Queen Mary needed bespoke regalia for the occasion. Notably, this was a private commission Queen Mary paid for herself — George V settled the bill as a 44th-birthday gift to her on 26 May 1911, and reportedly called it “May’s best tiara”. Because it was privately commissioned rather than part of the Crown Jewels, it remains the personal property of the Royal Family to this day.

Garrard built the tiara as a full circlet (wrapping entirely around the head) of diamond scrolls, lyres, and festoons set in platinum and gold, using diamonds largely repurposed from Queen Mary’s 1902 Boucheron “Loop” Tiara — itself made from 675 diamonds gifted to her by the De Beers directors in Cape Town. It was originally topped with 10 large cabochon Cambridge emeralds, set in detachable mounts, matching the emerald and diamond Delhi Durbar Parure that Queen Mary had commissioned for the same occasion. The Cambridge emeralds had been reclaimed by Queen Mary in 1910 — she’d only recently recovered them from her late brother Prince Francis of Teck’s mistress.

On the succession side, Queen Mary loaned the tiara long term to her daughter-in-law Queen Elizabeth (the future Queen Mother) in 1947, and it stayed in her possession — never publicly worn again by Mary — until the Queen Mother’s death in 2002, when it finally passed to Queen Elizabeth II, decades after the rest of the Delhi Durbar parure had already gone to her on Queen Mary’s death in 1953. Elizabeth II never wore it herself but loaned it to the Duchess of Cornwall (now Queen Camilla) in 2005.

Maharajah Sir Pratap Singh, 1845–1922) — painted in 1887 by British portraitist Sydney Prior Hall, likely to commemorate...
08/24/2026

Maharajah Sir Pratap Singh, 1845–1922) — painted in 1887 by British portraitist Sydney Prior Hall, likely to commemorate the Maharaja’s visit to England for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, where he received his knighthood that same year. Born in Jodhpur, the third son of Maharaja Takht Singh, Pratap Singh went on to serve as Regent of Jodhpur across several reigns, Maharaja of Idar, and a celebrated cavalry commander — leading the Jodhpur Lancers and later remembered as the “Father of Indian Polo”.

Hall’s brush captures him half-length in a soft rose turban crowned with a jeweled aigrette and gold plume, draped in a pale sage silk coat embroidered in gold, his throat and chest layered with rubies, emeralds, and a jeweled order badge — a study in Rajput regal splendor rendered in Victorian portrait tradition. The frame’s engraved plate, “Maharajah. Sir Partab Singh. K.S.I. 1887,” anchors the sitting to that jubilee year; the work is now catalogued in the Royal Collection.

08/23/2026

Created by the Crown Jeweler Garrard in 1863, this necklace was commissioned by the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII) as a wedding gift for his bride, Princess Alexandra of Denmark. It formed part of a larger parure that also included a diamond tiara, cluster earrings, and a pearl drop brooch - a suite likely inspired by the pearl and diamond parure worn by Empress Eugénie at her own wedding to Napoleon III a decade earlier.

Structurally, the necklace is built around eight detachable pearl and diamond clusters, alternating brilliant-cut and old mine diamonds, each suspending a pear-shaped natural pearl drop. The ‘detachable’ element wasn’t decorative flourish - it was practical Victorian engineering, allowing elements to be worn separately as brooches or reconfigured for different occasions, a versatility prized in royal jewelry design of the period.

Alexandra herself credited with reshaping royal style: art historians note she moved the monarchy’s aesthetic away from the heavier yellow gold settings of the early Victorian era toward the luminous ‘white-on-white’ look of diamonds and pearls that would define Edwardian jewelry design for decades.

The necklace’s documented history traces an unbroken line through the British royal collection: worn by Alexandra at her wedding and Edward VII’s 1902 coronation, it passed to Queen Mary (who had it lengthened in 1937 for George VI’s coronation), then to the Queen Mother - who wore it well into her 90s — and finally to Queen Elizabeth II. In 2018, Catherine, Princess of Wales, revived the piece publicly for the first time in 25 years at a state banquet for the King and Queen of the Netherlands, pairing it with Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara.

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