![Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge departs the "Together at Christmas" community carol service at Westminster Abbey on December 08, 2021 in London, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2022-1215-01-sapphire01.jpg?resize=1200%2C783&ssl=1)
With tonight’s royal Christmas concert coming up, my mind’s been on the spectacular earrings that the then-Duchess of Cambridge wore for last year’s concert: the Queen Mother’s Sapphire and Diamond Fringe Earrings.
As the name suggests, the charming earrings belonged to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. She wore them mostly for black-tie (read: non-tiara) gala occasions. Here, she pairs them with a triple strand of pearls and the Russian Sapphire Cluster Brooch for a theater performance in November 1986.
![Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge arrives for the "Together at Christmas" community carol service at Westminster Abbey on December 08, 2021 in London, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2022-1215-01-sapphire02.jpg?resize=1052%2C1470&ssl=1)
Here’s a closer look at the earrings. The fringe detail, plus the combination of round and baguette diamonds, suggests an Art Deco-era creation date to me. The faceted sapphire set in the center of each earring is a gorgeous deep blue color.
![The Queen Mother attends the Prince of Wales’s 50th birthday reception at Buckingham Palace, November 1998](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2022-1215-01-sapphire08.jpg?resize=800%2C1014&ssl=1)
Here’s another view of the Queen Mother wearing the earrings, in a photograph taken during a 50th birthday reception for the Prince of Wales (now King Charles III) at Buckingham Palace in November 1998. She also wore a triple-stranded pearl necklace and the Duchess of Teck’s Flower Brooch.
![Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attends the 100 Women In Hedge Funds Gala Dinner In Aid Of The Art Room at the Victoria and Albert Museum on October 27, 2015 in London, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2022-1215-01-sapphire06.jpg?resize=1200%2C1829&ssl=1)
In recent years, the earrings have popped up on the Princess of Wales, who began wearing them when she was still the Duchess of Cambridge. Her debut appearance in the earrings took place at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London in October 2015.
![Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (L) walks with US Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin as they arrive through the East Gallery during a State Banquet in the ballroom at Buckingham Palace in central London on June 3, 2019, on the first day of the US president and First Lady's three-day State Visit to the UK](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2022-1215-01-sapphire07.jpg?resize=1105%2C1830&ssl=1)
In June 2019, she wore the earrings for a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, pairing them with Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara, her own Oak Leaf Brooch, and Queen Elizabeth II’s Four-Stranded Pearl Bracelet (which coordinates with the similar pearl choker necklace).
![Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (L) and Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge take part in 'Royal Carols - Together At Christmas', a Christmas carol concert hosted by the Duchess at Westminster Abbey in London on December 8, 2021](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2022-1215-01-sapphire03.jpg?resize=1200%2C1723&ssl=1)
Last year, in December 2021, we saw Catherine choose the earrings for her “Together at Christmas” community carol service at Westminster Abbey.
![Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge arrives for the "Together at Christmas" community carol service at Westminster Abbey on December 08, 2021 in London, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2022-1215-01-sapphire04-scaled.jpg?resize=1851%2C2560&ssl=1)
She wore the earrings with a festive outfit in bright Christmas red—a rather unexpected combination, when she might have been expected to complete the holiday color scheme by wearing gold or green jewels.
![Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge arrives for the "Together at Christmas" community carol service at Westminster Abbey on December 08, 2021 in London, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2022-1215-01-sapphire05.jpg?resize=1200%2C1599&ssl=1)
Here’s one more look at the earrings from last year’s carol service. We’ll be covering the jewels from this year’s concert as well, in a post I expect to have published later this evening. Stay tuned! (Any jewels you’re hoping to see on Kate or Camilla at tonight’s service?)
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