Arpels Diamond Necklace - Prince Ricardo De La Cerda
Happy Birthday to Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand, who turns 70 today! The accomplished and hardworking Princess Royal who is the most popular member of the Thai Royal Family, Princess Sirindhorn does not wear many jewels, but she did once wear Queen Sirikit’s Van Cleef & Arpels Diamond Bib Necklace!
Van Cleef & Arpels Diamond Necklace | Queen Sirikit’s Thai Gold Suite
In 1963, Queen Sirikit of Thailand commissioned this spectacular Diamond Bib Necklace from Van Cleef & Arpels, around the same time as her Diamond Tiara, which was composed of a base of large diamonds set within an ornate Diamond Collar that covered one’s extended chest and shoulders. Until then, Queen Sirikit had been using the Thai Diamond Fringe Tiara in a similar manner.
Queen Sirikit debuted the magnificent Van Cleef & Arpels Diamond Bib Necklace in Athens at the Wedding of King Constantine II of Greece and Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark in 1964.
Later that month, Queen Sirikit wore the Van Cleef & Arpels Diamond Bib Necklace again, this time with her Van Cleef & Arpels Thai Tiara for a Banquet during a State Visit to Austria.
Queen Sirikit again paired the Thai Tiara with the Diamond Bib Necklace for a series of portraits.
Queen Sirikit seems to have worn the Diamond Bib Necklace with the Thai Diamond Fringe Tiara for a Banquet during the British State Visit to Thailand in 1972.
At some point in the late 1970s or early 1980s, the Van Cleef & Arpels Diamond Bib Necklace was worn by Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, one of the largest jewels she has ever worn. The necklace has not been publicly worn in several decades, but will hopefully make an appearance soon!
Van Cleef & Arpels Diamond Necklace | Queen Sirikit’s Thai Gold Suite