As the Duchess of Cambridge today at the annual Order of the Garter service repeated for the first time her wedding earrings, I thought this might be a good chance to have a look at the history behind the brand, so to speak!
Robinson Pelham came to the forefront of the international jewellery scene on 29 April 2011, when the soon-to-be Duchess of Cambridge stepped out of The Goring Hotel in Belgravia on her way to be married at Westminster Abbey wearing a pair of bespoke diamond earrings by the appointment-only jeweller.
A stylized impala head is the brand's logo, here seen embossed in gold on their signature orange paper.
Building on the buzz generated by the Royal Wedding, the brand, which was set up in 1997 by Zoe Benyon, Kate Pelham Burn and Vanessa Chilton, branched out into ready-to-wear pieces and in November 2012 opened a shop at 39 Elystan St, Chelsea, having previously operated from an atelier in Pimlico.
Mr and Mrs Middleton commissioned the earrings as a wedding present for their daughter. According to the
press release from the jewellers, the design of the earrings was inspired by the family's new coat of arms that includes acorns and oak leaves. They were designed to echo the style of the 1936 Cartier Halo tiara worn by the bride, and this is particularly evident in the top section of the earrings, a pavé-set oak leaf which recall the scroll motif on the tiara. A tiny pavé-set acorn dangles from the central section of the earrings. At the time of the Royal Wedding, they were reported to have cost £15,000.
The earrings were later exhibited at Buckingham Palace, together with the rest of the wedding ensamble, as part of the 2011 Summer Opening events:
Robinson Pelham also designed the earrings worn by Pippa Middleton, featuring a teardrop diamond surrounded by a row of brilliants suspended from a pavé trefoil motif...
...the tourmaline and diamond pendant and earrings worn by the bride's mother Carole Middleton...
...(and subsequently repeated at Princess Charlotte's christening in July 2015)...
...and the gold acorn and leaf tie pins worn by Michael and James Middleton:
At the evening reception, Carole Middleton stepped out in more Robinson Pelham creations, the "Pagoda" diamond and blue topaz earrings and a matching necklace:
Catherine borrowed the earrings from her mother to attend the world premiere of the 007 movie "Spectre" at the Royal Albert Hall on 26 October 2015 - and, in all fairness, it'd be a pity to keep these beauties locked up in a jewellery box!
I hope you enjoyed this quick recap! Do you own any replikates of a Robinson Pelham style? Perhaps the wedding earrings? Leave a comment and let me know! Personally, I have the
Emitations "Kate's Wedding Dangle Earrings", which I purchased after seeing them recommended by the lovely Anna
on her Facebook page, and I'm absolutely thrilled with them! I believe they're among the best replikates that were produced of this style (I'm looking at you,
Kenneth Jay Lane earrings with the pearl acorn!) and I definitely recommend them if you're looking to replikate this style!
For her first-ever appearance at the Royal Ascot horse races on
15 June 2016 (Daily Mail article
here), the Duchess wore a new pair of earrings, which are *thought* to be a bespoke piece by Robinson Pelham (see what Anna from My Small Obsessions, who came up with the ID, has to say on the matter
here). Although the ID remains unconfirmed by the brand, in a bid to protect client confidentiality, the possibility seems highly likely:
Not strictly Duchess-related, but when the engagement was announced between the Duchess's sister Pippa to James Matthews on
19 July 2016, she was photographed wearing a dazzling diamond ring, thought to be by Robinson Pelham (Daily Mail article
here). From
The Telegraph:
The octagonal ring that Miss Middleton carefully displayed to waiting photographers is understood to have been purchased from the London jeweller Robinson Pelham.
The company has been a regular source of jewellery for the Middleton family, and was the source of the diamond earrings that the Duchess of Cambridge wore on her wedding day. The girls’ mother, Carole, as well as Pippa herself, also wore pieces designed by Robinson Pelham to the royal wedding.
The Ascher-cut centre stone, thought to be at least 3 carats, is surrounded by 24 additional brilliant-cut diamonds. Jeweler Annoushka Ducas described the ring as "hugely practical, because it’s quite flat and it will be very easy for her to wear".
