Did your teacher give out gold stars when you were a kid? Mine did. And while sometimes those stars were for a job perfectly done, other times they were for progress well made. You know, a little encouragement along the way. It is in this spirit that I award the Duchess of Cambridge her first ever Gold Star.
Because tonight, at The Sun Military Awards, Catherine busted out her first major piece of ice since that tiara she wore that one time - a new necklace and bracelet, a wedding gift. Seems to be a diamond necklace with circles of diamonds alternating with fringes ending in petite flowers made of colored stones, maybe rubies. The bracelet appears to be a part of the demi-parure, as we can see the same motif and colored stones. (And we pause for a FAQ quick hit: What are the stones? Don't know for sure. Who gave them to her? Don't know. Can it be a tiara too? Don't know. Isn't the bracelet just the one she's worn before but with different inserts? Doubt it, as they're different scale and have different spacing.) She paired these pieces with the same diamond earrings we've seen several times before.
These are the most substantial jewels we've seen her wear, and simply breaking them out is something worth a little applause around here. The velvet Alexander McQueen gown is applause-worthy too - simple and black, but it fits her incredibly well. Stunning. And when you have a piece like that necklace, you don't need competition.
Would it have been MAJOR jumpy claps if she would've pulled the hair back? Yes. Are there other things to pick at? Of course, and I'm sure many of you will do so in the comments. But, baby steps. Step 1: put the diamonds on. Step 2: do other things. Gold Star, Catherine.
And another two Gold Stars for her escorts, Cambridge No. 2 and Prince Harry, for suiting up the James Bond way. You can never go wrong with a tux.
