We have three females here in 2013 and in honour of Jules' 5th year as the resident (and only) female in West Winnipeg, we decided that her daughters this year should continue with the naming convention that gave Jules her name ....
Jules doesn't have USFWS/CWS leg bands, rather she has one small breeder's (or Hess) band on her right leg. Its a small band, not much bigger than a washer which makes sense, a bird raised in captivity doesn't need a large band for identification purposes. That is also one of the problems with these types of bands, they are very very difficult to read the number on them unless you have them in your hands, which is not something that happens often, if at all, with peregrines in the wild. So without information on her past or point of origin, we decided to name her and thinking that her band looks like a ring (as in diamond ring) that gave us a starting point for a name. Not being a big fan of cute names, diamond, ruby, etc didn't appeal and neither did Jewel but a play on the spelling and Jules had her name. She's a gem alright, an excellent peregrine but mad as a hatter and mean as a viper when you get near her kids. As I said, an excellent peregrine.
So, this year, in the hopes that her daughters will carry on her excellent tradition (as their brother Annie is doing in Fargo this year!) we are naming these three young ladies after three other excellent jewels ... and ones that have travelled far over a long period of time, also something we wish for all our peregrines!
Andamooka - after the Andamooka Opal that is in the personal collection of HRH Queen Elizabeth II
The South Australian government wanted to present their new Queen with a stone their region was known for, the opal, and set about finding the best example around. The chosen gem came from the Andamooka Opal Fields and had been found in 1949. Known simply as the Andamooka Opal, it is thought to be the finest opal ever discovered there and is praised both for the intensity of its colours and for its overall size.http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mngp7fexbxI/UTky0FLbDpI/AAAAAAAAVKs/uNJdLQwMUiw/s1600/AndamookaOpalQueenElizabeth.jpg - photo 1
http://www.kingopal.com.au/images/andamooka_opal.jpg - photo 2
http://queensjewelvault.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-andamooka-opal-necklace-and-earrings.htmlhttp://andamooka.sa.au/andamooka-history - about Andamooka the place
La Peregrina - after the La Peregrina Pearl which was owned by another Elizabeth, Elizabeth Taylor
La Peregrina is one of the most famous pearls in the world (and not to be confused with the La Pelegrina Pearl). Its history spans almost 500 years, and it has passed from the African slave who found it at Pearl Islands in the Gulf of Panama, to European kings and queens. Most recently, the pearl belonged to Elizabeth Taylor. No real surprise but La Peregrina is a Spanish word that means "the Pilgrim" or "the Wanderer". At the time of its discovery, it was the largest pearl ever found. In 1913 the pearl had to be drilled and cleaned to secure it firmly to its setting. La Peregrina remains one of the largest perfectly symmetrical pear-shaped pearls in the worldhttp://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iMhwUCDAkh0/TuCTtaGV_CI/AAAAAAAAAsE/M2d6z96HYng/s1600/Taylor%2527s+La+Peregrina+Pearl.jpg - whole necklace
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Peregrina_pearlhttp://www.internetstones.com/la-peregrina-pearl-elizabeth-taylor-napoleon-iii-philip-ii-queen-mary-i.htmlhttp://www.gemselect.com/other-info/la-peregrina-pearl.phphttp://www.deleusejewelers.com/janet-deleuse-newsletter/la-peregrina-pearl/ - interesting historical photos
http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/jewelry/la-peregrina-a-natural-pearl-diamond-5507887-details.aspx - neat page, the Christie's Auction House lot notes & you can zoom in on parts of the necklace
Koh-i-Noor - after the famous, cursed diamond in the crown of Elizabeth, the Queen Mother
The legendary Koh-i-Noor (‘Mountain of Light’) diamond, presented to Queen Victoria in 1850, is now set in the platinum crown made for the late Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother for the 1937 coronation. This diamond, which came from the Treasury at Lahore in the Punjab, may have belonged to the early Mughal emperors before passing eventually to Duleep Singh. It was re-cut for Queen Victoria in 1852 and now weighs 106 carats. Traditionally the Koh-i-Nur is only worn by a queen or queen consort: it is said to bring bad luck to any man who wears it.http://knowindia.yolasite.com/resources/Koh-I-Noor%206.jpg - photo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koh-i-Noorhttp://www.royal.gov.uk/the%20royal%20collection%20and%20other%20collections/thecrownjewels/overview.aspxhttp://famousdiamonds.tripod.com/koh-i-noordiamond.html - a long, very detailed history of the diamond
