Brouhaha over Birks brooch puts celebrity loans in spotlight
A Birks Group Inc. press release intending to draw attention to a diamond brooch Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau wore to meet Queen Elizabeth II has instead raised questions about whether such gifts are ethical and in good taste.
On Wednesday, the Montrealbased jewelry retailer issued a release with a photo of Gregoire-Trudeau, her husband Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and their children, greeting the Queen’s equerry at the entrance to Buckingham Palace.
The release noted that the maple leaf brooch on Gregoire-Trudeau’s coat is from the retailer’s Les Plaisirs de Birks collection, made of 18-karat white gold and encrusted in pave diamonds. The press release got little attention until Thursday, when the Ottawa Citizen’s Glen McGregor pointed out the brooch’s price tag is “a decidedly not-middle-classy $7,125,” in contrast with Trudeau’s pro-middle class election message.
The Prime Minister’s Office distanced itself from the release, saying Birks had lent Gregoire-Trudeau the jewelry, but hadn’t informed her it planned to turn her outfit into an advertisement. Birks declined to comment.
The quandary is familiar to Michelle Obama, who is known for boosting the careers of American designers by wearing their clothing in public.
Last year, press secretary Joanna Rosholm told the New York Post that Obama normally pays for her own clothes, sometimes accepts gifts from designers that are then donated to the National Archives and never accepts clothing on loan.