Tudor crown jewel colours

[Badger306]

Hi, everyone -

Are there definitive time periods for when the RAF cap badges used three red and two green jewels on the crowns as opposed to the two red, two green and center blue?

I've seen some suggestions that the three red jewels were circa 1918 -20. Yet, I've seen these same badges described as early World War II vintage. Searched this site and can't find any previous threads on the subject.

Grateful if someone could shed a little light...

[Alex Rice]

Here's a thread I started on a similar topic a while ago:
https://www.britishbadgeforum.com/fo...ad.php?t=76345
Cheers,
Alex

[Badger306]

Thanks for the link, Alex. I see that message #3 from dragon166 points to the 1918 - 20 era for the jewel arrangement I had in mind. However, your example with the enameled jewels have the same colours, yet appear to date (by consensus in the thread) from the thirties or forties.

I should have given a little more context. This thread discusses the red vs blue jewel on an RNAS cap badge, with message #6 indicating that red is correct for RNAS.
https://www.britishbadgeforum.com/fo...icer%27s+badge

These threads (message #1 in both) indicates that a red center jewel is correct for RNAS (and prior to 1922 generally). This implies to me that RAF cap badges from WW1 should also have a center red jewel.
https://www.britishbadgeforum.com/fo...icer%27s+badge
https://www.britishbadgeforum.com/fo...icer%27s+badge

So, the confusion comes from seeing both RAF (described as WW1 vintage) and RNAS cap badges with blue center jewels. Based on the foregoing, as the RNAS did not continue beyond 1918, it seems evident that RNAS cap badges should only have center red jewels and presumably any RNAS cap badge with a blue jewel is not genuine. By extension, an RAF cap badge with a center blue jewel would only be correct for 1922 and beyond. Is this correct?

[Alex Rice]

Hi Badger
I think you can use that as a good reference guide. As far as I know, the centre jewel was not specified prior to 1922 when the dress regs specified it must be blue. However, I have never seen a pre-1922 bullion RN or RNAS cap badge with a blue centre jewel which I would have considered genuine, though there may be some out there.
Cheers,
Alex

[Badger306]

Thank you, sir, for your assistance.