Tiaras that tickled your fancy? A piece that hit a soft spot?
Feel free to reply here or send me a message so I can compile them all as a sort of seal to the project :)
The British Crown Jewels. The Sceptre, The Imperial State Crown, The Imperial State Crown of India, The Orb & Ceremonial sword are only some of the objects part of the Crown Jewel collection regalia. Arguably the grandest and most well known of any crown jewels world wide, The British Crown Jewels have been subject to tales of attempted theft, and everlasting intrigue.
Find more stunning historical jewellery
[And so ends the Jewellery Box Project of January. I hope this was a grand finale. I certainly think the BCJ are the grandest of them all. TC x]
Queen Victoria’s emerald tiara. 1845, England. This beautiful silver and emerald tiara was designed by Victoria’s husband Albert. She speaks of this tiara in her diary; ““A lovely Diadem of diamonds and emeralds designed by my beloved Albert”
Necklace and Earring set. 1806, France. Table-cut emeralds border brilliant-cut diamonds. Emerald drops dangle from gold and silver frame. A length of 41cm. This particular set was presented by Napoleon to his adopted daughter on her marriage.
Vladimir Tiara. 1890, Russia. Made for Grand Duchess Vladimir, aunt of the last Russian Tsar Nicolas II it was smuggled out of Russia during the revolution. Emeralds and diamonds.
Queen Victoria’s sapphire and diamond tiara. 1850, England. Designed again by Prince Albert, Victoria was delighted when she received this gorgeous tiara as a present from her beloved husband, made from sapphires and diamonds.
Circlet. 1853, England. Made from diamonds, rubies and gold this oriental circlet was a gift from Prince Albert to his beloved Queen Victoria. Albert had been impressed by the Indian jewels presented to the Queen at the Great Exhibition and so too wanted to impress her. He actively participated in the design of this stunning circlet. Victoria was duely delighted and wrote; “Albert has such taste & arranges everything for me about my jewels.”
Tiara. 1910, France. The tiara of Countess Edwina Mountbatten was made from diamonds and set in solid platinum. Scroll and trefoil motifs surround the intricate design.
Well it’s almost the end of January and that means saying goodbye to The Jewellery Box Project.
It’s been an amazing month full of sparkly things with a story to tell. I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have.
But there’s three days left yet so I’ve decided to save the best till last, as it were.
So as a send off I’ve got a handful of beautiful royal crowns & jewels which you can look forward to :).
TC x
Brooch. 1840, England. Made from sapphires and diamonds, this brooch was a wedding present from Prince Albert to Queen Victoria the day before their marriage. Victoria wrote about the present a gift from; “dearest Albert” of “a splendid brooch of, a large sapphire set with diamonds which is really quite beautiful.”
Necklace. 16th Century, England. This gold and enamel pendant in the shape of a pistol doubles as a toiletries implement. Beneath the two mounted emeralds, a golden hooked tongue scraper, toothpick and spoon for earwax can be pulled out. Unfortunately this piece suffered a house fire and the enamel was badly damaged.
Pendant. 1820, Europe. Copying the Renaissance fascination with birds and nature, this 19th century piece crafts an open-winged bird in gold, emeralds, pearls and rubies.
Headdress. 1800-50, Algeria. Silver gilt, coral and enamelled filigree. Worn by the Berber women of Algeria for their wedding. Silver was a sign of purity and coral a sign of fertility.
Tiara. 1908, Europe. Designed by Henry Wilson, this gorgeous winged tiara consisting of cylinders of rock crystal and green chrysoprase is set in gold with oxidised silver and enamel. It features a cherub armed with a bow and arrow resting in a sea shell in the centre. Two enamelled wings sprout from the sides of the tiara.
Earring. 700-500 BC, Syria. Made from gold this simple earring depicts a bird perching above an urn.
