Victoria princess royal jewels
Jewel History: Tiaras of the Princess Royal’s Wedding (1858)
| Prince Friedrich of Prussia and the Princess Royal on their wedding day (Detail, John Phillip’s The Marriage of Victoria, Princess Royal) [Wikimedia Commons] |
| From the Phillip painting: Queen Victoria with several her younger children [Wikimedia Commons] |
The train and body of Her Majesty’s [1] dress were composed of rich mauve (lilac) velvet trimmed with three rows of lace, the corsage ornamented with diamonds, and the celebrated Koh-i-Noor [2] as a brooch. The petticoat mauve and silver moire trimmed with a deep flounce of Honiton lace. The head dress, a royal diadem of diamonds and pearls [3].
| The Princess Royal in her wedding gown |
The Princess Royal’s [4] bridal dress was of white moire antique, the body trimmed with Honiton lace, and a bouquet of orange flowers and myrtle. The petticoat, trimmed with three flounces of Honiton lace, wreathed with orange and myrtle, and the train of white moire antique lined with satin, bordered with a ruche of white satin ribbons, Honiton lace, and a wreath of orange flowers and myrtle to correspond with the dress. Diamond necklace, earrings, and brooch; the Prussian order of Louisa [5], and a Portuguese order [6]. The head dress a wreath of orange flowers and myrtle; the veil of Honiton lace, to correspond with the dress. The design of the lace is alternate medallions of the rose, shamrock, and thistle, with a rich ground of leaves of the rose, shamrock, and thistle.
| Princess Wilhe As the long reign of the four Georges drew to an end, the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of York and Strathearn (son of George III) and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, ascended the throne. Alexandrina Victoria, the young princess, crowned Queen Victoria of England, wafted in like a fresh breeze across Britain and held her subjects in thrall until her death in 1901. The 63 years and 7 months of her reign became known as the Victorian Era, throughout which Queen Victoria influenced everything from politics to fashion to furniture to the mores of the day. A time of great change in the world, the Victorian era ushered in such inventions as the automobile, electricity and indoor plumbing and spawned rapid changes in industry along with amazing scientific discoveries. Victoria’s reign coincided with a time when, spurred by the advent of photography, the phenomenon that would become mass media was putting down its roots. Women’s magazines featuring homemaking, motherhood and fashion were gaining popularity. The Illustrated London News made it their mission to “connect the cottage to the palace.” The young Queen’s portrait was, quite literally, everywhere, rapidly becoming public property. The coronation and her marriage to Albert caused a frenzy in the portrait distribution business. Images were put on medallions, ribbons, in the papers, and portraits, suitable for framing, appeared in pull-out sections of periodicals. Never had anyone been so thoroughly followed and emulated. The Queen’s jewelry and fashion, along with that of her family and members of the court, influenced the world. Jewelry was extremely important in the life of the Queen. As a girl, gifts of jewelry and accessories were abundant. These items were of the fashion of the time and not particularly notable but, held great sentimental value. Court life was lively and gay under the reign of the young Queen. She wore jewelry liberally and abundantly. The Crown Jewels and treasures from pr Crown Princess Victoria’s Napoleonic Nobel JewelsHappy Birthday to Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden! Our Sparkling Spotlight on her royal jewels continues today with one of my very favorite of her Nobel appearances, from back in December 2016. For the Nobel Prize ceremony and banquet in Stockholm on December 10, 2016, Crown Princess Victoria wore a dramatic, modern dress with some of the most antique pieces in the Bernadotte jewelry collection. She pinned the sash and star of the Order of the Seraphim to the gown, plus her father’s Royal Family Order.
Her silver and bronze gown, with its one-shoulder neckline and leafy embroidery, was made by H&M. She wore bronze shoes and carried a silvery beaded clutch bag with the dress.
Victoria wore an unusual combination of heirloom jewels for the event, matching together pieces from the same era that come from very different parures. Her tiara, the Napoleonic Cut-Steel Tiara, is made of highly-polished steel and gold. The piece, which features feathers, leaves, and acorns in its design, manages to sparkle without a single diamond.
Here’s a side view of the tiara from the dinner…
…and here’s a look at the back of the tiara.
With the tiara, Victoria wore additional pieces of jewelry that date to the Napoleonic era. She wore the necklace, brooch, earrings, and bracelet from the Cameo Parure, a set that many believe belonged to Empress Josephine of France.
Categories // sparkling spotlight The Princess Royal's Pearls and Pearl RopesRope of Pearls presented by the Marys of the EmpireWhen in 1970 the jewels of the Princess Royal were sold for £78,735 three graduated pearl necklaces were included. One was with 62 pearls, the second was a string of 92 pearls and one was a rope of 128 pearls.
On her left shoulder, as pin of the flower of fabric, we see an part of her oval sapphire cluster brooch, with large diamond setting. And on her right hand, another wedding gift, a sapphire and diamond ring. A pearl and diamond tassel pendant, the tassel composed of fourteen stands of pearls held by the diamond and rose diamond cupola top, sold in 1970. It is said that this pearl tassel was a present from her aunt Princess Victoria, the unmarried sister of her father. Princess Victoria is pictured with such a jewel.
Clanricarde Pearl Bracelet with large Diamond Cluster| Royal Jewel History In some of the photographs of the Princess we can see an important 6-row pearl bracelet with an enormous oval diamond cluster. Nothing is known about this jewel. In the picture above she wears it on her right wrist. It was part of the Clanricarde Jewels - one of seven which was rebuild |