The Fascination Behind Royal Jewels

The study of jewelry can be one of the most fascinating areas of study. To truly appreciate it, one must understand everything from the different geological phenomena miles beneath the surface of the earth to produce such wonders as rubies and diamonds, to the social and economic intricacies of the time that influenced how people adorned themselves. Jewelry is a study of science, art, history—everything. One of the first places people turn to when learning about the evolution of jewelry is the monarchies of the world. Through letters, paintings, and civil wars, royal families provide us with a deeper knowledge of jewelry and its place in the world.

Queen Elizabeth II on her wedding day, wearing the Queen Mary Fringe Tiara (via Getty Images)

There is perhaps no royal family alive today as famous as that of the Royal House of Windsor. The British Royal Family has one of the most extensive jewelry collections in the world. Much of the collection we’ve seen today were acquired during Queen Mary’s reign. One of the most iconic pieces of jewelry from her collection was the Fringe Tiara. Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Anne both wore The Queen Mary Fringe Tiara on their wedding days, and Her Majesty most recently loaned the piece to her granddaughter, Princess Beatrice of York, for her socially-distanced wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in 2020. The diamonds of this tiara, however, go back much farther than that; they were originally part of a necklace that Queen Victoria had made and given to Mary as a wedding gift in 1893. The avid jewelry collector, Queen Mary, had the necklace taken apart and made into the Fringe Tiara, to resemble those made popular by the imperial court of the Romanovs.

 

Russian Crown Jewels on display after the Bolsheviks established the Soviet Union (via www.usgs.gov)

The quick and violent fall of the Romanov family in Russia saw a huge dispersion of the empire’s greatest jewels and treasures. Historians are still attempting to track down what happened to most of them, which were largely looted. Among the treasures that remain in the country is the Imperial Crown of Russia, a crown thought to be so valuable that its replica alone, which travels the globe as a part of museum exhibitions, is worth $15.1 million in material value. One particularly striking pearl drop tiara known as “the Russian Beauty” found its way into many great hands after the fall of the Russian empire. It went from Empress of Russia Marie Feodorovna, to the 9th Duke of Marlborough, to the First Lady of the Philippines, to eventually fall into the hands of the Philippine authorities when the presidential family fled to Hawaii. It is much hoped that the tiara remains in the possession of the current Filipino government and that it will one day make its way back to the public eye. Another item from the collection of Marie Feodorovna may have wound up in the possession of the British royal family. A diamond and pearl choker with a geometric sapphire and diamond was allegedly purchased by Queen Mary and has been seen on Queen Elizabeth II’s daughter, Princess Anne, on occasions such as the gala on the eve of Prince William’s wedding to Kate Middleton. 

Princess Anne of England in what is believed to be the missing Romanov Choker
Queen Isabella pledging her jewels for Columbus’ expedition in the 15th century, in a painting by artist Antonio Munoz Degrain (1843-1924), c. 1878 (via Stock Photo).

There is much myth and lore surrounding jewelry, none perhaps as consequential as that of the discovery of the New World. Tale after tale has emerged of how Queen Isabella of Spain sold her precious royal jewels to fund the expedition of Christopher Columbus. Historians largely agree that this did not occur, as the Spanish had a large treasury at the time, but it painted the monarch as a passionate queen who believed in the journey west. In reality, much of Queen Isabella’s jewelry remains in Spain today, and much more was created upon the discovery of gold, silver, and valuable spices in South America.  The Spanish acquired great wealth as a result of the settlement of the New World, wealth whose remnants can still be seen today in the collection of jewelry amassed by the Spanish royal family. 

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden wears the Napoleonic Amethyst Parure Tiara in Amsterdam in April 2013 (via Michel Porro/Getty Images)

Amethysts were valued higher than diamonds for both their color and their rarity. Amethysts can be found on many Crown Jewels including the Napoleonic Amethyst Parure Tiara, today belonging to the Swedish Royal family. The Swedish Royal Family was put in place by Emperor Napoleon, Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, one of Napoleon’s military leaders who ultimately was elected King of Sweden. The Swedish Royal Family has a vast collection of jewels dating back to the Napoleonic Empire. This stunning Napoleonic Amethyst Parure Tiarae was also once gifted to Empress Josephine by Emperor Napoleon.

Few have had as many jewels or started as many jewelry trends as royalty. True jewelry collectors can appreciate both the rare natural phenomena behind the creation of the stones used, the craftsmanship of the goldsmiths, and, quite importantly, the history of civilizations past that led the jewelry world to where it is today.