Are Diamonds a Royal's Best Friend? The Impact of Royal Jewelry

All that glisters is not gold…but some of it is! The elite in
society, including and perhaps especially the royals, have always
used jewels to sparkle and stand out in a crowd. Whether it’s
Henry VIII adding cloth of gold and gold thread to his outfits
and adding jewels to his chest and even his hat or Mary I wearing
a legendary pearl or Victoria pinning a huge sapphire brooch to
her wedding dress or Princess Margaret wearing a tiara in the
bathtub…jewels make the royal!

Jewels have dazzled royal outfits for hundreds of years. One of
the most personal pieces of Tudor jewelry, and my absolute
favorite, actually does survive! It’s a small item, a ring, worn
by Elizabeth I. Called the Chequers Ring because it’s housed at
Chequers, the country house of the Prime Minister, it has been
displayed at the National Maritime Museum and at the National
Portrait Gallery. It’s a locket ring that contains a special
secret. 

This tiny piece of history is a reminder that jewelry is both
personal and public, both sentimental and stately. The history of
the royal wardrobe needs to include the jewelry, the crowns and
tiaras, the brooches and the necklaces. These pieces, large and
small, elegant and outlandish, are often the final touch to the
message the wardrobe seeks to deliver: magnificence.


History shows us what's possible.