Meghan Markle, Queen Elizabeth II and Kate Middleton Photo Getty
Royalty
Best of 2017: A Recap of Royal Jewelry News
The royal engagement, ‘The Crown’ and so much more
If The Crown has taught us anything, it’s that the popularity of the British Royal Family ebbs and flows. In 2017 the interest in English nobility was, metaphorically speaking, flooding over the River Thames.
At The Adventurine, we covered all of the news from the jewelry angle. Links to our stories are below. Next year with the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on May 19 promises to be even better and we can hardly wait.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle officially announce their engagement to the press at Kensington Palace. Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage
Meghan Markle’s Diamond Engagement Ring
It was the best kick off to engagement season ever. On November 27, 2017, Clarence House put out a statement that read, “His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince Harry to Ms. Meghan Markle. The wedding will take place in Spring 2018.” At the official photocall at Kensington Palace, Meghan gave the public the first look at the ring Harry designed with one of the Queen’s jewelers… Read more
Prince Harry with Meghan Markle who is wearing Birks Snowflake diamond earrings. Photo Joe Giddens/Getty Images
Meghan Markle’s Diamond Earrings
On Christmas Day, Meghan Markle joined Prince Harry and the royal family for a service at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham. For the traditional event the American actress added a bit of sparkle. Diamond earrings, from the Canadian jeweler Birks, lit up her neutral toned ensemble… Read more
Catherine Duchess of Cambridge wears the Queen’s pearl necklace as she rides to Windsor Castle with Prince Harry and Prince William. Photo Getty Images
Kate Middleton Wears The Queen’s Pearls
Kate Middleton may have access to one of the best jewelry collections on the planet but historically she has chosen to wear jewelry from her personal collection unless it’s a state occasion. Well in 2017 she begun to dip into the royal treasury slightly more frequently. Some professional royal watchers have hypothesized that it’s part of a royal makeover… Read more
Collage with images of Diana in jewels Kate Middleton has worn surrounding William and Kate’s official engagement portrait Photo Getty
Kate Middleton Honors Diana With Jewelry
Contributor Caroline Dweck took a look at how Kate Middleton pays tribute to Diana with jewelry. She did so before this summer marking the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death and she will surely pass the tradition right on to Princess Charlotte. Of course, Kate’s everyday Diana jewel is her beautiful engagement ring, but there are also several other stunning pieces… Read more
Princess Charlotte and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge wearing antique earrings for the 2017 Trooping of the Colors Photo Mark Cuthbert/Getty
We’re Obsessed With Kate Middleton’s Antique Earrings
At the Trooping of the Colors on June 17, 2017, when the entire royal family gathered together on the balcony at Buckingham Palace to watch the pageantry of the parade, Kate Middleton looked sensational in a millennial pink Alexander McQueen dress and elaborate updo that created the perfect canvas for a pair of antique diamond earrings… Read more
The Duchess of Cambridge wearing her diamond and sapphire engagement ring. Photo Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
The Most Famous Engagement Ring in the World
In honor of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement we took a look back at Kate Middleton’s engagement ring that once belonged to Princess Diana and uncovered 10 things you may not know about the jewel. While the design is instantly recognizable all the many stories behind it are far from common knowledge. Indeed, some facts surrounding the engagement ring are a mystery… Read more
Pippa Middelton on her wedding day wearing a Maidenhair Fern tiara and diamond pendant earrings Photo Getty
We’re Pippa Middleton’s Earrings Her Something Old?
Pippa Middleton’s wedding to James Matthews on May 20, 2017 may not have been a royal wedding but it felt like one. The bride dazzled the crowds and press in a lace gown by Giles Deacon with a high neck and cap sleeves. Her updo was accented by a Maidenhair Fern tiara and her earrings that could have been her ‘something old…’ Read more
Princess Diana wearing the Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiara on her way to the State Opening of Parliament in 1981 Photo by Anwar Hussein/WireImage
Diana: Her Jewelry Story
It seems almost impossible that 20 years have gone by since Princess Diana died at 36-years old in a car accident in Paris. To mark the somber anniversary, the royal family celebrated her life with various activities throughout 2017. One of the most highly publicized events was the exhibition Diana: Her Fashion Story at Kensington Palace. The presentation got us to thinking about Diana’s jewelry style. While all the reviews of the exhibit mention how her clothes changed from demure designs, at the time she married Prince Charles in 1981 at the tender age of 20, to confident glamour looks, her taste in jewelry remained more or less the same… Read more
Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip with the royal family on their wedding day. On the left is King George VI, Princess Margaret. On the right are Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary Photo Popperfoto
The Drama Around Queen Elizabeth’s Engagement Ring and Wedding Jewelry Were Left Out of ‘The Crown’
One of the many fabulous things about the Netflix historical drama The Crown is all the behind the scenes views of royal family life. In the first episode of Season 1, ‘Wolferton Splash,’ the politics surrounding young Princess Elizabeth’s wedding to Prince Philip and her steely resolve play into the plot. What was left out of the story was the drama surrounding her engagement ring and wedding jewelry. We covered it in detail… Read more
Queen Elizabeth II in the royal carriage wearing the Imperial State Crown after her coronation on June 2, 1953 and a rendering of the crown. Photo STF/AFP/Getty Images
The Jewelry Star of ‘The Crown’
In anticipation of season 2 of The Crown, which began streaming on December 8, 2017, we took a closer look at the Imperial State Crown of England. Featured dramatically in the opening credits of every episode, it is at once a physical symbol and a metaphor of the British monarchy… Read more
Princess Margaret in the Poltimore tiara leaving Westminster Abbey with Tony Armstrong Jones after their wedding. Photo Getty
Princess Margaret Bought Her Wedding Tiara
It’s not exactly a spoiler to reveal Princess Margaret finally makes it to the alter in The Crown. Even if you haven’t watched Episode 7 of Season 2 yet, you are probably aware the rebellious sister of Queen Elizabeth married photographer Tony Armstrong. What might come as a complete shocker—facts that are not reviewed in the Netflix series—is that the tiara Princess Margaret wears for her wedding was bought shortly before the occasion… Read more
The Duke and Duchess of Windsor on their wedding day June 3, 1937 Photo Getty
The Duchess of Windsor’s Rebellious Engagement Ring
In celebration of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor’s wedding, 80-years ago on June 3, 1937, we took a look back her engagement ring which was really a rebellious jewel… Read more
A rendering of a Holbein monogram pendant most likely made for Queen Jane Seymour; Hans Hoblein portrait of Queen Jane Seymour; A contemporary Otto Jakob jewel Photo British Museum, Getty and Otto Jakob
Henry VIII’s Favorite Jewelry Designer
While researching the provenance of a fifteenth-century drawing in the collection of the British Museum, contributor Emily Selter came across one of the most famous items in the institution’s Prints and Drawings department, the ‘Jewellery Book’. She was intrigued by the name of the volume, and learned that it contained drawings of jewels that were designed under the patronage of King Henry VIII by the artist Hans Holbein, the monarch’s favorite jeweler… Read more
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