Today at Hidden Gems, I’m bringing you a deep dive into the history of Queen Victoria’s Sapphire Coronet, now on display at the V&A in London. As a companion piece here today, I’ve got a roundup of articles about Queen Victoria’s brooches, including the sapphire brooch that Victoria wore with the coronet in her famous Winterhalter portrait.
One More Tiara Mission: My London Travel Diary (Part 4)
[Hidden Gems Exclusive]
Time for a coda to my series of articles on my recent trip to London, where I saw the Cartier exhibition at the V&A, the Edwardian exhibition at the King’s Gallery, and the fashion and jewelry exhibitions at Kensington Palace. Before I headed home, it was time for one last stop: a mission to see a tiara I’ve written about for years but had not yet seen in person.
The day before their wedding in 1840, Prince Albert offered a gift to his bride-to-be. The bauble, a sapphire and diamond brooch set in gold, was received by Queen Victoria with enthusiasm. In her diary, she noted that Albert had given her “a splendid brooch, a large sapphire set round with diamonds, which is really quite beautiful.”
Queen Victoria’s Diamond Bow Brooches
In 1858, Queen Victoria’s jewelry box went through a sudden and rather unexpected transformation. All of the jewels that had once belonged to her grandmother, Queen Charlotte, were awarded to her cousin, the King of Hanover, whose father had claimed them following the death of King William IV. She lost numerous pieces, including a set of diamond bow brooches.
Queen Victoria’s Diamond and Pearl Brooch
Leslie Field describes the brooch as “a large diamond-shaped design set with numerous diamonds, eight pearls and three pendant pearl drops,” adding that Queen Victoria is the monarch who designated the piece as an heirloom of the crown.
Queen Victoria’s Cross Moline Brooch
The brooch consists of two sections: a large, oval-shaped pin with a pear-shaped pendant. The main section of the brooch features an elongated cross moline set on a background of intricate gold scrolls. The cross appears to feature light blue or silver enamel decoration, and a single pearl is mounted in the center of the cross. The pendant also includes a second pearl, set on gold scrolls with enamel accents.
Queen Victoria’s Diamond Fringe Brooch
One of the grandest, most glittering ornaments in Queen Victoria’s collection was this gorgeous diamond fringe brooch—but, believe it or not, it used to be even grander!
Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee Brooch
As this brooch’s name suggests, it was given to Queen Victoria in 1897 by the members of her royal household to mark her Diamond Jubilee. The jewel was made in that year by Garrard.
The Hesse Diamond Jubilee Brooch
The main diamond portion of this brooch forms a heart shape. Inside the heart is the number 60 (the number of years in a Diamond Jubilee reign) in Cyrillic numerals, which, for comparison purposes, looks something like this: Ѯ. Additionally, there are three cabochon sapphires set in the piece: one at the top and two as negligee-style pendants.
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