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.