Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Royal wedding gifts

Orange blossom brooch, 1839 | white porcelain, gold
Wedding brooch, 1840 | sapphire, diamonds, gold
Eagle brooch, 1840 | silver, turquoise, pearls, diamonds, rubies

The royal wedding is coming up this Friday the 29th. Yes, I am childishly excited for it and yes, I will be awake at 2 AM to watch live coverage.

A royal wedding that I would love to go back in time to see is that of Queen Victoria to her beloved Prince Albert in 1840. They were, to the best of everyone's knowledge, intensely devoted to each other and to their large family. Among other tender gestures, the couple had a habit of gifting jewelry and photographs to each other - beginning at their engagement and continuing through their marriage. Here are two pieces that Albert gave to Victoria to celebrate their engagement and wedding, as well as a brooch he had designed for each of the twelve young women (bridesmaids) who carried Victoria's train at her wedding. You can click on the images to learn more about them.

Photos courtesy of The Royal Collection

1 comment:

Wild Tea Party said...

SO beautiful!

I wish I could be watching the live coverage, but I'll be at a friend's birthday party. I feel like I'm being deprived.

Have you watched The Young Victoria? It's a fantastic film.

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