(1)
In the 19th and 20th centuries, the bridal crowns and bouquets often featured orange blossoms or peach blossoms. The trend of wearing orange blossoms was actually led by Queen Victoria herself.
In 1845, Prince Albert designed a ceramic, enamel, and gold orange blossom brooch as an engagement gift for the young Victoria, and he subsequently completed a set. Although this jewelry set was not particularly expensive compared to the Queen's other jewels, it was highly artistic and embodied a sense of naturalism, setting off the early "naturalistic" trend of Victoria's era.
Following Queen Victoria's choice of the orange blossom set as her wedding jewelry, the "orange blossom" became the preferred floral material for brides at their weddings.
On every anniversary, the Queen insisted on wearing the orange blossom brooch from the set, and in her will, she stipulated that the jewelry was only for display and not to be worn by anyone, preserving their love within the passage of time.
(2)
In the modern understanding, it was Bulgari that introduced the world to "serpentine" jewelry. Little did people know that for "serpentine" jewelry, this was simply a "Renaissance".
The "serpent" symbolizes wisdom and eternity in Europe. Queen Victoria once received a serpent-shaped bracelet from her uncle, but it was Prince Albert who truly popularized the "serpent" throughout Europe. He designed an engagement ring in the form of a serpent, using rubies and emeralds, two gemstones symbolizing love, and Victoria's birthstone happened to be emerald, signifying their "eternal love".
Since then, not only did "serpent" jewelry regain popularity across Europe, the tradition of engagement rings was also born.
(3)
If not for the constraints of his status, Prince Albert might have been the top jewelry designer of the Victorian era. His influence was apparent in the jewelry designs of that time.
On the eve of the wedding, he presented the Queen with a small crown he personally designed, set with 11 sapphires. Its inspiration came from the shield emblem of the Duke of Saxony, with the small leaves on it derived from a totem called Rautenkranz. Apart from being a crown, the Queen provided another perspective in her early official portraits: as a hair comb to secure the bun, reportedly also a suggestion from the prince.
In 1866, the prince passed away. When the Queen attended the opening of Parliament, she wore this crown instead of the Imperial Crown. Perhaps for her, their happy marriage began with this crown and should end with it as well.
(4)
This magnificent crown, containing 19 teardrop-shaped emeralds, was from the 5th year of their marriage, a Gothic Revival style jewelry set personally designed by Prince Albert. The remaining parts, including a necklace, brooch, and earrings, were crafted by the royal jeweler Joseph Kitching. Queen Victoria praised the prince's taste and wrote in her diary, "Wearing the jewelry designed by Albert himself brings me immense joy."
This crown also appeared in a family portrait created by Franz Xaver Winterhalter for the Queen's family in 1846.
The "act of love" of exchanging jewelry at important moments was also passed down by the British royal family.
(5)
The trend of using jewelry as an expression of emotions also stemmed from Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. In addition to love, the prince also engraved his love for his children in his jewelry designs.
He once created a Charms bracelet with 9 different colored heart-shaped enamel pendants, representing their 9 children. Each pendant was inscribed with the child's name and birthdate and contained their corresponding hair.
The Queen also wore a heart-shaped necklace containing the prince's hair for many years.
In 1901, the Queen passed away. In her will, she requested that this bracelet be permanently kept in the room where the prince passed away in 1861, hoping that this would allow the children to always be with their father.
