Tonight, the Queen attended a state dinner at the 18th century Bellevue Palace, German President Joachim Gauk’s official residence. Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh are undertaking a four-day official visit to the country where their ancestors hail from; up until 1918 the House of Windsor was part of the House of Saxe-Coburg and…
As King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wrap up their official visit to North America, let us learn more about their great nation through the wonder of jewelry. Queen Maxima was born in Argentina and met the king during the 1999 Seville Spring Fair in Spain. His Majesty, who was inaugurated in April 2013…
Today was yet another example of what Great Britain does best, putting on a display of pomp and pageantry as Her Majesty took part in her 62nd State Opening of Parliament. “The State Opening of Parliament marks the formal start of the parliamentary year and the Queen’s Speech sets out the government’s agenda for the…
Retailers the world over have created special items to commemorate Princess Charlotte‘s arrival, and – if we’re being honest – it’s jolly good fun to celebrate a girl because FASHION AND BEAUTY AND SPARKLY JEWELS (soz, George). British jeweler Monica Vinader, who started her line in 2008 to fuse together fashion and fine jewelry, sketched a personalized…
Only in December 2014 did we discover (“we” being me) that the Duchess of Cambridge is fan of costume jewelry designer Kenneth Jay Lane. His prices are incredibly fair for what he creates, from elaborate chandelier earrings to statement necklaces. If you’re reading this, Mr. Lane, we wouldn’t be opposed to knock-offs of famous European tiaras. Not…
Like the appeal of a piece of string to a cat, a sparkling object has the power to capture my attention for hours on end. Add in a bit of history and you’ll see me only when I emerge for mozzarella sticks and Pellegrino. Because of this, I asked The Court Jeweller‘s Ella Kay to select four royal…
Yesterday, the community of “Peeps Who Love A Good Kate Challenge” (hello!) were on the hunt for the makers of a new tanzanite teardrop set worn by the Duchess of Cambridge to the service commemorating combat in Afghanistan. As I expected, a super-sleuth extraordinaire* by the name of “Jenny” help My Small Obsessions track down the jewelers…
The Duchess of Cambridge loves herself a dangly earring (especially from 2005-2008), and today she wore a pair by Kenneth Jay Lane first seen in 2007, according to @AnnieElizabethN. Because she’s a woman of the people, it’s fairly simple to take a page from Catherine’s book and doll up one’s earlobes, fingers and/or neck with…
What I admire most about the Duchess of Cambridge is how her use of high street retailers connects her with the public. When Her Royal Highness wore a pair of CZ pearl-drop earrings by Heavenly Necklaces to Queen Elizabeth‘s Diamond Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving, royal watchers nodded in approval.
Everyone, look what I found! Necklaces similar-if-you-don’t-look-directly-at-it to Catherine’s Cartier Trinity necklace!