Jewellery 'Almost Certainly' Made For Queen Victoria Disappoints | Antiques Roadshow

I came across them about 12 years ago in Edinburgh in a curio shop. That's nice. And did they tell you anything about its history at all? Well there was a label on it saying it was almost certainly made for Queen Victoria in mourning for Prince Albert and I wanted to believe that. Well I think it's not terribly likely actually because although they're very beautiful jewels they're not quite so sumptuous enough for a queen I don't think. And it's called champ levé enamel which means literally a raised field and the enamel fills the reserves where the engraving tool has gone. And it's picked out rather nicely with these crowns and I think probably the crowns have given rise to the idea that this is a piece of royal mourning jewellery. It's rather interesting that you bought them in Scotland because they're set with cairngorms and of course Victoria and Albert had very strong associations with Scotland and they enjoyed finding these raw rock crystals and having them polished and it created something of a craze at that time. I think there's a very strong possibility that they are mourning jewels for Prince Albert but they may have been made to a royal order to be given to somebody of lesser stature and my guess is that these are probably for a particular lady at court. Prince Albert died in 1861 and the queen was utterly grief-stricken. She wrote to her uncle King Leopold of the Belgians saying my life as a happy one is ended the world is gone from me and then thence afterwards until she died in 1901 she was preoccupied with her grief and her mourning so these would have been an appropriate thing. The date of 1861 is absolutely perfect for the style and work of these jewels so I think in a way it's sort of credible. We just slightly missed the step or two down. Not a real big line, it was just a small line. Sometimes so very necessary in life aren't they really but I'm not sure they should be brought into commerce really. You wanted to wear them when you bought them did you? Yes. Did you find them wearable? Yeah I find it but only when I wear black. I think it only looks good on black. I think it's absolutely splendid that you're wearing jewellery. The English are very frightened of wearing jewellery today and you show them how it's really done. But it's a bit difficult here in Yorkshire when you live in Yorkshire and walk through the fields. No no I think it's brilliant to see you walking through the fields you'd rather like Mary Queen of Scots I think wearing that wouldn't you? Brilliant brilliant idea. So come on we're all itching to know what they cost in Edinburgh six years ago. I paid something in the region of three thousand pounds for it which probably makes you gasp. No it doesn't, no it doesn't make me gasp. It's quite a full price without doubt but the thing is that it's no good sort of chasing bargains all one's life and if you really want good things you've got to pay for them and there's an old saying in the antiques trade that one really only regrets one's bargains one never regrets one's extravagances you certainly shouldn't regret this this is lovely lovely jewellery thanks for showing it brilliant okay thank you very much