The Jewels Victoria Left Behind — And Who Wears Them Now

Some jewels merely sparkle, then there are those that have endured through centuries, coronations, and the slow turn of eras. The story of Queen Victoria's jewelry is far more than a simple account of gemstones. It is the narrative of how one woman, when faced with significant loss, reshaped the very visual language of the monarchy. A language that still speaks clearly at every state ceremony today. Before we begin, please support my channel by clicking on the like and subscribe buttons. Thank you. Let's begin with the silhouette that is perhaps the most recognizable of them all. If you have ever looked at a British stamp or held a coin minted in the last 70 years, this image is likely burned into your memory. It is the Diamond Diadem, officially known as the George IV State Diadem. There is a distinct irony here because this piece, which has become the ultimate feminine symbol of the British monarchy, was actually created for a man. King George IV commissioned it from the jewelers Rundle and Bridge in 1820. The cost was enormous, over 8,000 pounds at the time, and his intention was to wear it over a large velvet cap during the procession to Westminster Abbey. It was a piece designed for high theatre and male regality. History, however, took a different turn. After George IV, the diadem was worn exclusively by women. Queen Adelaide, Queen Victoria herself, Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, and eventually Elizabeth II. The late Queen wore it while traveling to the state opening of Parliament almost every year, starting in 1952. Over decades, it became part of the uniform of the Sovereign. Then we have November 2023. We saw Queen Camilla riding in the carriage to her first state opening of Parliament as Queen. And there it was again, the same diadem, with its intricate arrangement of roses, thistles, and shamrocks, set with 1,333 diamonds. Seeing it on a new consort felt like a quiet moment of visual confirmation. The power had transferred, yet the Victorian standard was being upheld. You might wonder why these specific pieces have survived as a unified set when so many other royal collections are scattered or sold off over time. This is where Queen Victoria's foresight played a decisive role. Following a significant loss of jewels to the House of Hanover in court in 1857, a drama we will discuss in detail later, she realized how fragile the royal collection actually was. Her response was to create a specific list designated as Heirlooms of the Crown. She established a strict rule for these items. They could not be sold, they could not be gifted to a favorite granddaughter, and they could not be kept as personal property. They had to pass directly to the next monarch, by right of the crown. That legal distinction is the reason we are looking at a cohesive collection today, rather than scattered remnants. Now let's wind the clock back. We are leaving the era of grand legal settlements and moving to the 1840s. In this decade, Victoria is not yet the imposing, unsmiling widow in black silk that we see in later photographs. She is a young woman, deeply in love, building a life with Prince Albert. It is from this specific period that we get pieces that began as intensely personal romantic gestures, but eventually transformed into unshakable symbols of the state. The story of the Prince Albert brooch begins on a specific evening, February 9, 1840. This was the night before Victoria's wedding. Prince Albert presented her with a large, oblong sapphire, surrounded by twelve round diamonds set in gold. The young queen was clearly moved by the gift. She wrote in her diary that evening, A splendid brooch, a large sapphire set round with diamonds, which is really quite beautiful. She valued it enough to wear it the very next day, pinned to her wedding dress. For the next twenty years, she wore it constantly. But as was the case with so many of Victoria's jewels, the brooch was rarely worn after Albert's death in 1861. Crucially, she designated it an heirloom of the crown, ensuring it would not be divided among her many children, but would pass directly to future queens. And pass it did, from generation to generation. Queen Alexandra wore it pinned to her gown at her coronation in 1902. It was worn by Queen Mary and the Queen Mother, and eventually it became one of Queen Elizabeth II's most frequently worn brooches for seven decades. It was a constant feature of her daytime wardrobe. Today, Queen Camilla carries that legacy forward. In 2023, during her first state visit to Germany, Prince Albert's homeland, she wore the brooch as a quiet diplomatic gesture. She chose it again in December 2025 to welcome the President of Germany at Windsor Castle, reinforcing its continued presence in the modern royal wardrobe nearly 180 years after it was first given. From the same era, we find the pearl drop earrings. These were another gift from Prince Albert, presented to Victoria in 1847. The design is elegant and substantial. A single, pear-shaped pearl suspended from a diamond stud. Victoria wore them throughout her life, often pairing them with her small diamond crown in her later years. It is interesting to track the usage of these earrings, because they essentially disappeared from public view during the early 20th century. Fashion had changed, and queens like Alexandra and Mary preferred different styles. However, Queen Elizabeth II brought them back into the light. She made them a key component of her most formal uniform, wearing them regularly for the State Opening of Parliament and the Garter Day service. We are unlikely to see these specific earrings on Queen Camilla, as she does not have pierced ears. However, looking to the future, there is every hope that the Princess of Wales will remember these historic drops when her time comes, returning them to the garter ceremonies where they became so iconic. Finally, we must look at a piece that predates Victoria's reign, but became firmly embedded in her legacy, Queen Adelaide's brooch. This piece was created in 1831 for Victoria's aunt, Queen Adelaide. It has a rather masculine origin story. King William IV commissioned it using diamonds taken from a badge of the Order of the Bath that had belonged to his father, George III. It is a large, classic diamond cluster, often worn as a clasp for a pearl necklace in the 19th century. But its most famous moment in history is surprisingly modern. If you remember the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics, you surely recall the sketch where Queen Elizabeth II appeared alongside Daniel Craig as James Bond. On her dress for that specific appearance, she was wearing Queen Adelaide's brooch. It shows just how adaptable these historic pieces can be. We have spent some time looking at the sentimental side of Queen Victoria's jewelry box, the gifts from a husband, the tokens of affection. Now we need to shift gears completely. We are moving from the personal to the political, to what we might call the heavy artillery of the British monarchy. These are the pieces that don't just whisper about memories, they speak loudly about power and permanence. But before we examine these symbols of authority, we must address the drama I promised to discuss earlier, the event that nearly emptied the royal vaults and made these new creations necessary. This is the story of the Hanoverian Claim. When Victoria ascended the British throne in 1837, a centuries-old link was broken. For generations, British kings had also been kings of Hanover, a kingdom in present-day Germany. However, Hanover followed Salic law, which forbade women from inheriting the throne. So, while Victoria became Queen of the United Kingdom, the Hanoverian crown passed to her uncle, the Duke of Cumberland, who became King Ernest Augustus of Hanover. That separation of titles sparked a bitter family feud. King Ernest Augustus laid claim to the jewelry that had belonged to his mother, Queen Charlotte, arguing that under Salic law, these family jewels belonged to the male line, meaning him and not the British crown. The legal battle dragged on for 20 years. Finally, in 1857, a commission ruled against Victoria. It was a devastating blow. In 1858, Victoria was forced to strip settings and hand over a staggering amount of jewelry to her Hanoverian cousins, including her grandmother's diamond necklace and stones from her own crown. This is why Victoria put an end to the old practice of hiring stones for coronations. She decided that the British crown needed its own permanent inventory, safe from foreign claims and legal disputes. She set out to build a collection that belonged to the state, ensuring that future monarchs would never find themselves stripped of their regalia. This drive for permanence gave us the coronation necklace. It was created by the crown jeweler Gerard in 1858, and its origin story is wonderfully pragmatic. To find the diamonds for this massive piece, Gerard didn't just source new stones. They cannibalized existing items in the royal collection that were deemed outdated. The records state that stones were taken from swords and useless things. Specifically, diamonds were removed from old garter badges and a sword hilt. The necklace itself consists of 25 graduated cushion-cut diamonds, but the undisputed focal point is the pendant, the Lahore diamond. This stone, weighing over 22 carats, has a history that traces back to the Lahore treasury in the Punjab region. It was presented to Queen Victoria in 1851. When the necklace was constructed, this diamond was given pride of place at the center. And we cannot overlook the earrings that accompany it. These two large, pear-shaped drops have a history that rivals the necklace. They were originally the side stones in the armlet that held the Koh-i-Noor diamond. When the Koh-i-Noor was recut and reset, these drops were freed up and found a new life as the coronation earrings. The name Coronation Necklace is not just a title, it is a factual description of its job history. Since its creation, it has been worn by every single queen consort and queen regnant at their coronation. Queen Alexandra wore it in 1902. Queen Mary wore it in 1911, though she famously had it shortened to fit her style. Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, wore it in 1937. And of course, Queen Elizabeth II wore it for her own coronation in 1953, creating one of the most iconic images of her reign as she waved from the balcony. There was a genuine question leading up to May 2023 regarding this necklace. Would Queen Camilla wear it? The monarchy has been moving toward a more streamlined, less ostentatious image, and there was speculation that such a heavy, historic piece might be retired or replaced with something lighter. But when she arrived at Westminster Abbey, the answer was clear. It was a powerful visual link. By wearing it, she aligned herself visually with every queen that had come before her since 1858. It was a statement of continuity made in 22 carats. While the necklace and earrings are the most prominent coronation jewels, there is another piece often found pinned to those same historic gowns, the cockade brooch. Believed to have originated as a diamond-studded ornament for a gentleman's hat, it was later remodeled for Queen Alexandra, possibly as a cloak clasp. This brooch is a remarkable witness to the 20th century monarchy, appearing at the coronations of Queen Alexandra in 1902, Queen Mary in 1911, and the Queen Mother in 1937. Though Queen Mary often wore the full version with its side elements, it is the large, central rosette that remains the version favored in recent years. Queen Elizabeth II reserved it for high-profile state occasions, such as the banquet for the President of South Korea in 2013, where its bold, circular design served as a striking statement of continuity. There is another piece from this era that operates much more quietly, often hiding in plain sight. This is Queen Victoria's diamond bracelet. It actually predates the necklace, having been made in 1838, very early in Victoria's reign. The design is distinct and classic—five articulated links, featuring diamonds set in a foliage pattern. It doesn't have the sheer scale or the famous central stone of the necklace, but its presence in the royal visual history is incredibly consistent. The interesting thing about this bracelet is how often it is there, yet how often we miss it. Queen Victoria's diamond bracelet appears to have come into Queen Elizabeth II's possession sometime in the 1960s, and was prominently featured in the celebrated Cecil Beaton portraits taken in 1968. Although it never became one of her most favored bracelets, she returned to it repeatedly over the years, wearing it on numerous occasions. In that same year, 1858, Victoria commissioned another essential set to fill the gaps left by the Hanoverian claim—the three diamond bow brooches. These were intended to replace similar items that had belonged to Queen Charlotte. The set consists of two large bows and one slightly smaller one, featuring over 500 diamonds. While Victoria herself was never pictured wearing them, she ensured their future by naming them heirlooms of the crown. Her successors found highly creative ways to display them. Queen Alexandra and Queen Mary often wore all three together as a vertical line, or as part of a grand stomacher. Queen Elizabeth II, however, usually wore them individually. One of these bows held a place of particular honor during her very last appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Platinum Jubilee in 2022. As Victoria's reign progressed, the sheer longevity of her time on the throne became a source of national pride. By the time she reached her major milestones—the Golden Jubilee in 1887 and the Diamond Jubilee in 1897—the British Empire was at its zenith. These celebrations weren't just parties—they were massive diplomatic and cultural events that required a specific kind of visual language. The jewelry created during these years reflects a queen who was no longer just a wife or a The story behind the Golden Jubilee necklace is a favorite illustration of Victoria's legendary iron will. It began with the Women's Jubilee Offering in 1887, a fundraising effort for a statue of Prince Albert that was so successful it left a surplus of £70,000. A fierce debate broke out—should the money go to a nursing charity or a personal gift When a simple charitable badge was suggested, Victoria issued a classic ultimatum, famously remarking that if given a badge, she would at once exchange it for another jewel. This led to the commission of a £5,000 diamond and pearl necklace from Carrington & Company. Victoria became deeply attached to the piece, but after her death, it largely disappeared from public view in its full form for several decades. Queen Mary, ever the creative editor of the Royal Vaults, found her own ways to use it. Recently unearthed photographs show her wearing the smaller links were repurposed as sparkling ornaments for her hats. It was Queen Elizabeth II who truly returned the necklace to the center of royal life. She wore the full set for her very first state opening of Parliament in 1952, and it remained her preferred choice for that specific ceremony for over 60 years. It even appeared at her final state opening in 2016. So far, we have yet to see the necklace appear on Queen Camilla. It remains in the vaults, perhaps waiting for a moment when it can step out from the long shadow of Elizabeth II's signature style and begin a new chapter of its own. Ten years later, the Diamond Jubilee of 1897 brought another significant addition—the Diamond Jubilee Brooch. This was a gift to the Queen from current and former members of her royal household. It is a beautiful, scrolled foliate design set with diamonds, with a large pearl at the center and a detachable pearl drop. This brooch traveled a distinct path through history. Although it was an heirloom of the Crown, and technically belonged to the regnant Queen, it became the signature piece of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. She seemed to prefer it over almost any other brooch in her vast collection. It was a constant presence for decades, accompanying her through World War II, through her husband's reign, and into her exceptionally long widowhood. She wore it for the engagement photos of her daughter, Princess Elizabeth, in 1947, and she was still wearing it for her 101st birthday celebrations in 2001. When it finally returned to the main collection after the Queen Mother's death in 2002, Queen Elizabeth II treated the jewel with a certain level of reverence. She wore it for a high-profile dinner in Toronto in 2010, but she never made it a daily staple in the way her mother had. Queen Camilla has not yet worn this piece. However, given her clear affinity for jewels that were once favorites of the Queen Mother, it feels like only a matter of time before we see this treasure return to the public eye. This leads us to the broader pearl line that Victoria established. She had a deep affinity for pearls, seeing them as stones that could bridge the gap between grand state occasions and more somber personal moments. The 11-pearl brooch, officially the Diamond and Pearl Brooch left by Queen Victoria, is a perfect example of this. It is an elaborate diamond setting featuring eight large pearls in the frame, with three more suspended as pendants. Like the Diamond Jubilee Brooch, this was a favorite of the Queen Mother, who wore it to some of her final public appearances. However, Queen Elizabeth II brought it into her own rotation with great effect. She chose it for some of her most intimate and significant televised moments, including her 2009 and 2016 Christmas broadcasts. It is also worth noting the Indian Pearls, a four-strand necklace from the Lahore Treasury presented to Victoria in 1851. These pearls, with their distinctive ruby snap, represent the global reach of Victoria's empire. The late Queen continued to wear them for gala events, such as a performance at the Royal Opera House in 2012. These pieces became part of the way Queen Victoria's long rule was seen and remembered, and even now, long after her death, they continue to appear at moments of ceremony and transition, linking one generation of the monarchy to the next. If you want to see the most dramatic transformation within Victoria's legacy, you have to look at the Crown Ruby Perure. This set is a perfect illustration of how a Victorian design can be completely reinvented to suit a new era, while remaining a powerful symbol of the monarchy. The centerpiece of this collection is the Oriental Circlet Tiara, a tiara designed by Prince Albert in 1853. He was deeply inspired by the Indian jewels he had seen at the Great Exhibition, and he dreamed up a design featuring lotus flowers set within seventeen Mughal arches, using over 2,600 diamonds. Victoria was so pleased with the result that she commissioned a matching necklace, earrings and brooch the following year. However, the set originally looked very different than it does today. It was set with opals, one of Albert's favorite gemstones, giving it a soft, milky glow rather than a fiery red one. The transformation into the Ruby Perure we recognize today was a generational process. Queen Alexandra famously considered opals to be unlucky, and in 1902, she had the stones in the tiara, necklace and earrings replaced. She used Burmese rubies that had been gifted to Victoria in the 1870s by the ruler of Nepal. Yet, the set remained slightly incomplete for another two decades. It was Queen Mary who finally finished the work in 1926 by replacing the opals in the brooch, ensuring the entire suite was unified in color for the first time. This perure eventually became the signature look of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. She began wearing it in 1937, shortly after her husband's accession, and used its grand scale to project the image of a Queen Empress during state visits to France and Canada. She grew so attached to the set that she retained it for the entirety of her 50-year widowhood. Because these historic rubies remained with her mother, Queen Elizabeth II actually had to commission a new ruby tiara for herself in the 1970s. She only reclaimed Victoria's original rubies in 2002, and wore the full circlet just once for a banquet in Malta in 2005. Today, we are seeing this Victorian legacy emerge in a very modern way. Queen Camilla has begun pairing the crown ruby necklace with other pieces, but the most significant moment occurred in December 2025. Catherine, Princess of Wales, appeared at a state banquet at Windsor Castle wearing the Indian circlet. It was a historic debut, the first time a future Queen consort has worn this specific tiara since the Victorian era. By choosing a piece designed by Albert for Victoria, the Princess of Wales offered a visual confirmation that these 19th century masterpieces have successfully transitioned into the hands of a new generation. Alongside these grand rubies, the diamond collet stud earrings represent a different kind of Victorian discipline. The design involves two perfectly matched, brilliant cut diamonds set in a collet setting where a collar of metal secures the stone. Victoria was photographed wearing them as early as 1873. Upon her death, she bequeathed them as part of the crown heirlooms. Queen Alexandra wore them for the state opening of Parliament in 1901, and Queen Mary followed suit, though Mary eventually commissioned a similar but larger pair by removing stones from the coronation necklace. In 1952, Queen Elizabeth II inherited these earrings and frequently adorned them, even during daytime events, especially in the early years of her reign. Finally, we must talk about the Kent amethyst demi-perure. These jewels actually belong to Queen Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent. The set is extensive. It includes a necklace, earrings, three brooches, and even a pair of hair combs. When the Duchess died in 1861, the amethysts passed to Victoria, who designated them as heirlooms of the crown. But here is the catch. We almost never see them together. In fact, Queen Elizabeth II wore the necklace and earrings together only once, for a state visit to Portugal in 1985. However, one specific element of this set became a staple of her daily uniform. You have likely seen it dozens of times without realizing its history, the hexagonal, shell-shaped diamond brooch with a deep purple amethyst at its center. The late Queen adored this piece for daytime engagements, frequently pinning it to her coats in various shades of violet and lilac. Another set of jewels that often escapes notice, yet carries a charming sense of history, is the collection of wheat ear brooches. These are six delicate diamond sprays shaped like ears of wheat, and their story actually begins just before Victoria's reign. They were commissioned in 1830 by King William IV for his wife, Queen Adelaide, using diamonds from the collection of King George III. Like so many other pieces we have discussed, these brooches were caught up in the great Hanoverian legal battle of 1858. When the court ruled that certain stones had to be returned to Germany, three of the original six wheat ears had to be completely remade by Gerard to replace the lost diamonds. Victoria often used these six sprays to embellish her necklines at formal events in her later years, but it was her descendants who found more creative ways to wear them. The Queen Mother, for instance, famously used them to pin her sash during her legendary state visit to Paris in 1938. However, it was Queen Elizabeth II who truly reimagined them. Throughout her reign, she frequently wore them not as brooches, but as hair slides. She wore them more traditionally as a pair of brooches during her visit to Oman in 2010, and in 2018, Princess Eugenie used several of them as hair ornaments at her wedding dinner at Royal Lodge. Very unusual and beautiful. When we look at photographs of Queen Elizabeth II, one piece of jewelry appears with remarkable frequency, her classic three-strand diamond festoon necklace. While many associate it entirely with her signature style, its essence traces back to the 19th century. The necklace was crafted from 105 loose collet-set diamonds that Queen Victoria had specifically earmarked as heirlooms of the crown. In 1950, King George VI commissioned Garrard to bring these historic stones into the light, creating a new necklace for his daughter, the future Elizabeth II. Shortly after inheriting the piece, she made a practical edit. In 1953, she had the necklace shortened by 10 stones, so it would sit more closely to her throat. For the next 70 years, it was one of her most reliable gala jewels, appearing at state dinners across the globe. Today, this Victorian legacy has successfully transitioned to a new generation. We saw it prominently in May 2023, when Catherine, Princess of Wales, chose it for the official coronation portraits of King Charles III. More recently, in June 2024, Queen Camilla wore the necklace for the Japanese state banquet at Buckingham Palace. By continuing to wear these stones, both women have stepped into a visual lineage that connects them directly to the foundations laid by Queen Victoria. Finally, we should look at a piece that remains something of a mystery within the royal collection – the diamond and emerald fringe earrings. Despite being designated as heirlooms of the crown by Queen Victoria, these are among the least seen and least understood jewels in the vault. Even their origin is a subject of debate. One version, suggested by the historian Susie Menkes, is that Prince Albert gave them to Victoria in 1847. Another account from Leslie Field suggests the Queen purchased them herself in April 1850. There is a third possibility that they were part of a handsome set of emeralds given to Victoria by King William IV for her confirmation in 1835. It is quite perplexing that Victoria chose to make these specific earrings heirlooms while allowing other substantial emeralds to leave the main line of the family. Their history of usage is equally unusual. There are no known images of Queen Mary or the Queen Mother wearing them. Queen Alexandra is only known to have worn them once, and she did not wear them in her ears. For her 1902 coronation, she used them as dress ornaments, suspending them from two of Queen Victoria's diamond bows. Queen Elizabeth II did not consider them a favorite and wore them occasionally, usually paired with the Godman emerald necklace. They remain a hidden, enigmatic part of the Victorian legacy, waiting for a future queen to find a new way to bring them into the light. Looking back at all this, from the courtroom losses of 1857 to the historic appearances of the last few years, one thing becomes clear. Queen Victoria possesses a specific type of immortality. She created a system of heirlooms that has functioned like clockwork for over 120 years, ensuring that the visual identity of the monarchy remains unbroken. I think Victoria would be pleased to see that her treasures are still very much alive, still in demand, and still providing the structural elegance that defines the British crown. If you enjoyed unraveling this tangle of history and gemstones with me, please support the video with a like. It is the best way to let me know you would like to see more stories like this one. And I would love to hear from you in the comments. How do you feel when you see Queen Victoria's jewels being worn in our modern world? And which of these pieces evokes the strongest emotions for you? Perhaps it is the sentimental wedding brooch from 1840, or the grand coronation necklace that has witnessed so much history. I look forward to reading your thoughts. Please make sure to subscribe so you don't miss the next chapter of our jewelry history. Until next time!