This Egyptian Revival necklace from Devil Wears Prada has a royal past.

October 22, 2024

When this Egyptian Revival necklace popped up in my email inbox, I thought, “oooh, pretty.” But when I read the accompanying press release and realized how cool its story really is, I knew I had to share it with you.

The Egyptian Revival necklace that Meryl Streep wears in The Devil Wears Prada is a real antique with a royal connection.

This Egyptian Revival necklace from Devil Wears Prada has a royal past.

Gorgeous, isn’t it?? I didn’t take much notice of this beautiful piece the first (or second, or third) times I watched The Devil Wears Prada, but I’ll never miss it again. I love how the vibrant colors of the antique enamel, turquoise, and coral look peeping out of the clean lines of Meryl Streep’s Vogue editor persona’s chic tailored shirt and jacket.

Even better? This Egyptian Revival necklace wasn’t created as a prop for the movie, it’s a real antique from the 1800’s, commissioned by a future King as a gift for his mistress, a famous actress of the day.

Let’s get a closer look and dive into the past.

The Egyptian Revival necklace that Meryl Streep wore in The Devil Wears Prada was once a gift from Edward VII to his mistress Lillie Langtry.

Here is the necklace in all its glory! It’s a fantastic example of 19th century Egyptian Revival, a trend that was spurred in that era by Napoleon’s expedition to Egypt and the excavation and opening of the Suez Canal in the 1860’s. But the trends of the day weren’t the real reason why this piece was made.

It’s time to introduce you to the necklace’s first owner, Lillie Langtry. A society beauty first famous for her loveliness and later for her talent, Langtry decided to pursue a stage career after playwright Oscar Wilde encouraged her to give acting a try.

Despite her marriage to Edward Langtry, Lillie was also the longtime paramour of of the Prince of Wales (later, King Edward VII). Her royal lover lavished her with gifts and built a house for the two of them to share in Bournemouth by the late 1870’s. According to family history, this is when the Prince presented his lady love with the Egyptian Revival necklace.

Left, King Edward VII & Queen Alexandra. Right, Lillie Langtry wearing the necklace while playing Cleopatra on stage in 1881

Left, King Edward VII & Queen Alexandra. Right, Lillie Langtry in 1881

Why was Egyptian Revival the perfect gift for Ms. Langtry at that moment in time?

Well, because the actress was about to star in Anthony and Cleopatra at London’s Princess Theater. According to family sources, Langtry wore this exact necklace for her opening night of the show before it was replaced by a larger costume version for future performances.

It is worth mentioning that Langtry’s salary for Anthony and Cleopatra was, at the time, the highest ever paid to an actress. She also established the “Lillie Syndicate,” her successful business empire of celebrity product endorsements, which was groundbreaking for the era.

So Lillie wasn’t just a pretty face who got gifts from princes, she was a businesswoman getting things done.

Close up view of the antique Egyptian Revival necklace Meryl Streep wore in The Devil Wears Prada.

Langtry’s Egyptian Revival necklace has now returned to Hancocks London, the same jeweler who originally made the piece in the late 1800’s.

The piece features a gold necklace with a serpent’s head clasp suspending a winged enamel scarab, a large faience scarab, a carved carnelian shell, and tassels of coral drops, Ram’s heads, turquoise cabochons, and carved moonstones.

Even better: the necklace still resides in its original Hancocks box from the late 1800’s.

This Egyptian Revival necklace worn by Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada was once a gift from Edward VII to his mistress Lillie Langtry.

According to Guy Burton, Managing Director of Hancocks London:

“The Prince of Wales commissioned Hancocks to make this piece for his mistress at the time, Lillie Langtry, who was regarded as one of the most glamorous and beautiful society women of her era. He was known to be deeply enamoured with Ms Langtry and is believed to have presented her with the necklace during their time together, marking it as a token of affection from a royal admirer.

[…] For the Prince of Wales, it would have made perfect sense to commission this piece for Ms Langtry given she was appearing as Cleopatra in the West End.”

The necklace’s journey didn’t end with Lillie Langtry. In 2003, it was auctioned by a private vendor whose grandmother had received it as a gift from the actress. Hancocks London re-acquired the piece and soon loaned it to a Hollywood production, facilitating the piece’s appearance in the iconic 2006 film, The Devil Wears Prada.

1800's sensation Lillie Langry and modern megastar Meryl Streep both wore this antique Egyptian Revival necklace in their performances.

The Egyptian Revival necklace was then sold to an American collector, and just recently has been re-acquired by Hancocks once again.

Isn’t that an incredible jewelry story? If you’d like to see this storied Egyptian Revival necklace in real life, Hancocks London will be displaying it in early October in honor of the West End production of The Devil Wears Prada that’s coming to London at the same time.

See more Egyptian Revival jewelry in my archive here or my Pinterest board here.

All images and info c/o Hancocks London.

I can’t forget the 2023 AGTA Spectrum Awards!

July 30, 2024

You might wonder, darlings, why we’re talking about the 2023 AGTA Spectrum Awards in summer of 2024? It’s a reasonable question, and I promise I have an answer.

I can’t forget the 2023 AGTA Spectrum Awards!

The American Gemstone Trade Association (AGTA) Spectrum Awards are a prestigious jewelry industry competition that gathers submissions from the finest lapidary artists, jewelers, and gem dealers in the country. I’ve had the pleasure of covering it a number of times, as you can see in my AGTA archive.

I had so much fun at the 2023 AGTA Spectrum Awards!

I intended to come straight home from the 2023 AGTA Spectrum Awards preview and publish this blog post full of photos for you to enjoy! But instead I had a scary medical emergency and ended up in the Emergency Room. It was a weird one that required lots of follow up appointments and testing. My Ehlers Danlos Syndrome means that this kind of thing occasionally happens to me, and luckily everything worked out just fine.

There was one casualty, however: I missed my chance to show you the treasures I saw at the 2023 AGTA Spectrum Awards Editor’s preview!

I couldn’t bear for you to miss seeing these beauties, so even though quiiiiiiiite a bit of time has elapsed, I am going to share you the treasures of the 2023 AGTA Spectrum Awards with you here today.

Robin Callahan Designs necklace with 64.54 Swiss blue topaz carved into a windmill scene. Accent diamonds and sapphires.

This Robin Callahan Designs necklace was one of my absolutely favorites of the day (and not just because it goes so well with my manicure).

It features a staggering 64.45 ct Swiss blue topaz carved into a windmill scene by lapidary artist Dalan Hargrave, set within a 14K white gold frame set with sapphires, diamonds, and London blue topaz.

Just look at this tiny work of art. If you wear this, you’ll have a petite masterpiece around your neck, no doubt about it.

Trying on this pastel rainbow necklace with colorful sapphires, garnets, and white, cognac, and champagne diamonds in gold. By The Crown Collection!

There are several things I enjoyed about this rainbow pastel dream of a necklace.

First, this color combo is spectacular – so light and dreamy and fun! And secondly, this was entered in the Men’s Jewelry section of the competition. I strongly believe that all jewelry is gender natural, but it delighted me that this designer eschewed convention to categorize this lovely candy-colored piece as Men’s.

Created by The Crown Collection, this pastel rainbow necklace features colorful sapphires and garnets alongside sparkling white, cognac, and champagne diamonds in gold.

Yael Designs' Sentience Bangle features a 26.44 ct carved aquamarine set with a 6.95 ct tanzanite, surrounded by diamonds and moonstones.

The kind of tone-on-tone color scheme was one of the big trends I noticed at the 2023 AGTA Spectrum awards – you may remember it also appeared in the Robin Callahan Designs necklace we saw above with London blue topaz set next to deep blue sapphire.

I am a huge fan of this kind of color combination, I find it so fresh and lovely.

This Yael Designs piece is another example of how beautifully dark and light blues can work together. In this design, called Yael Designs’ Sentience Bangle, a 26.44 carat carved aquamarine has a 6.95 carat pear shaped tanzanite actually set within the stone! How cool is that?

The bold double center stone is complimented by the piece’s swirling mass of 18K white gold tendrils, accented with diamonds and moonstones.

Opal rings at the AGTA Spectrum Awards 2023. By Omi Prive, Pompos, Nicole Mera, and Erica Courtney.

The 2023 Spectrum Awards were a spectacular year for opals, especially in the form of jaw-dropping rings! I love how these opal rings are ostensibly similar (large oval opal surrounded by accent stones) but the specifics of each stone and design make them all feel so different. Lots more tone-on-tone magic here to enjoy, with all the greens and blues!

Top left: by Pompos and features a 6.63 carat black opal accented with diamonds and sapphires.

Bottom left: by Omi Privé, and the winner of AGTA Spectrum 23 Best in Show and 1st place! This black opal ring features a 15.22 carat black opal with Paraiba tourmaline, tsavorite garnet, & diamonds.

Top right: by Nicole Mera, and features a 2.15 carat Australian black opal with tsavorite garnets and diamonds. (This beauty took home an Honorable Mention!)

Bottom right: by Erica Courtney and features a 2.07 carat opal surrounded by sapphires, garnets, and diamonds.

Suzy Landa rainbow pendant necklace with tourmaline, garnet, topaz, beryl, zircon, tanzanite, and amethyst (25.92 total gems), and diamonds.

Everyone loves a rainbow, especially when it’s a rainbow of gams – and this gemstone rainbow pendant from Suzy Landa is SO gorgeous. Look at the shapes, the colors! This thing felt like it was blasting everyone in a 10 foot radius with positive energy.

This Suzy Landa pendant features 25.92 total carats of gems, including tourmaline, garnet, topaz, beryl, zircon, tanzanite, and amethyst, as well as accent diamonds in 18K yellow gold.

After 12 years in the jewelry industry I can appreciate the amount of time, effort, and dedication that it must have taken for Suzy Landa find this full rainbow of complementary gems in the shapes, sizes, and cuts that she needed to accomplish this feat – it’s seriously impressive.

Butterfly brooch pendant with Beryl, Tourmaline, Aquamarine, Iolite, Diamonds, and Zircon! By Brenda Smith Jewelry.

This butterfly brooch is both dramatic and elegant, not a combination that’s easy to accomplish! I love how light it feels, despite its size – I think that’s due to the delicate color of the long tourmaline body and all the lacy negative space of the 18K white gold wings.

Created by Brenda Smith Jewelry, this butterfly brooch features a 37.33 carat tourmaline, a 5.30 carat aquamarine, and nearly 10 carats of additional gemstones: beryl, tourmaline, aquamarine, iolite, diamonds, and zircon! It can also be worn as a pendant, so it’s a double whammy.

I think it looks great with my dress, too!

Abolitionist jewelry of the 18th and 19th century anti-slavery movement.

June 18, 2024

We’re going to look at the abolitionist jewelry of the anti-slavery movement, a fascinating jewelry category that is as important as it is rare.

This Wedgewood anti-slavery medallion, circa 1887, says 'Am I Not a Man and a Brother' and was made to support the abolitionist cause. Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Abolitionist jewelry of the 18th and 19th century anti-slavery movement.

Tomorrow is Juneteenth: a day honoring June 19, 1865; the long-overdue day when the enslaved people of the United States were finally free. This feels like the perfect time to explore the fascinating history of abolitionist jewelry and its role in the 18th and 19th century anti-slavery movement.

Much like the social justice warriors of the Suffragette movement, the majority of serious abolitionists did not dedicate much of their time, money, or energy into jewelry that triumphed their cause. True examples of abolitionist jewelry are scarce because not much of it was created.

We’re going to begin by looking at one very influential type of abolitionist jewelry with examples from museum collections, and then we’re going to look at two examples of abolitionist jewelry that I’ve had the honor of photographing personally. After that, we will examine these artworks through a modern lens and highlight their problematic elements.

This article was made possible by a number of knowledgeable sources, all of which are credited at the end.

The Wedgwood medallion

The best known abolitionist jewelry is the Wedgwood anti-slavery medallion. The image at the top of the page shows a circa 1787 example from The Metropolitan Museum of Art while the one below, in an embellished frame, is from the The Art Institute of Chicago.

Designed by Josiah Wedgwood in 1787, the Wedgwood anti-slavery medallion was created for the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, a London-based group dedicated to publicizing their cause through dissemination of anti-slavery books, pamphlets, prints, and artifacts.

The Wedgwood medallions were distributed at the Society’s meetings for free to promote awareness. Typically produced in black and white jasperware (a type of pottery), instead of the Wedgwood company’s signature blue and white, the Wedgwood anti-slavery medallion depicts the the figure of an enslaved Black man in chains and a loincloth, kneeling in a subservient posture, with his hands clasped in supplication, beneath the words “Am I not a man and a brother.”

The medallions were very popular among abolitionists of the time: thousands were produced and set into abolitionist jewelry in the form of pendants, bracelets, hair accessories, brooches, buckles and more.

The Wedgwood medallion originated in England, but it soon made its way to the American abolitionists. In 1788, Josiah Wedgwood included 500 Wedgwood anti-slavery medallions with a letter to Benjamin Franklin, who was President of the Philadelphia Society for the Abolition of Slavery at the time.

This copper abolitionist token was created by Gibbs, Gardner and Company for the American Anti-Slavery society in 1838.

Wedgwood’s design was widely used in abolitionist pamphlets and other paraphernalia on both sides of the Atlantic. The above is an American take on the motif showing an enslaved woman instead of an enslaved man, with the words “Am I not a woman and a sister.” This example is a copper token created by Gibbs, Gardner and Company for the American Anti-Slavery society in 1838, a full fifty years after Wedgwood’s original medallion.

A fantastic example of how far the influence of Wedgwood’s design truly reached.

An Abolitionist Miniature

This exquisite example of abolitionist jewelry was in the collection of Sandy Jacobs Antiques when I visited their booth at the 2023 Washington Winter Antiques show. This miniature caught my eye immediately, and the eminently knowledgeable Sandy was kind enough it tell me all about it while I photographed it.

An exquisite example of abolitionist jewelry, this pendant features a miniature inspired by the Wedgewood anti-slavery medallion. From Sandy Jacobs Antiques.

Can you see why we started with Wedgwood? This piece also dates to the late 1700’s but is much more high end than the British jasperware medallions. It uses the same motif and the same slogan – the artist was obviously inspired by Wedgwood’s design.

The more closely you look at this piece, the more impressive it becomes. A tiny oil painting on an ivory plaque, this miniature’s every hand-painted brushstroke accomplished impossibly miniscule details with great precision. You can see each the kneeling figure’s facial features and hair, the curve of each letter, even the negative space inside the links of the chain.

The figure even appears to be wearing a gold earring, a detail not included in Wedgwood’s original design.

Detail and back view of abolitionist jewelry with miniature inspired by Wedgewood anti-slavery medallion. From Sandy Jacobs Antiques.

This ivory miniature is backed with gold and encased by a domed lens. It started life as a brooch but was later converted to a pendant.

This piece’s origin is unknown. Was it commissioned by a abolitionist with money to spare? Did a jeweler friendly to the cause create it as a passion project, or for their own personal collection? Perhaps it was gifted to a prominent figure in hopes that they would wear it publicly and raise awareness.

Whatever its story, to call this particular piece of abolitionist jewelry rare is an understatement. I’ve never seen another one like it and I probably never will.

1
2
3
…
373
Older >