Jewelry’s History in 3,000 Pieces: The V&A Museum’s Jewelry Collection

Recently I was part of a special tour at London’s famed V&A Museum’s jewelry collection. The viewing, for a group of international appraisers, gave us a unique opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with some of the world’s finest gems, from pre-historic times to today—from their massive collection of 3,000 pieces. Let me take you on your own tour of some of my favorites.

The Townshend Gem Collection

The first exhibit in the V&A’s jewelry wing are the Townshend Gems, named after the reverend who collected these specimens and had them mounted as rings. The spectacular spiral display has 154 gemstones arranged by hardness. In the center is, of course, the diamond (in all colors); a pearl is on the far right. Interspersed are sapphires, tourmalines, garnets, and more.

Queen Victoria’s wedding coronet

One of the most famous pieces in the collection is this beautiful coronet (a smaller crown that’s a complete circle, unlike a tiara), filled with sapphires and diamonds. It can also be worn as a tiara or a bandeau (worn across the forehead). This beautiful piece was made in 1842, designed by Prince Albert himself for his new bride, and Victoria wore it in her first official portrait as queen. Twenty years later, following Albert’s death, Victoria wore it once again when she opened parliament, so that in a sense, he was still with her.

Irish Bronze Age gold collar

This amazing piece of jewelry is from 800-700 BC and was found in Limerick, Ireland. It was made for a person of high standing and has holes for a chain between the two discs.

Bodice ornament

This 17^th century piece was sewn right onto the stiff bodice of a gown. Worldwide trade brought more gemstones to Europe, and new ways of cutting gemstones meant that soft candlelight brought out more sparkles than before. 

Cartier’s Tutti Frutti: East meets West

Cartier was resetting jewels for Indian maharajas when he was inspired by the stones’ intricate carving techniques. This led him to create what became known as his “tutti frutti” designs. He was commissioned by Lady Mountbatten to have this piece created in 1928. It’s an elegant Art Deco creation of sapphires, rubies, diamonds, and emeralds, carved into fruit, and set in gold and platinum. It could be worn as a bandeau across her forehead and also came apart to form two bracelets. (Note: A Cartier tutti frutti bracelet sold for $1.3 million in 2020!)

The Londonderry jewels

• Left: The Londonderry Tiara, created in the 1889s, was worn by the wife of the 6^th Marquess. She added pear-shaped pearls, which doubled its height, and wore it at Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.

• Right: This is a suite of Siberian amethysts and diamonds—the amethysts were a gift from Tsar Alexander. The tiara was created for the wife of the 7^th Marquess in 1915. She actually adapted the tiara to a long string of jewels and wore them at the opening of Parliament as a chain running down the front of her dress.

This is just a quick taste of the treasures that you can find in the V&A Museum’s jewelry collection. Make sure it’s on your “must-see” list when you get to London. Seeing these magnificent examples of nature, art, creativity, and skill will fill you with awe, as they did me. And remember, if I can help with your appraisals, contact me at (617) 304-0174 or at aimee@ambappraisal.com.

See you in future travels, Aimee