Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their children, 1846, by Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805–1873). Public domain. Image via Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_Prince_Albert,_and_children_by_Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter.jpg

Jewellery

Beyond the Crown Jewels

16 September 2026

Hannah Murphy

From tokens of love exchanged with Prince Albert to jewels celebrating her children and beloved Scotland, Queen Victoria’s personal collection reveals a more intimate side to Victorian jewellery.

Across the world, monarchies are associated with finery, splendour and, of course, jewels. The British royal family is of no exception to this, and beyond the awe-inspiring Crown Jewels - showcased at ceremonial occasions such as Coronations - monarchs and other members of the royal family have come to own some of the finest items of jewellery of their time.

Queen Victoria is one of the best-known monarchs in world history, and when we think of Victorian jewellery, one may be forgiven for thinking first of the famous mourning pieces made fashionable by the Queen in the latter years of her life. Yet to focus on mourning alone risks doing a disservice to the long and well-lived life of Her Majesty, and to a jewellery collection that tells a much richer story.

^{Image Top: Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their children, 1846, by Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805–1873). Public domain.}^{Image via Wikimedia Commons.}

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The era of Victoria

Queen Victoria ascended to the throne in 1837 aged just 18. She would enjoy one of the longest reigns in British history, until her death in 1901. The reign of Queen Victoria had a huge impact on all aspects of life in Britain, and the Queen had a significant influence on nineteenth-century jewellery.

A love affair to remember

No conversation about the jewels of Queen Victoria is complete without mention of her great love, Prince Albert (1819–1861). Throughout their courtship, marriage and thereafter, as Victoria mourned her late husband, the influence of their love can be profoundly felt through the jewellery of the Queen.

Victoria and Albert shared a deep interest in jewellery, and Albert frequently selected or commissioned jewels for Victoria as personal gifts to mark important moments in their marriage and family life. Whilst Queen Victoria is well known for the mourning jewellery which became a statement of the latter part of her life, the Queen’s love of jewellery did of course pre-date the death of her love, and in fact, an extensive and impressive collection of jewellery charts the love affair of the duo.

Among the most significant was the famous emerald and diamond parure he gave her in 1845, which reflected the period’s fascination with historicism, symbolism and elaborate gemstone jewellery.

A sentimental token

Sentimentality was at the heart of Victoria’s jewellery collection, and her most beloved pieces were not treasured simply for their grandeur. Upon her engagement to Prince Albert, the young Queen Victoria is said to have sought from her betrothed a lock of his hair, which she placed within a heart shaped pendant, worn around her neck, close to her own heart.

Whilst perhaps the first, this was by no means the last of the sentimental jewels which paint a tale of their life and love. In Christmas of 1844, Queen Victoria was gifted by her husband a beautiful enamel bracelet by Garrard & Co., which bore a detailed portrait miniature of the young Prince.

Souvenirs of Bonnie Scotland

Many gifts were exchanged between the royal couple, and of these, jewels with sentimental meaning demonstrate the love and connection of the pair. On the third anniversary of their wedding, in 1843, Prince Albert gifted Queen Victoria a beautiful and delicate brooch, formed as a crowned heart, set with Scottish freshwater pearls from the River Tay. In 1848, Queen Victoria was again gifted a Scottish jewel by her husband, this time an impressive Cairngorm Quartz brooch from Lochnagar.

Scotland was a significant place for Victoria and Albert, and Scottish pieces - set with beautiful Scottish pearls of magnificent hardstones - were chosen to signify their tie to bonnie Scotland. In fact, Queen Victoria is believed to have gifted Scottish tokens to family members, friends, acquaintances and even Royal visitors from overseas, including the Empress Eugenie of France.

A Mother’s Love

Sentimentality extended to the Queen’s love for her children, and she likewise owned a beautiful bracelet bearing miniature portraits of her offspring. The practice of collecting locks of hair is oft associated with the mourning customs so synonymous with the latter years of Victoria’s life, yet so too have the youthful locks of babes been long been cherished by their mothers, with Queen Victoria no exception.

Amongst Queen Victoria’s most treasured personal jewels was a colourful charm bracelet formed of charming heart-shaped pendants, each opening to reveal the engraved name of one of Victoria’s children, together with a sentimentally stowed curl. The Queen is also known to have commissioned jewellery incorporating the milk teeth of her children, and in fact, after Princess Victoria’s first tooth came loose on a visit to Scotland in 1847, this was fashioned into the centrepiece of a thistle motif brooch. These thoughtful remembrances of her loved ones represent just a small sample of the pieces which Queen Victoria commissioned or collected through her lifetime.

It is no surprise that the popularity of sentimental jewels flourished during the Victorian era. Motifs were given meaning, with sentiment attached to symbols and pieces designed to illustrate the love, regard, or loss, of the wearer. Whilst many such pieces of the period were subtle, for example with ruby to signify romantic love, or turquoise to symbolise friendship, some sentimental pieces were more literal, like the portrait miniatures worn by Victoria.

More than Mourning

Following Prince Albert’s death in 1861, Victoria’s relationship with jewellery changed dramatically, as pieces associated with him became treasured reminders of their marriage and mourning jewellery became an important part of her identity.

In jewellery history terms, the Victorian period is perhaps best known for the mourning traditions which followed the death of Prince Albert. No discussion of the jewels of Queen Victoria is complete without a mention of the mourning customs which she respected, and the huge impact of Victoria on the fashion for mourning jewellery which followed.

The extensive jewellery collection of Queen Victoria therefore provides a unique insight into the emotional, social and artistic significance of jewellery during the Victorian era. Queen Victoria certainly grieved her great love, but her life – her jewellery collection, and her impact on jewellery trends – can be remembered for more than just mourning.

Specialist

Hannah Murphy

Specialist, Jewellery & Watches | Edinburgh

Department