Photo: The Court Jeweller. Do not reproduce.

Photo: The Court Jeweller. Do not reproduce.

While most of the jewels that we discuss here on the blog are personal pieces intended mostly for accessorizing, any royal jewel library worth its salt starts with a book on crown jewels — the symbolic jewels worn for coronations and other state occasions. My favorite volume on this subject is Anna Keay’s The Crown Jewels, a massive book on the British crown jewels, published in collaboration with the Royal Collection and Historic Royal Palaces. The photography is sumptuous, the text is informative, and Keay does a wonderful job tracing the complicated history of some of the oldest pieces of regalia in Britain.

For those interested in the crown jewel collections of other nations, my library also includes Crown Jewels by Prince Michael of Greece. It’s a little older — I own the 1986 edition — but it covers crown jewels from all over Europe.

Photo: The Court Jeweller. Do not reproduce.

The jewelry collection of the British royal family is the biggest draw for people to this blog, and Hugh Roberts’s The Queen’s Diamonds, published to coincide with the Diamond Jubilee, is basically the British royal jewelry bible. With stunning photographs and carefully researched text, the book covers the major diamond pieces in the Queen’s personal collection, including jewels dating back hundreds of years. I’m still waiting for a companion volume covering the Queen’s colorful jewels!

Those looking for even more on Queen Elizabeth II’s jewels will also enjoy Leslie Field’s The Queen’s Jewels, which is a bit dated but features many jewels not written about elsewhere. Angela Kelly’s Dressing the Queen, also published in 2012, gives a more personal look at the jewels.

Photo: The Court Jeweller. Do not reproduce.

For tiara lovers, Geoffrey Munn’s Tiaras: A History of Splendour is a holy grail. Written as an extensive companion to the landmark tiara exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, the book is massive, covering tiaras from various royal collections and numerous different jewelry firms. There are gorgeous photographs here that you won’t find anywhere else, and it remains one of the most-consulted books from my entire library.

A smaller, but still helpful, addition to any tiara-focused library is Diana Scarisbrick’s Tiara, which was published in 2000 as a companion to a tiara exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The photographs are unfortunately quite small, but the text is very informative, especially for those interested in tiaras by Chaumet. Scarisbrick’s Timeless Tiaras also centers on Chaumet’s collection.

Photo: The Court Jeweller. Do not reproduce.

Photo: The Court Jeweller. Do not reproduce.

Books covering the archives of museums and major auction houses can be incredibly helpful resources for those interested in royal jewels. Vincent Meylan’s Christie’s: The Jewellery Archives Revealed features wonderful photographs and images from the archives, including pages from auction catalogues. Several prominent royal jewel auctions are highlighted.

Hidden Gems, also published in 2016, gives a behind-the-scenes look at some of these major Christe’s auctions. It’s also packed with amazing photographs. Both books helped to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the auction house.

Photo: The Court Jeweller. Do not reproduce.

You can probably tell that my bookshelf is pretty Vincent Meylan heavy! For those looking to expand their collection of books on specific jewelry firms, Van Cleef and Arpels: Treasures and Legends is an excellent addition. As always, it includes great photographs, and it focuses on pieces owned by major collectors, both royal and non.

Also great for those who want jeweler-focused books: Hans Nadelhoffer’s classic book on Cartier is a fabulous choice, and Meylan has a new book out on Bulgari’s archives.

Queen Victoria’s Matchmaking (Photo: The Court Jeweller)

At the end of last month’s book review, I ran a poll to let you decide which of my upcoming royal reads should be reviewed here next. The winner was Deborah Cadbury’s Queen Victoria’s Matchmaking, which was published last month here in the United States. I’m happy to say that I think you all chose an excellent book!

Queen Victoria’s Hesse grandchildren and spouses in April 1894. Top row (L-R): Nicholas II of Russia, Alix of Hesse, Victoria of Battenberg, Ernest Louis of Hesse; bottom row (L-R): Irene of Prussia, Ella of Russia, Victoria Melita of Edinburgh, Sergei of Russia

Cadbury, who also wrote the excellent Princes at War (now available in paperback), focuses this new book on the complicated world of matchmaking for the children and grandchildren of Queen Victoria. The book does an excellent job at emphasizing the dual nature of these royal matches: the couples had to love (or at least like!) each other, but they also had to be suitable politically. The extended royal family occupied thrones in disparate parts of the continent, and marriages brokered between the various branches could be extremely consequential politically. This becomes especially true when the book focuses on the German and Russian matches made by several of the family members. Personality and politics clashed mightily — sometimes preventing genuine love from taking hold.

The royal marriage that never was: the Duke of Clarence and Princess May of Teck

Some of the most fascinating parts of the book deal with the intertwined love lives of Victoria’s British grandsons, the Duke of Clarence and the Duke of York (the future George V). The two ended up being engaged to the same woman, but first they pursued failed relationships with Alix of Hesse (the future empress of Russia), Helene of Orleans, and Marie of Edinburgh. The book does a wonderful job at untangling the various stages of their matrimonial pursuits and contextualizing them in history — the section on Eddy and Helene’s romance, including the problems of a Franco-British romantic alliance after the final fall of the French monarchy, as well as Helene’s desperate audience with the Pope in Vatican City, is one of my favorite parts of the book.

Queen Victoria’s Matchmaking (Photo: The Court Jeweller)

Any regular reader of The Court Jeweller will undoubtedly devour this book with immense enjoyment. Cadbury’s final version could have benefited from one more editing pass — I’ve noted a few typos, mostly date-related — but that’s really nitpicky on my part. There’s simply not much I can say to critique the book. I loved it, and I think all of you will, too. If you’d like to read and help support the blog, you might consider purchasing it through the Amazon links in this post; the book is currently available there in hardback for 34% off the list price!

(Oh, and never fear, those of you who voted for a review of Twilight of Empire — I’m almost done with that one, too, and it will be reviewed here shortly!)