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Lucy Lean

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in Birthday· Lean Luxury· Things that Spark my Interest· What Am I wearing?

The Meaning of My Crown Jewels – not just eye candy

In case you didn’t know Brits have been celebrating the Queen and pondering what she means to us all after ruling for 60 years. When I think of the Queen amongst other things I think of crowns, tiaras, broaches, 3 strands of pearls, jewels – big jewels – and lots of them! Each piece has a history.  One of Minty’s favorite activities is to go through my jewelry box – which turns out to be a trip down memory lane for me and an education for her. A delicate gold bracelet I inherited when my great-grandmother died, the Venetian butterfly broach given to me by my grandmother from one of her many trips to her beloved Italy (I wore it in my hair for my wedding as my something blue), the pearls I wore to the Passage to India premiere, the jade Jensen ring from a friend on my 21st, the enamel teddy bear I made at Washington Cathedral school during my school exchange trip and the silver penknife from Tiffany (a first birthday gift from my husband, then boyfriend). All these treasures hold memories beyond their monetary value that make them priceless.

We pick out an item and discuss its history – who gave it to me, who it might have belonged to before, if there’s a significant date when it was given to me. I realized this last weekend I do have my own, albeit small, crown jewels and many seem very appropriate to share as a tribute to the Queen.

My hubby gave me this necklace when we lived in New York. It was made by my friend Annabelle Maguire – she made the most beautiful jewelry, the earrings I wear every day were hand cast by her. At one of her sales I saw this piece and fell in love with it. I came back minutes later to tell her I wanted to buy it only to find out it had already been sold. I was heartbroken.

Little did I know my husband had already purchased it for me. It’s a tiny photo album of the royal family from around the time of the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902 – he was the son of Queen Victoria and is the first of the portraits in the book and on the opposite page his wife, Queen Alexandra. The Edwardian era, the first 10 years of the twentieth century was a period of great change in the arts, sciences and socially – I would love a time machine to go back and enjoy this period first hand.

The next photographs are of King George V (grandson of Queen Victoria and grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II) who married Mary of Teck, Queen Mary. Interestingly, she died a few weeks shy of Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953 – at this time there were three living Queens – Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) and Queen Elizabeth II.

The final portrait shows His Highness Prince Edward of York, who would later become King Edward VIII and then abdicate to marry Wallis Simpson. The final photograph shows Windsor Castle, King George V founded the House of Windsor in 1917 due to the anti German sentiment from the British people during World War I, they were previously called the house of the German Saxe-Coburg and Gotha which came about when Queen Victoria married Prince Albert. This little book was put together long before the little boy in the photograph would be granted the title His Royal Highness the Duke of Windsor, post abdication when he gave up his crown for the women he loved.

I have several crowns in my dressing up box – these two broaches were made by Butler and Wilson long before it crossed over to QVC – the one on the right was given to me on my 21st birthday by my boss at the time, John Cigarini, when I worked at B.F.C.S.  I believe it was made to celebrate the 21st anniversary of Butler and Wilson that was being celebrated at that time – it came in a box as the invitation to the party.

Okay, so this coin isn’t jewelry but it is part of my treasures, I have a large collection of souvenir coins in my jewelry box – £5 coins to commemorate every significant event in recent history mostly given to me by my father who began the tradition when I was a child, the silver jubilee, the wedding of Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer, thirty years since the coronation (above and below), the Queen Mother – can’t remember if this was reaching 100 or her death, Sir Winston Churchill (given to Rémy when he was a baby), the Golden Jubilee and many others. I’m hoping Daddy has remembered to get me a Diamond Jubilee coin.

These Vivienne Westwood earrings below were given to me by my fabulous friend Jac – who is so hip and on the money I wish I was more like her. She once took me to Boy George’s birthday party with two of our fellow BFI classmates dress in drag. I love this mix of punk rock with the safety pins going around the orb.

Finally, perhaps my most beloved piece is a vast collection of many pieces that I have on my charm bracelet. It is so precious to me and holds so many meaningful charms to mark moments in my life I would be devastated to lose it – that said I’m a great believer in not storing things away in cupboards for a rainy day and will definitely wear it more often.

Charms – can you guess their significance? Not surprisingly there’s a number of food related charms in there and some that might not seem to be food related but are:

Diamonds:  A, R, Star and heart
Gold: baby booties, church which you can open to see a bride and groom, L which caught on everything so I had the jeweller cut off the bottom and made it into an I!
Enamel: Union Jack, pink lollipop, yellow and green tractor, pale yellow princess and pink heart
Silver: D, London Bus, cup of tea, cupcake, four leaf clover, teardrop, postcard, map of the UK, sheep, GB, teapot with cup and saucer with a slice of cake, snowflake, penguin, bean, bird and half of big sis (the other half I gave to my sister and it reads lil’ sis).

Filed Under: Birthday, Lean Luxury, Things that Spark my Interest, What Am I wearing? Tagged With: Crown Jewels, Duke of Windsor, Edwardian Era, House of Windsor, Jewelry, King Edward VII, King Edward VIII, King George V, Mary of Teck, Prince Albert, Queen Alexandra, Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Mary, Queen Victoria, Windsor Castle

« Perfect scones for a very English cream tea – Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
Happy Hedgehog Birthday Elsie! »

Comments

  1. Deliciously Organic says

    June 5, 2012 at 11:03 am

    A beautiful post. Thank you for sharing some of your treasures with us. The necklace you husband gave you is exquisite!

  2. Allison [Girl's Guide to Social Media] says

    June 5, 2012 at 11:40 am

    Such a warm and heartfelt post. Thank you for letting us peer into your memories and for sharing your experiences with us.

  3. marla says

    June 5, 2012 at 3:56 pm

    Such a beautiful history of jewels!! Each one so fabulous 🙂

  4. Gaby says

    June 5, 2012 at 5:24 pm

    look at you and all your fabulous jewels!!! love them 🙂

  5. Kristina Vanni says

    June 6, 2012 at 2:00 pm

    I loved hearing this story! What a great collection!

  6. Amanda says

    June 7, 2012 at 5:53 am

    So neat!

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Made my bed and now I’m going to lie in it... mi Made my bed and now I’m going to lie in it... might not get up until March #stillhibernating #hibernation sounds so much better than #lockdown #stayhome #staysafe #EnglishcountryHouse #BedroomDecor #interiorDesign - I recently completed the @ritakonig course on @createacademyofficial and it’s made me see all the layers to date and ideas for the future. Bed from @heals_furniture Lamps inherited from my great aunt, Lady Lean who had the best sense of taste and style. Bunting - homemade by me from @mintylean @libertylondon print pants and pink toile bedspread was given to me by @rowelosangeles when minty was born and I treasure it - she purchased it in Cannes many moons ago. Curtains v rarely pinned back like this! And nestled in the corner behind the chair is my @away suitcase a sign of hope for when we are all vaccinated and can travel again x #naptime ♥️
#LetitSnow #SnowDay #Lockdown #birdsong #englishco #LetitSnow #SnowDay #Lockdown #birdsong #englishcountryside #englishCountryhouse #Stayhome #Staysafe 

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️
Always chasing rainbows 🌈 woke up to this odd l Always chasing rainbows 🌈 woke up to this odd light and thought if the sun just came up and it’s raining there must be a rainbow 🌈 and sure enough there it is! New administration and a new day for America and the world #GoJoe #GoKamala #MadameVicePresident
I lingered round them, under that benign sky; watc I lingered round them, under that benign sky; watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells; listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass; and wondered how anyone could ever imagine unquiet slumbers, for the sleepers in that quiet earth.  #WutheringHeights #EmilyBronte the in between - How it started How it ended - bedroom monochromatic light at 7am this morning to 7pm tonight and cocktail time with Tink gin and @david_austin_roses post parents evening and then in the middle I went on a walk with @chloescotland - actually it was an adventure to find the prettiest 13th century church with a moat and a graveyard filled with snowdrops and the tiniest grave - a child? And headstones that were leaning over - I thought tipsy Chloe thought giving up and I was reminded of the Brontë passage about #unquietslumbers #ghostsinmygarden swop harebells for snowdrops - the peace and quiet of a tiny graveyard with a moat and lopsided headstones and peace and quiet - a moment of calm and hope as the #inauguration looms large and as we keep to the rules of lockdown #stayhome #staysafe
Anxiety levels have been high these last few weeks Anxiety levels have been high these last few weeks and just when you think it can’t get any worse it does - Covid levels rising and hospitals dealing with record numbers of very unwell patients, a third lockdown and schools going online and exams cancelled, then there was the runoff in Georgia 💙 overshadowed by the insurrection in D.C. which led to the swift impeachment (again), there’s the excitement of Joe Biden’s inauguration that is being sucked away by the pandemic, the rise of white supremacy with troops guarding the Capitol and ever present fear.  But through it all we have to have hope - for the vaccine, for the teachers helping our kids learn online, for the nurses and doctors working against the odds, for M&S and Ocado deliveries,for a new administration, for arrests of violent rioters, for congress doing its job and for decency to be about to be sworn in.  It’s a lot and we all struggle daily to keep our heads above water.  On a personal level I find painting helps, as do walks in nature and family suppers, I’m wearing pretty dresses, silk underwear and wrapping myself in soft cashmere and yes I’m consuming more champagne than I usually do - if not now then when?  #Lockdown #Stayhome #staysafe #EnglishCountryHouse #EnglishCountryside
#snowdrops went for a walk to search for snowdrops #snowdrops went for a walk to search for snowdrops today - last year the lawn was carpeted in white, this year nothing.  Maybe they are late? Painted a small bunch #oilpaint #flowerpainting #snowdroppainting a sign of #spring I chickened out of painting the tiny glass jug that was a Christmas present - not sure I know how to paint that aqua colour - help!  #EnglishCountryhouse #EnglishCountryGarden #englishcountryside #Lockdown #Staysafe #stayhome
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