Friday, January 06, 2012

Royal Book Challenge: Queens' Jewels by Vincent Meylan

Queens' Jewels by
Vincent Meylan
Book 1/500

Queen's Jewels by Vincent Meylan
Published 2002
208 Pages

After announcing my royal book challenge, I wasn't entirely certain where to begin. With so many books it's a lot of pressure to choose the right one. Inspired by a question about this particular book from @kemalnagdy who runs the blog The Royal Couturier  I thought it would be an appropriate one to start with.

I've always had a love of royal jewels and their history. Looking at the cover you might automatically assume this is devoted entirely to the British royal collection, but this is not the case. Queens' Jewels
covers the history of jewels worn by the Queens and Empresses of Russia, France, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Iran, Austria, Belgium, The Balkans, and Great Britain.

It would be easy to stare at the photographs and illustrations, admiring the craftsmanship of these jewels but that would ignore the history behind them. Unfortunately, for various reasons, most of the royal jewels in this book have been sold at auction, ending up in private collections and museums. Many have been altered from their original form and some have disappeared without a trace. Queens' Jewels documents the interesting, complex and occasionally tragic history behind these jewels in a fascinating manner.

© Marilyn Braun 2012 

Thank you for enjoying this article. If you use the information for research purposes, a link to credit the work I've put into writing it would be appreciated.

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