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Royal & Noble Jewels at Sotheby’s Geneva
Dearest reader, There are jewels that sparkle, jewels that impress, and jewels that have witnessed history from a position rather closer to the throne than most of us shall ever manage. And then there are the jewels appearing at Sotheby’s Royal & Noble Jewels auction in Geneva on November 11, 2026. This is a…
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The Grand Ducal Vault
A Glittering Tour Through the Tiaras of Luxembourg Dearest reader, One might be forgiven for overlooking Luxembourg when discussing Europe’s great royal jewelry collections. After all, Luxembourg is a small country, its Grand Ducal Family is considerably smaller than some of Europe’s sprawling royal households, and its public ceremonies rarely arrive with quite the…
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The Hair of the Beloved: Georgian Mourning Brooches
There are few things in the world of antique jewelry quite as intimate as a piece of jewelry containing a lock of someone’s hair. To the modern eye, Georgian hairwork mourning jewelry can seem unusual—even a little macabre. But to the people who wore it, these pieces represented something deeply personal: remembrance, affection, and…
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Exceptional Jewels: Six Pieces That Stop You in Your Tracks
Dearest reader, there are jewels that are beautiful, jewels that are valuable, and then there are jewels that make you stop whatever you are doing and look twice. At the Royal Tea Company, exceptional does not necessarily mean the largest diamond or the highest price. A jewel can be exceptional because of its craftsmanship,…
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Queen Caroline: A Queen Remembered in Mourning
There are queens remembered for their crowns, queens remembered for their husbands, and queens remembered for the scandals that followed them. And then there is Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach. She managed, rather inconveniently for anyone hoping to reduce her to a royal wife, to be rather more interesting than all three. Born in 1683 in…
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Emerald: The Jewel That Refuses to Be Ignored
There are gemstones that sparkle. There are gemstones that glow. And then there is emerald. Emerald does something entirely different. It has presence. Even a relatively small emerald can command attention simply by being green in a way that few other gemstones manage. Perhaps that is why emerald has remained desirable for thousands of…
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A Crown for a Commoner
The recent interest in all things royal has also inspired a revival of crowns, tiaras, and reproductions of royal jewels. The fascination isn’t new. Royals have always given us a bit of inspiration through their jewels and heirlooms. Some of these pieces have survived wars, political upheaval, marriages, divorces, heartbreak, and tears. They have…
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The Jewel That Breathes Fire
Strolling through the shops of Edinburgh, you may happen upon a stone that looks almost magical. The sort of thing that could transport you straight into a J.R.R. Tolkien novel. A time of wizards, fairies and… Dragons. Of course, Dragon’s Breath opals are a relatively modern creation. They are essentially a recreation of the…
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A Call to the Highlands
Some jewelry is worn for spectacle.Some is worn for spite.Some is worn simply because it catches the light beautifully. And then, occasionally, there is a piece that stops you entirely. A piece that seems to call from somewhere older than fashion. Older than the room in which you found it. A piece that, for…