A Portrait of Jewels – Following Missing Treasures through Art
21 April 2027 at 11:00:00
Winston Churchill Hall, Ruislip
Queen Elizabeth I - the Ermine Portrait
A trip to the National Portrait Gallery in London to see the Tudor and Stuart monarchs dressed in their finery left today’s Speaker, Andrew Prince, wondering what had become of the jewellery he saw in the paintings. It turned into an absorbing detective story.
In today’s lecture Andrew will trace for us the history of pearls that belonged to Catherine de Medici, Mary Queen of Scots, Elizabeth I and Queen Elizabeth II. He also follows the journey of a spectacular diamond once owned by King Charles I, worn by Marie Antoinette, purchased by a Russian aristocrat and later mounted in a Cartier tiara for an American heiress who became a British Member of Parliament. Jewel hunting has never been more fascinating …..
Today’s Speaker, jewellery designer Andrew Prince, has had a passion for jewellery since he was a child. In 1980, when he was nine, Andrew's mother took him to the Princely Magnificence exhibition at the V&A, exhibiting Renaissance jewels dating from 1500 to 1630. It proved a revelation. Dazzled by the splendour and opulence of the jewels on show, Andrew decided then and there that creating jewellery was what he wanted to devote his life to.
He now creates some of the finest crystal jewellery in the world and over the years has built a loyal clientele ranging from film stars, royalty and couture houses, to institutions such as the Victoria and Albert Museum. In TV and film his exquisite jewels have adorned celebrities including the stars of Downton Abbey and, somewhat incongruously, Miss Piggy - for her wedding in Muppets Most Wanted.
Andrew Prince