The Mystery of Anne Boleyn's B Necklace | Anne Boleyn Artefacts Series
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- Опубликовано: 9 июн 2024
- Welcome to the second video in my series on Anne Boleyn artefacts! 📿✨ Today, we're diving into the intriguing history of Anne Boleyn's iconic B necklace. What happened to it? Did Elizabeth inherit her mother's necklace? Could pieces of it be in the crown jewels today?
Join me as I explore the fascinating details and theories surrounding this famous piece of jewellery. Discover the historical significance of initial jewellery in the Tudor era and get a closer look at the portraits and evidence that keep this mystery alive.
If you're fascinated by Tudor history and Anne Boleyn, you won't want to miss this! Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more insights into Anne Boleyn's world.
#AnneBoleyn #TudorHistory #HistoricJewels #ElizabethI #CrownJewels #HistoricalArtefacts #HistoryUncovered
I agree with you Claire, I think traces of the pendant are unfortunately long gone.
Talking of jewellery I can't forgive Oliver Cromwell for melting down most of the crown jewels to be honest, all that history lost.
When she became Queen and the dust had settled, I'm sure Elizabeth would have inquired about the fate of her mother's heirloom possessions. Those of us who have lost beloved parents, regardless of circumstance or wealth, feel a beloved ring, book, or paperweight brings us a feeling of connection. I'm sure Elizabeth was no different. Therefore, what frustrates me is how there is no record found of it. Great video as always Claire!
I'd love to think that someone managed to save it for her.
Henry was an evil bastard for chopping off the head of his child’s mother!!!
I agree with this statement. My Mother passed away 6 years ago. She passed a month before my oldest daughters first birthday. One of the last things she wrote on was the lid of a can of baby formula, she wrote my child's name and the day we opened it in black permanent marker on the lid. My oldest is now 7 and I cleaned the can and kept it.. because it was the last thing she ever wrote..
@@liiiir it's little things like that that are so important.
But how close could Elizabeth have been to her mother? She was very young when Anne was executed, so would she have had any memories of her? Did anyone talk to her about Anne, or was it just silenced? I really do hope that she had some memories of her mother, and that someone saved something for her. But I guess that her father wanted to get rid of anything that reminded him of Anne, because she had betrayed him (or so he thought).
I do have a B necklace! I wear it every year on her anniversary. I agree with your theory that the necklace was recycled, with the gold being melted and the pearls being reused. It makes the most sense.
I love to think Anne gave the necklace to Cranmer during their mysterious meeting in the tower on May 16 so he could one day make sure Elizabeth got it, but I think your theory that it got broken up is probably more likely
That would be lovely to think, wouldn't it?
I bought an Anne Boleyn 'B' necklace for my daughter 'Bryn' ❤
I dream of finding a 'S' necklace which would emphasize my first name Svitlana and my surname Salo. I would proudly wear it ❤
@@svitlanasalo1179 The Westminster Abbey shop stocks them - any letter you wish.
I agree with your theory that the famous B pendant necklace was one long strand of pearls wrapped once around the neck to form a choker rather than two separate necklaces. Whenever I see actresses wearing the necklace in this way in film adaptations, I always feel it looks closer to the various portraits of Anne wearing this piece. It’s such a stylish and striking piece of jewellery. Thanks for another interesting video 👍🏻 🩷
Thank you!
I have lots of "S" jewelry I've collected over the years. So interesting that people 500 years ago liked initial jewelry too.
I have a few S pieces too, including a tiny S pendant and my grandmother’s 1950’s S brooch. Isn’t it so cool how it never lost its popularity even after hundreds of years?
As someone with both a B first and last name, I've always wanted this necklace. 📿A👑B📿
I have an Anne Boleyn B necklace. My mother got it for me some years ago. It’s one of my favorite things.
My now wife and I met in the SCA, a medieval recreation group, and our wedding was medievalish (well, the clothes were, at any rate). My surname begins with B and I bought a very cheap replica of the B necklace to wear with my gown. I love it!
I have her necklace, I bought it from the Tower of London, so very precious to me. I wear it often as I love it very much, as I do Ann. I’m so proud when at times people do recognise it as Anns necklace. Thank you for the Ann Boleyn files, you have taught me so much. x
Aw, thank you! That's lovely to hear.
I think you are right about the recycling. Too bad because I always think of Anne wearing that necklace. Henry had all the emblems of Anne erased so it only makes sense that the jewels would have to go too
What a bastard!
Lovely! I wish all or some of it was left, but I'm with you. Henry wanted no memory of Anne! I can't believe he would have kept any part of it for any reason. If it were given to Mary, she probably stomped it!
Many thanks Claire for another really interesting broadcast. My feeling is that Henry would have melted the gold and reset the jewels.
Today, my Amazon package came with your book The Anne Boleyn Collection II. I'm very excited. After I read it, I'll take it to the library where I work, and add it to our collection. I'll be getting more of your books in the near future. Thank you for today's video! ❤
Oh thank you so very much! I do hope you enjoy it!
Interesting thoughts. I always assumed it was crown jewels and either torn apart and sold during the Cromwellian era or hidden within some aristocratic holdings and returned after to the Crown, by that time their provenance murky at best.
I have a few real pearl necklaces and a few imitation pearls necklaces. I do not have an initial. I am thankful for Mr. Mikimoto who invented cultured pearls. Pearls are very affordable, and classic.
This is something I have wondered about for some time now. Thank you Claire. I never tire of your knowledge about Anne.
Thank you!
Anne looks so different in every painting. I guess we will never know what she really looked like.
That's because they are all hand painted... and pretty much all of them painted after her death
Some artists clearly flattered her!
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
I have always wondered about her B necklace. Thank you for another informative video. Love your channel❤
You are so welcome!
I agree with you. The gold was made into something else. If the pearls are in with the crown jewels, I'm guessing no one wants to wear it!
Anne Boleyn's "B" necklace is truly an iconic piece of jewelry, so thank you for making this video, Claire! I've always been curious who made it. Who gave it to her and when. Did she stop wearing it when Henry VIII started gifting her with more precious jewels? Was it sentimental to her and she treasured it enough to keep it? Or is it possible she repurposed the pearls and the "B" or gifted the necklace to another?
Initial jewelry was popular when I was in high school. I had a lovely scripted "E" charm (that wasn't gold or gold-plated), that had a fake diamond chip. I stopped wearing it when the "E" tarnished.
Looking forward to the next installment.
I'd love to think that she got it from her father or brother.
Hi Claire! Good video as always. In my romantic thoughts, I'd like to think Anne's necklace made its way to her daughter Elizabeth, but it's only a dream. I had an initial pendant necklace while in college a looooooong time ago, but it was an engraved pendant. Thanks again for the video ~~ take good care!
I hope it did, but I also doubt it.
I agree with you Claire. Only chance is if she could have gotten it to her family somehow
I sure as heck do have the B necklace. I bought it at the Tower gift shop last fall. My last name also starts with a B, so it's fitting on many levels.
I'm so excited you're covering this. My step mom thinks I'm a hus5y for getting a divorce. So I wore my reproduction of Anne's necklace to her wedding to my Dad.
Nameomtted,I would of thought that was your business? She was probably jealous,that's what it always comes down to.
Then there are a lot of us 'hussies' around - both male and female!
Your stepmother is right
Hee hee hee. Good for you.
@@user-eu8ub9cm5t Top trolling.
Thank you very much for making this video. I was someone who had questions about it. 😊 I think what makes it iconic is the modern look, it seems timeless, transcending the 500 year difference between us and the Tudor period. It's something that still looks good today, a bridge across time.
Hi Claire, great video as always - I love the B necklace and wish it was still around today!
Sorry if you've already covered it, but could you do a video on whether Catherine Howard actually committed adultery?
I think I've mentioned the topic in my videos on Catherine, about how she and Culpeper denied sex, although intended to.
When you think about it,name or initials jewelry has been popular on and off throughout the years. I remember having a bracelet ,in the 1980s,with my name engraved on it. Thank you for the information, I have always been fascinated with Queen Ann's necklace.💕
I started out loving history and particularly English medieval. Then started learning about names and how they change. I had gone to school with a girl in my neighborhood whose surname was Bolin and now I cant help but wonder if there might be a relationship there.
I never could find any of my personal genealogy until the past decade and i dont know if I really accept it or not but, first the Genealogists said I am descended from the Scottish king James 4 and recently they found me descended from Mary Boleyn, Anne's sister. I didnt even know that she had a sister so I've been playing catch up with that history. I was watching your show before when it would come up in my suggestions, which wasn't often, but now I'm settling into some serious genealogy and history studying and I love the way you tell the stories! Thank you from a now more serious student of the Tudors.
Thank you so much for your kind words and do enjoy your digging in to your family's past.
It could be related, but most likely she is of Swedish descent. Bolin is a not uncommon surname that means something like 'from the farmstead'.
@@Rhinocodon Thank you for the information. Names are a fun look in to history.
You just have to be right, it makes the most sense. The point of the whole gruesome trial and execution was to *erase* Anne. The chance of anything so iconic of her being kept as any kind of souvenir, seems nigh impossible.
I believe it was taken apart and the pieces recycled.
My romantic side wants to believe that somehow, somewhere that necklace survived intact and is even now hidden and forgotten in some corner and may one day come to light. And truly stranger things have happened with historical artifacts. But my practical side says that if it was a signature (almost literally) piece of jewelry that belonged to Anne, Henry would not have forgotten it or let it sllp away. He would have made sure that it was obliterated as a distinctive individual item that was identified with Anne and that its transformation into some other set of jewelry would have suited him just fine.
Yes, I think those practical Tudors would have taken it apart and recycled it.
So interesting, thank you for this charming glimpse into Anne Boleyn's universe and time. I've given the due thumbs-up and shared the video🙏
Yep! I have a B replica necklace, only I keep mine on a gold chain. As for Anne's own jewelry, Interregnum and other upheavals aside, it is not very likely her pearls survived - pearls are organic, and can be insanely fragile, if not properly cared for.
I agree - if it had survived it could only have gone to Elizabeth. No one else would have wanted such an iconic piece and so personal to Anne. To have worn it would have been too risky thinking of Henry’s temperament I can’t see him liking being reminded of Anne after her death. So did Elizabeth keep it and never wear it potentially she could have after Henry’s death but it’s never reappeared in any portraits or accounts.
I'd like to think that someone passed it to Elizabeth, but that's wishful thinking.
I recently visited Hever Castle and got a pair of ‘B’ earrings! I look forward to wearing them some point soon.
I also hope that Elizabeth was able to secure something of her mother's as a keepsake. We do the same today, I have an owl brooch that was my mother's. A brass crab magnifying glass which was my father's ( his star sign was Cancer the crab), my great Aunts wedding ring set, My daughter used my dad's wedding ring as hers when she got married and my great uncles wedding ring for her husband.❤
How lovely and special!
This is such a wonderful treat!! I often find myself wondering what could have happened. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this subject.
Now I'm wondering how the National Gallery portrait survived the post-conviction purge! Perhaps you'll do a video about that in the future! 😊
The NPG portrait dates to Elizabeth I's reign, I'm sorry to say.
I agree- those jewels, for a number of reasons, did not survive.
I'm sure I saw on a documentary about the crown jewels that it is believed that the pearls hanging under the main centre crosspiece had once belonged to Elizabeth I....
There are lots of these ideas about the jewels.
Great topic. Claire your hair looks great!
Another brilliant video 📹 & thank you for sharing.
I remember hearing the late Queen (I think it was her not the interviewer) in an interview about the Crown Jewels, say something like "it's said these pearls belonged to Anne Boleyn". But I agree, I think if it were saved for Queen Elizabeth I, it would have been in one of her inventories.
I believe the B necklace was probably melted down.I heard that portraits of her (AB) were destroyed and at the time of her fall and execution.
Hello Claire. I feel that Anne’s signature necklace was not preserved. Henry wanted to erase all memory of Anne, so it makes sense that it was re-purposed. I have an initial necklace, just a fashion piece with opal like stones. I think of Anne every May 19th. I am an American who has visited the Tower of London. I enjoy history.
Ive got 2 of the B pendant pearl necklace. 1st one is the more expensive one, n the 2nd a knockoff from wish. Seeing Claire wearing one has given me the courage to wear mine. I for long time felt, only Anne could wear it. Silly I know. No one would bat much eyes as my first name begins with a B.
I agree with you Claire. I do have a B necklace and wear in May too.
I agree that the necklace wouldn’t have survived complete. All the odds are against it. Great video
Thank you!
Lovely video!❤
Thank you!
I've always loved Anne Boleyn's B necklace, and for the longest time I wondered how I could get one. Then I finally Googled it and found a piece of costume jewelry, from some gift shop in a museum in California (so said the description), and my mom was kind enough to order it for me. 🥰 It had the iconic B pendant, but it was on a plain gold chain, for some reason. But that was okay, because I already had a pearl necklace, so when the B and gold chain arrived, I just took it off the chain and tweaked the B onto the pearl necklace with a few good pairs of pliers and voila! I love it, and for the past few years now I've worn it on the 2nd and 19th of May. I also wore it, along with a complimentary longer pearl strand, when my roommate took us to see Six The Musical the night before last New Year's Eve. 😁
I do a replica of her necklace and I wear it every May 19. Very rare people recognize it, but I do appreciate those that do. I don’t know if it was common for people to have necklaces with initials on them. I’ve never seen another one with another initial. I’d be curious to know if that was a common practice. I know the pearl drop was a common thing in jewelryanyway it’s beautiful.❤
I think you are most likely right that the necklace was broken up and repurposed. I don't have an Anne Bolyn necklace, but I would love to get one. Pearls are my favorite. I have a lovely small set I got for my wedding 22 years ago.
Pearls are so simple and elegant.
I do have a "B" Necklace that looks identical to yours! My last name begins with a "B" so it makes me feel that Anne and I have something in common ;-)
Very interesting, thank you
Love the thought put into this! Have wondered occasionally about this topic as well. I'd like to think some of the teardrop-shaped pearls dangling from the top of the Imperial State Crown were Anne's and had been recycled through the ages! I have a small silver 'A' necklace that I got myself as an ode to Anne (my name also starts with an 'A'), that I wore to Hever. It is more my style... small, silver, not very bold or obvious... but my own little way of feeling closer to her! When I was there, I got the 'B' brooch! :)
Great program ❤
I agree with you. I think that her necklace was taken apart and the pearls placed in other pieces of jewellery. It’s so sad… poor Anne she didn’t stand a chance.
What a good idea it Is to talk about Anne s posessions! Thanks. Samething must have been giving to her ladies . Se had a big ego and she wouldnt like to die without leaving memories everywhere. Tere Is samething hiding somewhere un some castle waiting to be discover
It would be wonderful if Elizabeth did get some of her mom’s possessions but from what we know about Henry I doubt she did. I would love a B necklace since my maiden name started with a B but I don’t have one. Is there a site where the necklace can be purchased ?
I know that the Hever Castle shop used to sell it, so perhaps on their website, or Historic Royal Palaces perhaps.
@@anneboleynfiles thank you. I am in the US so I will search their websites.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if her necklace did survive. I saw that painting too years ago and I did a double take wondering if it was her mother’s necklace around Elizabeth’s neck. Thank you Claire from the States! 😀
I know it would be lovely to have these historical items intact; but I do love the idea of using/re-using everything and not tossing things out or having lying untouched in some sort of storage for years. I try to adopt that practice.
I always thoight there was a portrait of the young Elizabeth in the B necklace......
No, sorry!
I do have a B necklace. Found it on Etsy. I plan on wearing it to a renaissance festival with my costume this fall.
The "B" pendant makes an prominent appearance on every episode of the TV sitcom "Ugly Betty."
Yes!
I think Anne’s “B” necklace was “repurposed.” Henry would not have wasted gold and precious pearls. He also would not have wanted any reminders of Anne. I must admit that I strongly dislike Henry VIII. He killed many of my ancestors. Anne being one of them. Anne’s grandmother, Elizabeth Tilney was my 13th Great-Grandmother. Distant I know, but still family.
Henry would have been classed as a serial killer had he lived now.
I have one with my family initial on it. I got it since I was doing some online genealogy that possibly links my mother's side to the Howards/Boleyns on multiple sides (one being a really dubious linkage regarding Margret Douglas's supposed long lost child with the Boleyns which I view as hogwash but still makes for a nice story). Regardless, it's a nice little piece to wear. I think it shows just how timeless Anne's style was.
I bought a copy of the B pearl necklace both because my first name starts with a B and because I have always loved Anne Boleyn.
Well, the romantic in me hopes one of her ladies secreted the necklace away somewhere. Personally, I am sure there are caches of royal jewels and gold secreted away in various places that have still not seen the light of day. The most famous being King John’s which are lost somewhere in the Fens of England.
I think Henry melted down the gold and repurposed the pearls. I have B necklace like yours, it was a recreation from one of the British museum websites (I’m in the U.S.) I ordered online so long ago I don’t remember which one.
I purchased a replica of Anne Bolyn’s necklace with a “C” for my granddaughter. She told me that Queen Anne’s necklace is why she wanted one.
Sadly, I too, feel that Oliver Cromwell would have destroyed it all, if not Henry VIII. It puzzles me how much effort he went to to get rid of ALL traces of Anne! Portraits, jewels, all the H&A things in the Palaces, her Falcon...just EVERYTHING. It's like he went to the extreme with her, and only HER
@carliepower1088: personally I think Henry VIII felt angry and humiliated by Anne because of all he did to marry her thinking she would give him a son. Somehow, it was Anne’s fault (I bet he felt) that there was no living son. Sigh.
I think you're probably right. Pearls were very costly before Mikimoto and learning to farm them. Even Jacqueline Kennedy frequently wore faux pearls because of how rare they were. So, they probably would have wanted to reuse something that costly.
I also think it's unlikely they were put in the crown jewels but looking at the pearls in the crown it does look possible as it looks like the bottom row may have come from a strand of pearls (holes bored all the way through) but I can't tell for sure.
Interesting to think about either way. I sure hope someone thought of saving something for Elizabeth but knowing the cast it doesn't seem likely unless Katherine Parr was involved and im not sure the time line would work there.
Was the original B necklace real or costume jewery? Pearl's were very expensive. It does look look like Elizabeth may have inherited the pearls. It looks like two necklaces. There may have been a spacer or holder at the neck. The pendant could be detached and the two necklaces worn separately. Mary and Elizabeth had a good relationship when they were young. Maybe Mary saved it. They didn't look at it like us. They just passed things on.
I suspect they were real pearls.
❤ Yes I have a replica Ann Boleyn "B" necklace and wear it often as my first name starts with a "B"....and I do believe the necklace was recycled and nothing showing up as Queen Ann was left intact for Queen Elizabeth I as Henry seems to have been that brutal....
Looks good on Clair
Claire
Thank you!
I think Henry would have recycled the jewels in an attempt to erase Anne from the books, as he did with other less important items such as the intertwined H & A at Hampton Court.
I don’t have an initial pendant , but now I kinda want one .
I am certain you are correct. The piece is too "known" -- dare I say iconic -- to have stayed hidden, with no report even after Tudor days. I would like to think Elizabeth wore the pearls in some way or another, even if she did not realize some of them were once her mother's.
I own a B necklace I bought from Claire's website several years ago. I think she is right that her necklace was probably repurposed and thus lost but the irony is that so many portraits show it and now so many of us have reproductions, and of course the memory of her lives on
Claire you look so darling on that pretty Necklace..😍❤❤❤ I want to get myself one .. from Amazon , inexpensive but holds a lot of meaning for me , much love , Judy from California.
I have a B necklace and love wearing it since my first name starts with a B and feel really sneaky in my tribute to Anne
I posted a while ago about this but got no response. My hypothetical take on the necklaces origins is that Anne was presented with it by Margaret of Burgundy when she was a lady in waiting in the Burundian court. Anne was about 13 at the time and seems to have been rather a pet of Margaret's (who called her 'the little Boleyn'. Her father Thomas was also an ambassador there at one time, and a friend of Margaret's. Anne was strongly influenced by Margaret, and if given such a gift would have treasured it as a keepsake and reminder of another strong royal woman who was in some ways her role model. In this context, the B would initially have stood for Burgundy (and have been produced there). As this pod shows, Margaret was found of initial jewellery, and could have owned the pendant herself. The pearl strands could have been given at the same time, or possibly pendant and necklace were combined together at a later date. Given to Anne in that way, the B pendant would have served as an elegant reminder of Margaret and also do double service as 'B for Boleyn'. I think these layers of meaning are quite in keeping with the multi layered symbolism of the time. I heard that it was fairly unusual for initial jewels to signify a person's surname, and that more often they stood for a title (such as an S for duke of Sussex), While in Anne's case the B pendant obviously does stand for Boleyn, I feel that is further circumstantial support for the belief that initially the initial stood for something different and grander. As for what became of it, sadly it was probably broken up and is now lost. Perhaps it is possible some of the pearls survived, I like to think so. If Elizabeth did inherit it, I don't think she would ever have worn the pendant, only the more anonymous strand of pearls it was attached to. She was not actually ashamed of her mother, and would I think have valued a keepsake, but at the same time far too canny to draw attention to her connection with the disgraced queen (esp before she was in power herself). I can't see Mary ever passing Anne's jewels on to her young sister (she loved her at one time, but would never have wanted to evoke Anne). It has been suggested that at some point after Elizabeth had been partially rehabilitated, Henry brought some of Anne's jewels out of storage and dusted them down for her (as a cheap way of kitting her out to look like a king's daughter). I think that's possible, as his motivation would not be sentiment. Possibly he could even have attached some sort of threat to them - 'remember Anne, and what happened to her when she crossed me'. I also wonder if Anne could have quietly passed some keepsakes on to a trusted friend to give to Elizabeth when she was older? We know she tried to arrange for a care mechanism and guardians for Elizabeth in the event of her own death, so it would not be too much of a stretch to imagine her doing that.
I'm so sorry I missed your previous comment but that's an interesting idea and perhaps it did have a dual meaning.
I've never found any evidence that Elizabeth did receive any of her mother's belongings, but you never know, someone like Matthew Parker could have got something from Anne to keep for the future.
@@anneboleynfiles Thanks, yes, I thought of Matthew Parker too.
I always thought the portrait of Elizabeth attributed to William Scrots (1546) looks like she’s wearing the necklace, reworked of course.
My niece has quite a few “M” pieces. It’s really fascinating the way self expression through fashion and literal personal identification merge into trends. It’s also amusing that it seemed so novel in the 80s to have my name or initials on a bracelet or necklace (or mini license plate). In 2010-ish, my niece thought her generation invented it. I’d guess they go back much further than the 16th century.
Does anyone know of a study comparing popularity of initial jewelry by first name, surname or the names of others (a lover, one’s children)? I’ve seen all three throughout history but I don’t know if anyone has researched what they are most commonly used for.
It seems akin to tattoos. Once strictly the domain of men, I’m seeing more women with ink for their children or surname. Maybe jewelry serves the same psychological purpose?
I remember in childhood having a necklace with a very simple C on it.
The advantage of jewellery over tattoos is you can change it around, and even take it off. That's what puts me off permanent ink, you're stuck with it.
I have one of those reproduction necklaces-- though my last name is Butler! Lol😂😊
Could you do a video discussing the relationships that Elizabeth 1st had with mary boleyns children?
Interesting. Remember when the then Lady Diana wore a gold initial "D" necklace?
I agree that the necklace was probably lost or broken up, but I also think that it would be highly unlikely that Anne would have worn it as Queen. I believe this portrait of her to be done well before 1533, probably even before she became Lady Anne Rochford. She ‘may’ have been proud to be a Boleyn, but considering how few people felt she had a right to be Queen, I don’t see her advertising her noble, but definitely not Royal, lineage in general, let alone in an official portrait. Also, the jewels in general are quite plain and understated compared to portraits of the other queens of Henry VIII. Maybe this was her personal taste, but we do see her in gable hoods and more substantial jewellery in the medal and one of the Holbein sketches. As Queen, I see it far more likely that she’d wear an A, AR or HA pendant, than a B.
There is a portrait of Elizabeth as a young girl wearing the B necklace that belonged to her mother Anne so she must of inherited it
Oh wow, can you provide any details of the portrait or possibly post a link?
Oh my goodness! So many portraits, some don't even resemble the others. One is actually hideous. Are there any portraits of her made when she was still alive?
I bought an S version of Anne Boleyn’s necklace on my last trip to Westminster Abbey
Do you recommend Alison Weir’s book ‘A King’s Obsession’?
I have the B in the form of earrings. Bought them in the Tower.
Was It common practice for portrait painters to invent jewelry or use creative license to design made up jewelry on their subjects? I love the thought that that B necklace could be real. And if it was not normal practice for painters to design madeup jewelry on real people then it makes it more likely that famous necklace was real.
A replica of the b necklace used to be sold in the Hever Castle gift shop. Not sure if that is still the case.
Oh, yes - I bought a "B" necklace - I also bought a shirt patterned like her portrait gown that *also* has a "B" o nit. I wear it when I vend my tiaras! LOL
💖👑👑💖
I have a “D” necklace, a cherished gift from my daughter.
Did Anne have red hair? 👩🏻🦰 It looks like it in several portraits.
All we know is that her hair was dark. In a poem thought to be about her, Wyatt called her "Brunette", but, yes, the Hoskins miniature version of her has quite red/chestnut hair, although the portraits are not contemporary.
I'm curious to know details of the original necklace's various elements, but I guess they were not documented? I imagine they were high quality saltwater pearls, with a thick nacre and excellent lustre. Saltwater pearls were/are rare and expensive and were commonly seen on well-to-do ladies in past centuries up to the 20th century - they are far superior to today's cheaply mass produced/farmed, freshwater pearls.
I also wonder what mm size the pearls were (the three dangling pear-shaped pearls look very large, perhaps over 13mm and resemble South Sea pearls), and if the initial 'B' pendant was made of solid gold in a high carat eg above 18ct? I notice copies of the necklace produced for sale all feature yellow metal for the B pendant.
Google reveals there are many replicas available to buy, typically using faux or freshwater pearls, ranging from low, costume jewellery prices (under a tenner), to an eye-watering £1,595 for a bespoke, jeweller-made version, with an 18ct gold initial. The price of that one is staggering, when the gold pendant is clearly lightweight, and inexpensive freshwater pearls were used.
Your version is well designed and looks authentic to the original, I'm curious to know who made it? Many in the comments own a version too I see. I now want one of my own! I'm lucky to own some antique saltwater pearls and may look into designing something similar adding my own gold initial - it's a lovely and memorable design.
I'm sure you're right, Anne's jewellery, this included, was broken up soon after she died in disgrace. She was a significant public figure and it's very sad, though I fear inevitable, her murderers would want no lingering, tangible reminders of her. Jewellery is especially evocative of a person, because they wore and loved it. This necklace was obviously a cherished signature piece for Anne, and as we see in so many portraits, she wore it well.