History's Runway: The Cory Lilies of the Valley Spray, 1830-70

Bodice Ornament
1830-70
The Victoria & Albert Museum 

This spray of diamonds is another perfect example of the mid Nineteenth Century sensibility for naturalistic jewelry. Such jewels often depicted floral arrangements, sometimes peppered with jeweled “insects.” This piece shows the trend of adding “tremblers”—jeweled pieces mounted on thin wires which moved as the wearer walked. Dense clusters of diamonds, like the bodice ornament we see here, were the height of fashion during this period.

This ornament, owned by Lady Cory, was made in Britain between 1830 and 1870 and features a plethora of brilliant-cut and European-cut diamonds mounted in silver and backed in gold. Of particular note is the sprig of lilies of the valley which surmounts the piece. Such sprays were designed to be worn on the bodice, either centrally or to one side at the shoulder.

By the Twentieth Century, these pieces were still fashionable, but many were broken apart to make other jewelry. So, it's quite exceptional when they survive unaltered. Not surprisingly, in the 1920s when densely set diamond pieces were once again in vogue, many of these remaining sprays found new popularity--worn on coats.

Mastery of Design: The Lady Cory Garnets, 1835

Lady Cory's Garnets
France, 1835
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This necklace, made in 1835, was inspired by ancient Greek garnet jewelry which, like this piece, used fine gold wire to affix the stones.  This piece typifies the jewelry of the 1830s which was often lighter in metal weight, but set with a wide range of different stones, often in archaeological styles.  

Look at the the highly ornate filigree work of spirals and volutes (cannetille) and granules (grainti) which offer an appealing relief texture.   The Parisian jeweler responsible for this piece obviously made it to appeal to the British populace who could afford such pieces and their growing interest in ancient styles.  The necklace was acquired by Lady Cory who added it to her important collection of jewels--now housed in the V&A.  

Mastery of Design: The Cory Multicolored Flower Brooch, 1810

Click image to enlarge.

Lady Cory's Multi-Colored Flower
France, c. 1810
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Here’s another of Lady Cory’s jewels. I’m beginning to think that she and Dame Joan Evans must have had some kind of contest to see who could buy the most. I think it ended in a tie. This floral brooch is set with brilliant-cut diamonds, rubies and emeralds with mounts of gold and silver. It was made in France, circa 1810 as the fashion for Naturalistic jewelry was becoming firmly established.  

This concept cycled through several phases.  At first, such pieces were made with diamonds as well as colored gemstones and usually featured a single flower.  As time went on, they became floral sprays with a variety of blooms, still set with colored stones and diamonds.

Soon, these floral sprays transitioned away from polychrome stones and were set only with diamonds.  By the end of the Nineteenth Century, the sprays were simplified, again, to one single bloom set with diamonds.  

Mastery of Design: The Cory Diamond Spray, 1860

Lady Cory's Diamond Spray
London, 1860
The Victoria & Albert Museum

From the massive jewelry collection of Lady Cory, we see this spray ornament of brilliant-cut and rose-cut diamonds set in silver which was made around 1860 during the height of the fashion for Naturalistic jewelry.

The ornament was intended for use on the bodice or the head. The floral spray is created in three attached units, with two “tremblers” set in silver. The design represents blooming roses, rosebuds and leaves.

Gifts of Grandeur: The Cory Mourning Bracelet, 1860

Bracelet
Cory Bequest
Crouzet, 1860
The Victoria & Albert Museum

We've seen several pieces of jewelry by Crouzet. This bracelet certainly fits the style of Crouzet's from the early 1860s. Crouzet worked for all of the major Parisian goldsmiths, and was celebrated for producing jewelry of fine quality and original design. He is especially well known for designing pieces in the Moroccan taste.

This bracelet is definitely a piece of mourning jewellery in traditional black enameled gold, pearls and brilliant cut diamonds. It is hung with five small lockets, each of which opens to allow for a photograph or lock of hair. The lockets are set with diamonds in the form of symbolic images: a cross, anchor and heart, which symbolise the Christian virtues of Faith, Hope and Love. It also shows a locket with a star and the initial, "A." 

The bracelet once belonged to Lady Cory whose incredible collection of jewels forms a large part of the jewelry exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Mastery of Design: The Cory Floral Bodice Ornament, 1840-1850

Click Image to EnlargeHair Ornament/Brooch
Enameled Gold, Garnets, Foiled Rock Crystals, Pearls
1840-1850
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This gem, from the monumental collection of Lady Cory, began its life as a hair ornament around 1840 to 1850 when naturalism in jewelry was at its most fashionable. Pieces like this were usually made in pieces so that they could be worn as a large, dramatic jewel for formal occasions or broken apart to be worn on a daily basis as smaller gems.



This ornament of foiled rock crystals, pearls and garnets set in enameled gold has been altered over time. The individual sections of this jewel were merged, removing some segments to use the gemstones for other pieces of jewelry. What remained was made into the brooch that we see today. 

Mastery of Design: The Cory Lilies of the Valley Spray, 1830-70

Bodice Ornament
1830-70
The Victoria & Albert Museum 

This spray of diamonds is another perfect example of the mid Nineteenth Century sensibility for naturalistic jewelry. Such jewels often depicted floral arrangements, sometimes peppered with jeweled “insects.” This piece shows the trend of adding “tremblers”—jeweled pieces mounted on thin wires which moved as the wearer walked. Dense clusters of diamonds, like the bodice ornament we see here, were the height of fashion during this period.

This ornament, owned by Lady Cory, was made in Britain between 1830 and 1870 and features a plethora of brilliant-cut and European-cut diamonds mounted in silver and backed in gold. Of particular note is the sprig of lilies of the valley which surmounts the piece. Such sprays were designed to be worn on the bodice, either centrally or to one side at the shoulder.


By the Twentieth Century, these pieces were still fashionable, but many were broken apart to make other jewelry. So, it's quite exceptional when they survive unaltered. Not surprisingly, in the 1920s when densely set diamond pieces were once again in vogue, many of these remaining sprays found new popularity--worn on coats.

Mastery of Design: The Cory Jade and Ruby Necklace, c. 1825

Click image for detail.

The Cory Jade Necklace
France, 1820-1830
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Gold filigree, cannetille and grainti decoration give this handsome necklace the unmistakable style of the late 1820s to early 1830s. While we don’t know the maker, it’s a safe assumption that it was made in France because of the fineness of the gold work. The necklace is set with jade, chrysoprases, and rubies. It is part of the collection of Lady Cory which now lives in the V&A. 

Mastery of Design: The Cory Multicolored Flower Brooch, 1810

Click image to enlarge.

Lady Cory's Multi-Colored Flower
France, c. 1810
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Here’s another of Lady Cory’s jewels. I’m beginning to think that she and Dame Joan Evans must have had some kind of contest to see who could buy the most. I think it ended in a tie. This floral brooch is set with brilliant-cut diamonds, rubies and emeralds with mounts of gold and silver. It was made in France, circa 1810 as the fashion for Naturalistic jewelry was becoming firmly established.  

This concept cycled through several phases.  At first, such pieces were made with diamonds as well as colored gemstones and usually featured a single flower.  As time went on, they became floral sprays with a variety of blooms, still set with colored stones and diamonds.

Soon, these floral sprays transitioned away from polychrome stones and were set only with diamonds.  By the end of the Nineteenth Century, the sprays were simplified, again, to one single bloom set with diamonds.  

Mastery of Design: The Cory Floral Bodice Ornament, 1840-1850

Click Image to EnlargeHair Ornament/Brooch
Enameled Gold, Garnets, Foiled Rock Crystals, Pearls
1840-1850
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This gem, from the monumental collection of Lady Cory, began its life as a hair ornament around 1840 to 1850 when naturalism in jewelry was at its most fashionable. Pieces like this were usually made in pieces so that they could be worn as a large, dramatic jewel for formal occasions or broken apart to be worn on a daily basis as smaller gems. 

This ornament of foiled rock crystals, pearls and garnets set in enameled gold has been altered over time. The individual sections of this jewel were merged, removing some segments to use the gemstones for other pieces of jewelry. What remained was made into the brooch that we see today. 

Mastery of Design: The Cory Lilies of the Valley Spray, 1830-70

Bodice Ornament
1830-70
The Victoria & Albert Museum 

This spray of diamonds is another perfect example of the mid Nineteenth Century sensibility for naturalistic jewelry. Such jewels often depicted floral arrangements, sometimes peppered with jeweled “insects.” This piece shows the trend of adding “tremblers”—jeweled pieces mounted on thin wires which moved as the wearer walked. Dense clusters of diamonds, like the bodice ornament we see here, were the height of fashion during this period.

This ornament, owned by Lady Cory, was made in Britain between 1830 and 1870 and features a plethora of brilliant-cut and European-cut diamonds mounted in silver and backed in gold.  Of particular note is the sprig of lilies of the valley which surmounts the piece.  Such sprays were designed to be worn on the bodice, either centrally or to one side at the shoulder.  

By the Twentieth Century, these pieces were still fashionable, but many were broken apart to make other jewelry.  So, it's quite exceptional when they survive unaltered.  Not surprisingly, in the 1920s when densely set diamond pieces were once again in vogue, many of these remaining sprays found new popularity--worn on coats.  

Mastery of Design: The Cory Bow Brooches, c. 1760

Click images to enlarge.
Set of three Russian Diamond and Silver Brooches
From the Collection of Lady Cory.
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This set of three bow brooches once belonged to Lady Cory whose fascinating collection of jewels was bequeathed to the V&A.

These brooches were designed around 1760 and were made to be worn together in a variety of arrangements, but especially with the largest bow at the center of the bodice with the two smaller bows pinned near to the shoulders.

That these diamond bodice ornaments have survived since the mid-Eighteenth Century is nothing short of a miracle since most similar examples were either sold in pieces or broken apart so that the diamonds could be re-set in a more contemporary style in the Nineteenth Century.  The diamonds, set in silver, are especially fine early examples of the emerging brilliant cut.

The set was made in Russia, perhaps by Duval of St. Petersburg. It is known that these brooches were among the Russian Crown Jewels sold by the Bolshevik government after the Russian Revolution.

The V&A values the suite at a whopping £1,100,000.  This value includes the remaining six pieces of the parure--a set of three small matching dress clips which were designed to be worn in a variety of ways--either at the corners of the bodice, on the shoes, at the shoulders, on a bag or as connectors between the three bows (see below).

Mastery of Design: My Favorite Jewel: The Lady Cory Diamond Wreath Tiara

Of all of the many jewels about which I've written over the last two years, I think this magnificent tiara is my favorite.  It's really hard to narrow it down, and I might change my mind, but as of this writing, this one is, in my estimation, is just the bee's knees.  

From the 1830s jewelry in a naturalistic style was the height of fashion and the preferred medium well into the 1850s was densely set diamonds.  Floral wreaths constructed of gold and diamonds were made fashionable by Queen Victoria herself and such tiaras soon became a necessary accessory at the most elegant balls and events.

Made in three units of gold, this tiara is encrusted with European and Brilliant-cut diamonds set in silver and mounted Baroque pearls.  The wreath features many varieties of floral designs.  Part of the tiara was damaged and, sometime between 1860 and 1870, a trembler of a diamond honey-suckle blossom was added to replace the damaged section.

The tiara was once part of the impressive collection of jewels belonging to Lady Cory.

Tiara of Gold with diamonds and pearls set in silver.
1850
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Mastery of Design: The Cory Diamond Spray, 1860

Lady Cory's Diamond Spray
London, 1860
The Victoria & Albert Museum

From the massive jewelry collection of Lady Cory, we see this spray ornament of brilliant-cut and rose-cut diamonds set in silver which was made around 1860 during the height of the fashion for Naturalistic jewelry.

The ornament was intended for use on the bodice or the head. The floral spray is created in three attached units, with two “tremblers” set in silver. The design represents blooming roses, rosebuds and leaves.

Mastery of Design: The Cory Diamond Earrings, 1860

Lady Cory's Diamond Rosette Earrings
England, 1860
The Victoria & Albert Museum

From the collection of Lady Cory, we have this pair of earrings.  Open-set in silver backed in gold, we see brilliant-cut diamonds in a rosette design.  While the backs have been altered, the jewels themselves are unchanged from the time they were created, circa 1860.

During this period, distinctions of rank, age, occasion and dress determined what jewelry could be worn and when. Etiquette manuals dictated the appropriateness of fashion.  For instance, one popular manual stated that diamonds, pearls and emeralds were for full evening wear only and that during the daytime, women were expected to wear less elaborate jewelry.  So, naturally, these earrings would have been reserved for formal evening wear. 

Mastery of Design: The Lady Cory Garnets, 1835

Lady Cory's Garnets
France, 1835
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This necklace, made in 1835, was inspired by ancient Greek garnet jewelry which, like this piece, used fine gold wire to affix the stones.  This piece typifies the jewelry of the 1830s which was often lighter in metal weight, but set with a wide range of different stones, often in archaeological styles. 

Look at the the highly ornate filigree work of spirals and volutes (cannetille) and granules (grainti) which offer an appealing relief texture.   The Parisian jeweler responsible for this piece obviously made it to appeal to the British populace who could afford such pieces and their growing interest in ancient styles.  The necklace was acquired by Lady Cory who added it to her important collection of jewels--now housed in the V&A.  

Mastery of Design: The Lady Cory Wreath Tiara, 1850

From the 1830s jewelry in a naturalistic style was the height of fashion and the preferred medium well into the 1850s was densely set diamonds.  Floral wreaths constructed of gold and diamonds were made fashionable by Queen Victoria herself and such tiaras soon became a necessary accessory at the most elegant balls and events.

Made in three units of gold, this tiara is encrusted with European and Brilliant-cut diamonds set in silver and mounted Baroque pearls.  The wreath features many varieties of floral designs.  Part of the tiara was damaged and, sometime between 1860 and 1870, a trembler of a diamond honey-suckle blossom was added to replace the damaged section.

The tiara was once part of the impressive collection of jewels belonging to Lady Cory.

Tiara of Gold with diamonds and pearls set in silver.
1850
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Mastery of Design: The Cory Diamond Spray, 1830-70

Bodice Ornament
1830-70
The Victoria & Albert Museum 

This spray of diamonds is another perfect example of the mid Nineteenth Century sensibility for naturalistic jewelry.  Such jewels often depicted floral arrangements, sometimes peppered with jeweled “insects.”  This piece shows the trend of adding “tremblers”—jeweled pieces mounted on thin wires which moved as the wearer walked.  Dense clusters of diamonds, like the bodice ornament we see here, were the height of fashion during this period.

This ornament, owned by Lady Cory, was made in Britain between 1830 and 1870 and features a plethora of brilliant-cut and European-cut diamonds mounted in silver and backed in gold.

Mastery of Design: The Lady Cory Peridot Necklace, c. 1820

Lady Cory's Peridot Necklace, 1810-1820
The Victoria & Albert Museum

From the impressive jewel collection of Lady Cory, we have this exceptional necklace (with matching earrings) of diamonds and peridots set in silver, backed with gold.

Made by an unknown jeweler around 1820, the necklace showcases the beautiful lime green of the peridots set against the icy shimmer of the diamonds. 

The three large central units of the necklace probably date from about 1810.  These may have originally formed part which was broken apart. The rest of the necklace, dates to about ten years later.