Amethyst and dia­mond neck­lace, brooch, and ear­rings, 19^th cen­tury, A. Har­ris at www.harrisgemstones.com

This evoca­tive suite is cur­rently in the col­lec­tion of A. Har­ris, a British firm (with a US branch located in New York City) with a ven­er­a­ble his­tory of its own. The set con­sists of amethyst and dia­monds and was at first a wed­ding gift for Princess Alexan­dra of Den­mark when she mar­ried King Edward VII in 1863. Edward’s brief reign began in 1901 after the death of his mother, Queen Vic­to­ria, and ended in 1910. The suite was then offered by Princess Alexan­der to her son, George, to present to Princess Vic­to­ria Mary of Teck (who was always called May) as a wed­ding gift. May later passed the suite on to her daugh­ter, Princess Mary.

Per­son­ally, I admire the rel­a­tive sim­plic­ity in the design of the neck­lace. With gems of that rare, lus­cious shade and impres­sive size, the orna­ment still bal­ances the ful­crum between power and delicacy.