Meet the Extravagant Jewels of “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story”
The newest record-breaking Netflix series about the Queen of Diamonds serves more sparkle than ever before.
Shondaland strikes again! Netflix’s newest Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, the prequel to Bridgerton, centers around young Queen Charlotte and her rise to power. Set during the Georgian Period (1714-1830) and based on a novel co-written by Julia Quinn and Shonda Rhimes, the eponymous Charlotte is played at different ages by Golda Rosheuvel and India Amarteifio over the course of six episodes. As her story plays out, we see Charlotte arriving at court and eventually marrying King George III of England (played by Corey Mylchreest). Celebrated costume designer Lyn Paolo, co-costume designer Laura Frecon, and their talented team embarked on an extensive journey to recreate the aesthetic of the period from head to toe. In addition to the fanciful costumes inspired by the 18th century with oodles of rich embroidery, full skirts, and petticoats, it’s the overstated jewelry that Paolo and her team chose that really brought us back in time.
When beginning her creative process of choosing jewelry for the show, Paolo admits there were so many layers to the jewelry selection process for the series. “Remember, we were designing for two distinct periods. However, the palette which I felt should be reminiscent of a Monet was where I started. Once I started pulling fabrics and our team began building the gowns, it was then a matter of having jewels built, loaned, and rented to coordinate with the gowns. The overall look of each gown was then embellished with jewels on the bodice, sleeve, then we added the necklace, earrings, rings, bracelets, and jewels in the hair,” notes Paolo.
According to Paolo, it was very important that all the elements worked together from head to toe, so it was vital that the costume team worked closely with hair and makeup head Nichola Collins’ team to create cohesive looks throughout each of the scenes.
For Paolo, it was integral to the overall design of the show to incorporate Georgian-inspired jewelry to the Young Charlotte period. “To facilitate this, we did a great deal of research. [We] visited the Victoria and Albert Museum and their amazing timeline of jewelry and read quite a few books (including; Georgian Jewelry 1714-1830 by Dawes and Collings). We also visited many places in London that sell Georgian pieces. In addition to this, we looked at royal jewels from before and after our period to get a sense of how luxe our jewels should be for our Queen.”
There was also one very special introduction with designer and founder of Larkspur & Hawk jewelry, Emily Satloff, which led to a jewelry partnership made in heaven.
“I had a call with the team and sent a mood board with inspiration and color palette included to Emily at Larkspur & Hawk. It was clear early on that this collaboration would be a perfect match for the show,” Paolo recalled. “Lyn is able to visualize a complicated series of puzzles while paving the way to solutions,” notes Satloff. According to Satloff, “Lyn never shared a concept that she didn’t already know that I could help her with, which made our work together very productive and rewarding,”
Worn by Queen Charlotte in “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story”: Larkspur & Hawk Luzia Cushion Oval Necklace in Yellow Citrine, White Diamonds, and Imperial Topaz Foil Mix (Blush and Rose Foils) set in Black Rhodium Washed Sterling Silver, $5,200; larkspurandhawk.com
Worn by Queen Charlotte in “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story”: Larkspur & Hawk Luzia Princesa Cluster Drop Earrings in Lavender Moon Quartz , White Quartz, White Diamonds, and Tea Rose and Ice Foils set in Black Rhodium Washed Sterling Silver Earrings, $2,700; larkspurandhawk.com.
Worn by Lady Danbury in “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story”.
Larkspur & Hawk Caprice Cushion Pear Floating Earrings in White Quartz, Gray Foils and
Champagne Diamonds Set in Rose Gold, $5,000; larkspurandhawk.com
Satloff’s road to Bridgerton began fifteen years ago when she started to design Georgian-inspired jewelry for Larkspur & Hawk. There were 65 Larkspur & Hawk pieces worn throughout each of the six episodes. “Lyn approached me with a familiarity with my work and she did not want me to design anything specifically for the show because my design ethos was already aligned with hers. That being said, I shared jewelry that no one else had seen and was not scheduled to debut before the series’ debut, leaving me with a wide array of jewelry to coordinate with her designs,” Satloff recalled.
OND: Do you have a favorite piece of jewelry in the series?
Lyn Paolo: “Gosh, so difficult to choose. I loved so many pieces, but the Larkspur & Hawk table cut white quartz ring that Charlotte is given at the wedding ceremony. So evocative of 18th Century style and close to the idea of the ring that Queen Charlotte was given by King George III on their wedding day. I also loved the long strand of pearls worn by Michelle Fairley in her first scene, these were loaned to us by Autore. They were also exceptionally generous to the show.”
When the real King George III of England proposed to the real Queen Charlotte, aptly nicknamed The Queen Of Diamonds, he presented her with one of the very first diamond engagement rings.
Satloff, a lifelong scholar of art and design refined her passion for 18th century jewelry as an antique dealer before she launched her modern designs via Larkspur & Hawk. A long admirer of Georgian jewelry’s romantic origins and soft sparkle, we asked her to imagine what antique natural diamond pieces Queen Charlotte might have worn that you can add to your jewelry collection today.
Below, discover the antique natural diamond pieces Satloff recommends investing in to make you feel like a queen.
If you want some Queen Charlotte inspiration for your own jewelry collection, Paolo suggests taking cues from Dame Anna Wintour to start. “Nothing says Georgian better than a rivière necklace (look at Anna Wintour) there are many options at a reasonable price point online and I would certainly start there.”
Get the Look: Late 18th/early 19th century graduated diamond rivière necklace, c. 1800, price upon request; sjphillips.com.
In the TV series, Queen Charlotte is often seen wearing diamond brooches as hairpins.
Get the Look: Antique three stone cushion cut diamond cluster brooch, c. 1800; price upon request, sjphillips.com.
According to Satloff, in addition to the wildly popular rivière necklace, another Georgian silhouette that continues to be popular today are the girandole earrings. “A rivière is a period term that refers to a continuous river of stones that flow around the neck, and girandoles, also a period term, is code for chandelier earrings with three pear-shaped drops,” notes Satloff. The cherry-on-top according to Satloff? Having them match in order to form a mini-suite also known as a demi-parure.
Get the Look: Simon Teakle antique diamond girandole earrings, $55,000; modaoperandi.com.
When the real King George III of England proposed to the real Queen Charlotte, aptly nicknamed The Queen Of Diamonds, he presented her with one of the very first diamond engagement rings.
Get the Look: Antique cushion-cut diamond cluster ring, c. 1800, price upon request; sjphillips.com.
Mature Queen Charlotte is always dressed to the nines, here she wears pear-shaped statement diamond stud earrings.
Get the Look: Pair of 18th century diamond cluster earrings, c. 1770, price upon request; sjphillips.com.
Similar to a rivière necklace, diamond collars were often spotted throughout the series. Here Young Queen Charlotte wears a diamond and emerald collar.
Get the Look: 18th century diamonds foliate scroll cluster necklace, c. 1740, price upon request; sjphillips.com.
Not to be missed are the diamond bracelets featured throughout, including these cuff-like diamond and sapphire bracelets seen on young Queen Charlotte.
Get the Look: 18th century diamond oval link cluster bracelet, English c.1750, price upon request; sjphillips.com.
So how many pieces of jewelry are there featured overall in the series? “My goodness this is a tough question, we used thousands of pieces of jewelry, however I would say maybe in the high hundreds when you add in all the hair accessories,” remarks Paolo. “Very difficult to quantify. A LOT!” adds Paolo.
Stream Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story now on Netflix.
