Princess Kate’s Christening Jewelry (and Her $46 Fair Trade Re-Wear!): All the Exclusive Details
With the mix of old and new, Princess Charlotte’s christening was the perfect tutorial in how to pull off some serious heritage pieces (hello, 1950s Millsons pram) with some high-end modern touches (that bespoke Alexander McQueen coat dress, for a start). Even Kate’s seemingly modern and oh-so-glamorous white gold and diamond earrings and pendant had a rich past, steeped in history.
“The inspiration for those came from some pieces that the brand originally created in the 1920s for the Empress of Siam,” Elizabeth Galton, Creative Director of Mappin & Webb Jewellery, tells PEOPLE of Kate’s $8,100 set featuring an “exotic motif.” “We’ve re-imagined them for the 21st century and of course it’s very nice that they have been worn by one of our royals.”
The Duchess of Cambridge holds Princess Charlotte in the Drawing Room at Sandringham House pic.twitter.com/q6sSAE9Avg
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) July 9, 2015
Mappin & Webb have long had a relationship with the royal family, having been given their first royal warrant back in 1897 by Queen Victoria. “We’ve been serving royal households all over the world since 1775 when the brand was founded and have served five successive monarchs,” says Galton, who declines to comment on whether the pieces were a gift or chosen by Kate herself.
No matter their origin, the pieces perfectly reflected the “everything old becomes new again” theme of the day which saw Kate pull off a 1950s-style beret hat from British milliner Jane Taylor worn with a retro low bun hairstyle. (And of course, there was the use of the same pram the Queen used fifty years ago, not to mention Prince George’s outfit echo of one his father wore in the 1980s.)
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with Prince George and Princess Charlotte in the garden at Sandringham House pic.twitter.com/pWo85iDsGk
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) July 9, 2015
“We found that our clients today are very much looking for designs with a sense of nostalgia — they are heirlooms for the future,” says Galton of Kate’s cleverly chosen pieces, which just happened to be made by Mappin & Webb’s craftsman who was appointed crown jeweler in 2012.
Fast forward three days, and in true Kate style, the young mom had swapped her regal gems for some inexpensive gold plated loop earrings from fair trade designer Mirabelle to attend Wimbledon with her husband Prince William (a pair which she wore previously this year). “She is championing, probably unwittingly, a broad range of jewelry and I know that it is something she really loves,” jeweler Claudia Bradby, who attended the couple’s wedding back in 2012, tells PEOPLE, adding: “It’s good to see her wearing pieces that are not so well-known.”
What do you think of the jewelry?
–Monique Jessen
RELATED VIDEO: Princess Charlotte’s Christening to be Shot by Mario Testino
