FORGET ME NOT
Forbidden to wed by British law, a British royal and his mistress exchanged these tiny portraits as a token of their distant love.
Levi Higgs is a decorative arts historian and jewelry archivist at David Webb based in New York City. He has recently lectured on jewelry used in film and literature at the Rijksmuseum’s Jewellery Matters Symposium, and his glittering day-to-day can be found on Instagram at @levi_higgs.
TWINKLE TWINKLE
The stunning auction-house success of a rare Cartier ‘Snow White’ charm bracelet could soon be topped by a ‘Pinocchio’ bauble on offer at Christie’s.
ROOM KEY
In true Roman fashion, the hotel itself is a palimpsest, writing over what was there before, leaving traces, but bringing into sharp focus the newness of the endeavor.
WUGGLY UMPS
The famous author could often be found waltzing about New York in skull jewelry and furs.
LET THEM EAT DIAMONDS
The doomed queen of France smuggled her jewels out of the palace in a wooden chest, and some haven’t been seen for centuries. Now her pearls and diamonds are going up for auction.
Check Your Chalice
A favorite decoration of both assassins and generals, 'poison rings' could conceal perfume, tiny momentos—or something far more deadly.
BEWARE
The world’s most famous and coveted gemstones carry with them a history of mythic misfortune.
DIAMOND DANDIES
Bigger really is better when it comes to the jewelry collections of these stylish men.
BODY ART
Some of the most famous artists of the past century also dabbled in creating jewels—and their miniature masterpieces are stunning to behold.
LOST AND FOUND
These lucky treasure hunters stumbled upon literal diamonds in the rough—including an emerald-and-ruby brooch and a lost Fabergé egg—in the most unlikely of places.