'Heart motifs combine romance, history and craftsmanship in one very intimate object': Jewellery to fall in love with
Heart-shape jewellery has a rich history stretching back centuries. Amie Elizabeth White investigates and rounds up the best pieces to invest in —or gift — today.
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When you think of heart-shaped jewellery, what comes to mind? Is it the Heart of the Ocean, the fictional 56-carat blue diamond necklace that dangles elegantly from Kate Winslet’s neck in Titanic and inspired by the real-life Hope Diamond, or the 23 pear-shaped rubies surrounded by heart-shaped diamonds in 18-karat white gold worn by Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman? Perhaps it is the immense Taj Mahal diamond set in a Cartier necklace that Richard Burton presented Elizabeth Taylor with in 1972 (its most recent outing was around the neck of Margot Robbie on the Wuthering Heights press tour).
The diamond necklace worn by Margot Robbie to the Hollywood premiere of 'Wuthering Heights' sold at auction in 2011 for more than $8 million to an anonymous buyer. The pre-auction estimate was $300,000-500,000.
However, heart-shaped jewellery has been around a lot longer than Hollywood. In fact, the earliest known examples date to the late medieval period — in the form of rings and brooches, typically inscribed with short love poems. In the 16th century, the wealthy gifted heart-shaped tokens encrusted with precious gems as displays of affection or commitment. In 2019, a gold pendant featuring a Tudor rose entwined with a pomegranate and the initials of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon was unearthed in a field in Warwickshire. It read tousiors, old French for ‘always’, and is a poignant symbol of their union (even if it did outlast the marriage).
In the 17th century, the imaginative symbolism of heart-shaped jewellery reached new heights, particularly in Scotland where the Luckenbooth, a twisted brooch also known as a ‘witches heart’, was carried as an amulet against evil spirits. They were also sported by new mothers to ensure a good flow of breast milk or pinned to babies’ clothing in order to protect them from harm. In the 18th century, the symbolism of these brooches evolved to mean that the wearer had been ‘bewitched by love’. They were often set with garnets. This era is the inspiration behind jewellery designer Cece Fein-Hughes’s Love’s Pendulum — a hand-enamelled pendant rich with symbols of luck and love. An engraved horseshoe — the traditional symbol of good fortune — frames the miniature painting. Chamomile, primrose, elderberries and rosemary, the ingredients for love potions, flank two skeletons locked in an embrace, because love never dies.
This gold chain bracelet with nine enamelled heart-shaped lockets of different colours — containing the hair of Queen Victoria's children — was one of a group of jewels placed in the ‘Albert Room’ at Windsor Castle after the Queen's death in 1901. Queen Victoria left instructions for a specific list of personal jewellery to be placed there and not passed on in the family.
Heart-shaped jewellery was at its zenith in the 19th century, led by Queen Victoria who wore a bracelet of heart-shaped charms. Each heart represented one of her children and contained a lock of their hair. If that wasn’t enough, the monarch also wore a pendant that concealed some of Prince Albert’s hair (cut when he was a child). ‘In the Victorian era, jewellery wasn’t just decorative, but deeply personal,’ says Ilias Kapsalis, the general manager of Bentley & Skinner, who explains that the pieces were often worn on the chest so as to be ‘quite literally close to the heart.’ A lesser-known story is that Queen Victoria was presented with a gold bracelet set with an amethyst, carved into the shape of a double heart, by her mother, the Duchess of Kent, on November 23, 1839 — the day her engagement to Prince Albert was announced to the Privy Council.
In 1985, Kiki McDonough set out to design precious metal jewellery at affordable prices. These earrings were her best-selling design and are now a part of the V&A's jewellery collection.
The heart isn’t just for lovers and can represent familial love and friendship. Mary Queen of Scots is said to have sent Elizabeth I a heart-shaped diamond ring as a gesture of friendliness and goodwill. They can also be a symbol of self-love — a commitment to who you are or your own passionate nature. ‘Hearts never lose their relevance because they are timeless and can be interpreted in so many different ways’ says jewellery designer Kiki McDonough. ‘They appeal to lots of people, across generations and styles.’
Kiki’s first-ever design was of a pair of rock crystal heart earrings with a gold bow, now a part of the Victoria & Albert Museum’s collection. ‘I have always loved hearts because of their soft feminine shape,’ she says. ‘People are drawn to jewellery with meaning and story’, says Ilias, and heart motifs ‘remain enduringly popular because they combine romance, history and craftsmanship in one very intimate object’.
Put your money where your heart is
