London! Victoria and Albert Museum

Breast Ornament in gold and diamonds, probably France, 1620-30s

So I was in London for a week...I meant to blog during that time but was so tired at the end of each day I could barely make dinner for myself. Thus, now begins a series of London posts to catch you up! I'll begin with my trip to the Victoria and Albert Museum. Seeing the collection of historical jewelry at the V & A was my number one priority while in London and it far exceeded my expectations. The collection is arranged chronologically but begins with an overview that explains why we wear jewelry with examples to support each reason. Then the timeline starts with gold from ancient times and ends with contemporary examples from the 2000's. The collection is astonishing and I was thrilled to see pieces I have studied over the years. I was most excited to see the above brooch which I use in my lecture when I talk about my influences.

Then upstairs you can see a beautiful examples of folk jewelry from Northern Europe, men's accessories, chatelaines, and other unique pieces. My favorite was this pair of hummingbird head earrings.

Dior

While at the museum I also visited the fashion collection which includes jewelry and accessories. Then I just wandered from room to room...

burka with footed trousers from about 1850

this model explains embroidery

mille-fleur tapestry, 1500's, Flanders, Belgium

lace from the 1600's

plaster casts from the late 15th century

More pictures on Flickr.

Thanks for reading.