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Carol Woolton

@carolwoolton

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THE VOICE OF JEWELLERY 💎
AUTHOR 📚 If Jewels Could Talk - out now
PODCASTER 🎤 @ifjewelscouldtalk
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR 💍
BROADCASTER 📺

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Dolce & Gabbana: Devotion lives on the island of Sicily handed down through faith, ritual, hand gestures, Passion, myth and jewels through generations. San Domenico was a place of contemplation - for centuries it was a convent overlooking the sea.

During #altagioielleria it became a place to celebrate wonder and beauty #redstones #crosses #medallions #dgaltagioielleria dgaltamoda by @carolwoolton

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a day ago

Stephen Webster: Full Bleed 🩸

Stephen Webster has always been about colour.

I’ve watched him buy gems in Tucson always picking out stones with shades that aren’t straight forward. The ones that defy the spectrum.

Now he’s amassed a collection of emerald cut green tourmalines and pinky copper coloured zircons into his new collection Full Bleed.

In graphic design the term means the colour runs to the very edge of the canvas. No border or margin. Stephen’s Full Bleed jewels run from the vibrant centre stone into matching coloured enamel, spreading across the gold.

It’s striking; pendants on colour coded leather cords and the earrings are tiny padlocks which clip onto long chains - ooh, I was tempted.

Drop into the Burlington Arcade to see it - before 7 pm because they make a mean martini in the No Regrets lounge in the basement. Then go upstairs and chose your Cocktail ring

#highjewelry #finejewellery #stephenwebster @stephenwebsterjewellery by @carolwoolton

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2 days ago

Dolce & Gabbana: 2026 Alta Gioielleria, Taormina 🍋 #dgaltogioielleria

This year Dolce & Gabbana demonstrated that the treasures of Sicily are every bit as precious as the jewels themselves.

As Domenico Dolce said, “Sicily is something you live”

That spirit was brought to life through dazzling technical and artisanal mastery, transforming the island’s heritage and history into extraordinary jewels.

Necklaces overflowed with symbols of good fortune, while enamelled shells evoked the legend of Venus and the crystal-clear waters surrounding the island.

Sicily’s celebrated ceramic tradition was reimagined in miniature painted tiles, while tiny gold putti, inspired by Baroque architecture, appeared fishing for pearls or nestled amongst flowers.

Elsewhere, medleys of cherries, strawberries, lemons and oranges were fashioned from gemstones and exquisitely enamelled, their skins so lifelike they seemed to have ripened beneath the Sicilian sun.

#dolcegabbanaaltagioielleria #taormina #highjewelry

@dolcegabbana @mister.gabbana

To find out more, see the book Alta Gioielleria: Masterpieces of High Jewellery written by me and published by @rizzolibooks taken in Taormina, Sicily by @carolwoolton

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3 days ago

A Wedding Gift from an Entire Nation: The Bulgarian Fleur-de-Lys Tiara 👑 🇧🇬

Diamonds for white, emeralds for green and rubies for red: the Bulgarian Fleur-de-Lys Tiara is patriotism at its finest (and sparkliest!).

Created in 1893 by Vienna’s great imperial court jeweller A. E. Köchert for Princess Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma, its diamond-set Lillies honoured her Bourbon heritage, while its colours celebrated the country she was marrying into.

For more than a century, the tiara was believed to have been a lavish wedding gift from her husband, Prince Ferdinand. Yet research shared by Köchert and drawn from contemporary newspaper accounts, reveals a far more compelling story.

In March 1893, a Committee of Bulgarian Women launched a nationwide public subscription and commissioned the diadem as an official wedding gift to their future princess. It was ceremonially presented to Marie Louise following her arrival in Sofia.

The jewel subsequently became something of a Bulgarian bridal talisman. Queen Giovanna wore it during her 1930 wedding celebrations to Boris III; her daughter, Princess Marie Louise, wore it for her marriage in 1957; and Queen Margarita chose it for her Orthodox wedding to Simeon II in 1962.

#tiaratuesday #royaljewellery #tiara #kochert #jewelryhistory by @carolwoolton

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4 days ago

The Jewellery Box Non-Negotiable: The Hoop!

Every jewellery box should contain at least one pair of hoops. Preferably several…

Diamond-set, twisted, chunky, delicate, oversized or barely there - the hoop can be as quiet or commanding as you please.

They dress up a white shirt, dress down a cocktail dress and somehow make even the most messy up-do look intentional.

Ancient in origin, endlessly reinvented and immune to fashion’s fickle moods, the hoop is not merely an accessory. It is the backbone of a jewellery wardrobe.

#hoopearrings #finejewelry #jewellerylover #reel by @carolwoolton

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5 days ago

Hermès: Into The Horsescape 🐎

The horse has always been at the heart of Hermès. Yet in Into the Horsescape, Pierre Hardy does something far more interesting than simply depict it.

Instead, the House’s equestrian heritage is distilled into its essential forms. Horse bits, stirrups, harnesses, horseshoes, nails and lassos become sculptural high jewellery, transformed into abstract compositions of diamonds, onyx, moonstone, Tahitian pearls and extraordinary coloured gemstones.

The horse itself is seldom seen, yet its spirit runs through every piece brilliantly designed by @pierrehardy

Featuring 91 completely unique creations, this is Hermès’ largest Haute Bijouterie collection in 16 years. As ever with Hardy, the brilliance lies in restraint: familiar objects stripped back, reimagined and elevated into jewels that feel both contemporary and unmistakably Hermès.

#hermes #hautecouture #hautebijouterie #intothehorsescape #paris taken in Paris, France by @carolwoolton

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15 days ago

💎The Cullinan Diamond 💎

Discovered in South Africa in 1905, the astonishing 3,106.75-carat crystal was so large that Frederick Wells, the mine superintendent who first spotted its flash, initially assumed it was nothing more than a piece of discarded glass.

Named after Sir Thomas Cullinan, the diamond was unlike anything the world had ever seen. So exceptional was its size that many believed it must once have formed part of an even larger crystal, perhaps the greatest diamond ever created by nature.

Its journey, however, proved every bit as remarkable as its discovery.

From an elaborate deception devised to outwit thieves, to the nerve-racking moment when master diamond cutter Joseph Asscher finally cleaved the stone, the Cullinan’s story is filled with suspense.

The result was nine principal diamonds, including the Great Star of Africa and the Second Star of Africa, which remain among the most celebrated jewels in the British Crown.

The latest episode of If Jewels Could Talk tells the full story of the diamond that changed royal jewellery forever - and the extraordinary journey that brought it from a South African mine to the heart of the British Crown Jewels.

#cullinandiamond #crownjewels #jewelryhistory #royaljewels #podcast by @carolwoolton

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8 days ago

#thevoiceofjewellery by @carolwoolton

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9 days ago

The Greville Bequest: One woman’s eye for jewellery transformed the Royal Collection forever.

When Dame Margaret Greville died in 1942, she left more than sixty exceptional jewels to Queen Elizabeth, later the Queen Mother, in what became known as the Greville Bequest - one of the most significant private gift of jewellery ever made to the British Royal Family.

From humble beginnings to the heart of high society, Dame Margaret Greville built not only an extraordinary social reputation but one of the finest jewellery collections of the 20th century.

A devoted patron to Cartier and Boucheron in particular, she constantly returned to her jewellers to enlarge, remodel and perfect each creation.

Among the treasures were the iconic honeycomb Greville Tiara, reimagined by Boucheron in 1921 and later subtly altered by Cartier in 1953, the emerald kokoshnik tiara, dramatic Cartier chandelier earrings that grew ever more elaborate over the years, and the magnificent five-row festoon diamond necklace that Queen Camilla has made one of her signature pieces.

But the true significance of the Greville Bequest lies beyond individual masterpieces. It fundamentally reshaped the Royal Family’s jewellery collection, introducing some of its finest jewels and ensuring that exceptional examples of Belle Époque and Art Deco craftsmanship continue to be worn rather than confined to museum cases.

The story of how these remarkable jewels eventually found their way into Buckingham Palace, however, is almost as extraordinary as the jewels themselves.

Listen to the latest episode of If Jewels Could Talk to discover the fascinating story behind one of history’s greatest jewellery bequests.

#grevillebequest #royaljewels #royalcollection #tiara #royaljewellery by @carolwoolton

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10 days ago

Every year, Claire Choisne, Creative Director of Boucheron, reminds us that high jewellery can do more than dazzle - it can make us think. For Boucheron’s 2026 Carte Blanche collection, Human Being, the Maison turns its attention to “the most precious thing of all: the human being”.

Through five extraordinary jewellery sets, Choisne explores the paradox of humanity - the qualities that unite us and the subtle differences that make each of us unique. Every necklace shares the same silhouette, yet each is transformed through an entirely different material, gemstone and savoir-faire.

Rain
creates the illusion of diamond droplets suspended on the skin, with hollow rock crystal droplets painstakingly crafted to hold diamonds inside

Flower
Rose quartz is transformed into a floral wallpaper, each stone micro hand-painted under magnification before being paved with diamonds.

Light
Morganites, perfectly matched in colour, have been ingeniously cut to contain invisible metal frameworks into which diamonds are set. Light took the longest to make, with 3,750 hours of work.

Tattoo
Inspired by Victorian tattoo art, the smoky quartz has been carved in reverse using glyphic techniques to create motifs that appear embedded beneath the surface of the stone, much like freshly tattooed skin.

Checkers
Translates houndstooth into onyx using ultra-precise femtosecond laser engraving, borrowing technology from watchmaking to create an optical illusion unlike anything seen before.

More than a display of extraordinary gems, Human Being is a celebration of the human hand, imagination and ingenuity. The collection required more than 14,000 hours of painstaking and highly demanding craftsmanship, calling on the skills of countless craftsmen.

In an age increasingly shaped by AI and automation, Claire Choisne reminds us that true beauty and luxury still lies in the creativity, patience and individuality that only people can bring

@boucheron by @carolwoolton

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🍀☘️The Prussian Clover Coronet ☘️🍀

To celebrate their silver wedding anniversary in 1906, Kaiser Wilhelm II personally designed this extraordinary diamond coronet as a gift for his wife, Empress Augusta Victoria. Brought to life by the German court jeweller Koch, it is unlike almost any other royal tiara of its age.

*(a comparable diamond shamrock tiara made in 1860 exists, now in the collection of the V&A)

Four large diamond clovers rise above delicate garlands, while oak leaves - the enduring symbol of German strength - encircle the base. At its centre sits the Prussian coat of arms, transforming the jewel into both a love token and a statement of dynasty.

Augusta wore the coronet frequently until the First World War swept away the German Empire. Forced into exile after the abdication of 1918, she managed to take this treasured piece with her, preserving one of the last glittering remnants of imperial Prussia.

Yet its story did not end there.

In 1958, the coronet underwent a remarkable transformation. The original jewel was divided into two lighter, more wearable tiaras. One retained the magnificent central clover, while the other was set with an extraordinary green beryl long believed to be the legendary “green aquamarine” associated with Napoleon I’s coronation - a gem with one of the most fascinating provenances in European jewellery history.

Today, more than a century after Wilhelm first sketched his anniversary gift, all three incarnations of the jewel - the original coronet and its two descendants - tell the story of a dynasty, an empire lost and the extraordinary ability of jewels to reinvent themselves while carrying history forward.

The green beryl tiara has since been partially dismantled, with the storied gemstone being offered at auction by Sotheby’s some years ago.

#tiaratuesday #prussianclovercoronet #jewelryhistory #royaljewels #royaltiara by @carolwoolton

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11 days ago

Buccellati: Serenissima

✨The Beauty of Burano Lace✨

Venice has long been woven into Buccellati’s identity. With Serenissima, the Maison returns to the city that has inspired it time and time again, translating the fragile beauty of Burano’s centuries-old lace into extraordinary high jewellery.

Openwork gold becomes as light as thread, while Buccellati’s unmistakable engraving techniques create jewels that seem embroidered rather than melded. Delicate yet technically astonishing, each piece captures the transparency, texture and movement of Venetian needle lace - one of the city’s greatest artistic traditions.

It was Mario Buccellati who first became captivated by the intricate lace of Burano, dreaming of recreating its weightless elegance in precious metal. Serenissima feels like the culmination of that vision: a collection that celebrates not only exceptional craftsmanship, but the enduring dialogue between jewellery and the decorative arts.

Many high jewellery collections dazzle through the scale of their gemstones or the brilliance of their diamonds. But Buccellati’s Serenissima celebrates the artistry of the goldsmith, reminding us that true beauty is not always found in the stone, but in the hand that shapes the metal around it.

#buccellati #serenissima #venice #hautecoutureweek #highjewelry taken in Paris Haute Couture by @carolwoolton

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