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The Tradition of a Coral Necklace

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Last week I posted about the costumes from the 2020 film Emma which is based on the Jane Austen book.  I know everyone talks about the topaz necklaces of Jane Austen and her sister, Cassandra, and in fact the character of Emma in the film wears a topaz cross necklace several times. 

But, in keeping with the Regency Era in England in which Jane Austen lived, this post will be about a different necklace.   Shown in the photo below from the film, Emma is wearing a double strand coral necklace as well as coral earrings and a hair comb.   

The coral necklace became popular during the Georgian and Regency periods and was often worn not only for the beauty of the gemstone but as a talisman of protection since coral has long been associated to have mystical as well as medicinal properties.  Coral necklaces were often worn by children or young women for this reason because it was thought that they were most vulnerable to illness.   

Red coral from the Mediterranean Sea was manufactured into smooth beads and strung into a necklace; sometimes the beads are matched to be similar in color and size to create a necklace.  Red was the most often used color of coral for jewelry during the Georgian and Regency periods but later other colors were also used ranging from white to pink.

Special Note: The demand for coral throughout the centuries has depleted the world’s coral reefs and for this reason the use of natural coral harvested from the seas has been greatly diminished.  Antique red coral jewelry is still available but has become very expensive and increasingly had to find. 

Centuries ago a coral necklace was often passed on from parent to child and would sometimes be given as a gift for a special birthday.  Within the British Royal family the tradition of the coral necklace has continued for generations.  The earliest photographic evidence I found of a British Royal wearing a coral necklace was of Princess Victoria (later to become Queen Victoria), shown below as an infant in a miniature portrait by Anthony Stewart.  She is wearing a white dress trimmed in lace, a white bonnet and a coral necklace; her parents were Prince Edward the Duke of Kent and Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.     

Princess Victoria (later Queen Victoria) from the Royal Collection Trust

The next photo shows Princess Victoria with her mother in an oil painting by William Beechery dated 1821.  The Princess is wearing the same coral necklace and is holding a miniature portrait of her father who had sadly died before she was a year old.    

Princess Victoria with her mother, Victoria of Saxe-Cobrug-Saalfield
from the Royal Collection Trust

Later, Queen Victoria continued the tradition of the coral necklace for her children.  The photo shown below shows Princess Beatrice, she was the fifth daughter and last of the nine children of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and she later married Prince Henry of Battenberg.  The miniature portrait on enamel is by William Bell is dated 1858 and depicts a young Princess Beatrice wearing a coral necklace.      

Princess Beatrice from the Royal Collection Trust

Into the 19th century there was a tradition in Scotland that coral would bring beauty and prosperity to little girls.  This holds true for the next British Royal who was Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, she was the youngest daughter of Claude Bowes-Lyon the Earl of Strathmore and Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck.  Lady Elizabeth later married Prince Albert who became King George VI in 1936, she became his Queen Consort and after his death in 1952 she became the beloved Queen Mother.  

Shown below is a 1902 photo of a two year old Lady Elizabeth wearing a coral necklace wearing a white dress and sitting precariously on a wooden chair.  It is not known if she received the necklace as a family heirloom or if it was a gift specifically bought for her but later the short necklace was lengthened and pearls were added which enabled her to wear the necklace as she grew older.  

Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother)

With the birth of their first daughter in 1926, Princess Elizabeth (later to become Queen Elizabeth II) was given her mother’s coral necklace.  The photo below was taken in 1917 on the occasion of her first birthday and she is wearing a simple white dress and the necklace.

Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II)

In 1950 the daughter of Princess Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh was born.  Princess Anne and her mother are shown in the 1951 photo below on the occasion of her first birthday, she is wearing the same coral necklace that her grandmother and mother also wore.

Princess Elizabeth and her daughter Princess Anne

Wedding Tip: A coral necklace would make a great gift for a flower girl. For more ideas and suggestions for a Coral Wedding, please click on the link.

A Coral Wedding – ideas and suggestions

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This post will be the second in the ongoing series about the annual Pantone color of the year.  The Pantone Color for 2019 is called Living Coral and it is a warm pinkish red-orange shade which is the color of a type of sea reef animal known as coral. 

The Pantone Living Coral color would be a great wedding color and in this post I will include ideas and suggestions for creating lovely coral wedding decorations for the ceremony and reception as well as bridal accessories including beautiful bridal bouquets and other coral items that could be incorporated into the wedding design.     

Ceremony decorations

The color coral would be a wonderful for either an indoor or outdoor wedding ceremony and would be especially pretty in the late summer or early fall.  Shown in the photos below are two ideas for chair decorations to use at a wedding ceremony.  The first one shows a floral arrangement of coral flowers and greenery attached to the chair; this would look very pretty for the end chairs bordering the aisle.  The second photo shows a coral chair wrap, this look would look great not only for a wedding ceremony but also for the chairs at a reception. 

Reception decorations

Coral reception decorations would beautifully contrast with guest tables set with crisp white tablecloths for an indoor or outdoor reception.  Shown below is a photo set with a low centerpiece of coral roses and greenery and coordinating coral napkins. 

The next photo shows a wonderful idea featuring a floral coral flower napkin ribbon which would be a lovely idea used with either white or coral napkins for the guest place settings at a wedding reception. 

In keeping with the coral color theme, shown below
is a simple white multi-tiered wedding cake featuring coral roses.

Below is a photo shown a beautiful floral embellish coral square tablecloth
layered on top of a simple white tablecloth and would be a great idea for a cake table.

Bridal accessories and other wedding items

As seen in the photo below, adding a coral ribbon sash
with a coral and white feather accent to a white wedding dress
is another great idea for a subtle touch of color. 

For just a pop of color coral shoes would also be a fun idea
for a bride to wear under her wedding dress

Coral roses can also be used for a bride’s bouquet and shown below are two variations of this idea.  The first features white and coral roses in a traditional style bouquet and the second features a bouquet created with all coral roses that could be used for a bridal bouquet or for the bridesmaids.

There was a lovely English tradition which dates back to the Regency period and the time of Jane Austen when the tradition was to give children coral necklaces to protect them.  So, shown below is a coral bead necklace that would be the perfect gift to give to a flower girl (or bridesmaids).       

Historical Note:  Princess Victoria (later to become Queen Victoria) had received a coral necklace as a child from her mother, the Duchess of Kent.  Later Queen Victoria continued the tradition with her own daughters.  Many years later, Princess Elizabeth (later to become Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother) also received a coral necklace as a child from her parents and this necklace would eventually be given to her daughter, Princess Elizabeth (later to become the current Queen Elizabeth II).  

These last few items take the theme of a coral wedding literally, the first shows three different types of resin coral that would look wonderful placed around the room of a reception room or on the guest tables or for a unique cake topper.

Shown below is a beaded coral napkin ring which would look great on a quest table!

Shown below is an idea for a ring pillow that features a coral pattern

So, as you can see from the numerous examples given in this post there are is a large variety of items that can be used to create a beautiful coral wedding.