Jewelry, Music & Inspiration - Bridgerton & More

I'm going to be honest, I have not recently been inspired to write.  Hence, my long absence and sporadic postings.  I am also not one to jump on a "popular" bandwagon.  If I may be completely honest, I hate trends.  If something is "popular" or "trendy" then I will do my best avoid it like the plague itself.  I apply this philosophy to almost everything in my life - movies, music, jewelry, books, decor, relationships, etc.

A period-appropriate pair from my personal collection, Georgian-era diamond & enamel Enligh button ring matched
with a Spanish portrait mourning  ring with diamond surround.  I can almost picture the ladies of Bridgerton wearing
either of them as they cavort through the London "social season."

So imagine my shock and surprise to find myself binge watching the Bridgerton series on Netflix.  And yes, I was so completely enamored by the series that as I sit here typing this post I am listening to the instrumental soundtrack that I actually purchased!  The costumes, set design, music and, of course, the jewelry completely enveloped me in the series.  I loved how the music was instrumentals of familiar, current tracks from Maroon 5, Billie Eilish, Shawn Mendes and more.

  

There are 300 years between these two necklaces & yet they hold their own - together.  Buttery yellow gold, diamonds from different
eras & countries.  The enameled crown charm is actually a Hungarian medal & nothing is more classic than a modern
bezel-set pear-shaped diamond.  Together, united.

There have been far too many bloggers and jewelry experts who have already written of the jewelry featured in the series who have waxed poetic or interviewed the costume designers about the obvious distinctness that the jewelry and costumes played for each character on the series.  Me adding yet another discourse on the subject to the interwebs would simply be a waste.

Nobody does the mixing of modern & contemporary with antique quite like The Moonstoned!  This stack is divine &
demonstrates the power that antique & vintage jewelry has to hold its own against bold, beautiful contemporary pieces.  Perfection.

What I want to discuss is how there have been a number of films and series which have created an similar effect on-screen by utilizing current popular music performed in a period-specific manner combined with period-appropriate costume design - specifically jewelry, in the case of this blog - to evoke a feeling of longing romanticism in their viewers.  One of my previous personal favorites was the 2001 film starring Heath Ledger, A Knight's Tale.  And, I can now add Bridgerton to the same list.

In this example, an extremely modern diamond ring is paired with the previously shown Georgian-era button ring.  
What unites the two ring is the  buttery yellow gold base & the perfect sparkle of the diamonds.  Hundreds of years
apart at the time of their creation but united nonetheless.

It's the pairing of current music and period-specific jewelry that creates just such a longing.  In some ways, demonstrating that as a society we have not advanced our notions all that much.  Times are not that much different than they were when knights jousted or Dukes and Duchesses were required to host balls during the "social season."  The politics are just as shady now as then.  Gossip can still ruin lives.  And, there will always be some who choose to live their lives outside societal "expectations" and who will be punished and/or criticized for it.  Women and minorities may finally be able to own property, vote and make decisions for ourselves; but complete and full "equality" is still something rather elusive.

As these shows demonstrate, somethings can transcend time and evolution - both the good and bad.  Great music is always great.  Impeccably crafted jewelry withstands "trends" and can even unites eras as I have hoped to demonstrate throughout the photos shown here.

Three rings, three different decades....Emerald band, circa 1950s; Braided diamond band, circa  1930s & Tsavorite/Rhodalite band, circa 2020.

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