Queen Victoria's bracelet

Images of hearts have long held romantic associations, particularly during the Victorian period. This gold bracelet is set with an amethyst carved as a double heart. It was presented to Queen Victoria by her mother, the Duchess of Kent, on 23 November 1839, the day Queen Victoria announced her engagement to Prince Albert to the Privy Council.

This bracelet clearly held a personal significance for Queen, as it was one of a group of jewels placed in the ‘Albert Room’ at Windsor Castle after her death in 1901. The jewels, placed in the room where Prince Albert had died in 1861, were to be kept there and not passed on in the family.