As one of the most recognised and talked about monarchs to have walked this planet, Anne Boleyn certainly had a strong impact on the world, both with her wit, fiery spirit, impact as a mother on the later Queen Elisabeth and tragic fate, Anne’s life was certainly an eventful one! Victoria Nevermore’s gorgeous Boleyn jewellery collection perfectly captures every aspect of Anne’s life from her forbidden love to Henry Percy all the way to her power and strength as the queen of England. Each piece well thought through and beautifully designed, these necklaces and earrings look as though they have been taken straight from Anne’s own jewellery box, a unique and truly stunning perspective to Tudor jewellery and Anne’s own character that truly acts as a true homage to Queen Anne Boleyn. This article will look through Anne’s life chronologically and how beautifully each piece of jewellery ties into her story.
Anne Boleyn was most likely born in the family home of Blicking, Norfolk in the early 1500s. Although, having never been officially recorded, the exact date and place of her birth remains unknown, with historians estimating that it was somewhere between 1501-1507, placing her somewhere between the ages of 29 and 35 when she died. Anne’s early childhood was said to have been a happy one, with the Boleyn family moving to Hever castle in 1504 where Anne was said to have spent most of her early childhood. Anne was said to have been very intelligent, with a strong love of languages, poetry and the outdoors. Perhaps, these were the only years of true tranquility that Anne had in her life, where she was left to enjoy nature and her studies.
The Bolina necklace certainly captivates this period of Anne’s life, dainty, delicate and peaceful, an accurate representation of Anne’s own perception of the world at this time. The freshwater pearls create a dreamy peaceful feel to the necklace, truly captivating the peace and love that Anne felt in her early childhood. Alongside the pearls hang five delicate ruby charms, the deep red appearing dainty and yet still making a subtle statement, much like Anne herself, dainty yet with fiery spirit throughout her life! The matching earrings appear equally dreamy, lightweight each with a ruby charm and two freshwater pearls, perfectly complementing the necklace. The Bolina necklace is 18” long and £23 and the ruby charms only 1cm each, creating an incredibly dainty feel. The Bolina earrings are equally graceful, at £14 per pair with a 5.5 cm drop, accompanied by the 1cm wide ruby charm and 7mm freshwater pearls. The necklace and earrings are also available to purchase as a set costing £37.50
In 1513 Anne was sent to Burgundy to the court of Margaret of Austria. Here, she charmed many courtiers with her wit, charm and talent of languages. In 1515, Anne and her sister Mary Boleyn became attendants of the French Queen Claude, one of the highest honours that they, as women, could have held in the French court. A few months later, their father Thomas Boleyn recalled Mary Boleyn back to England and Anne stayed for another 6 years. In 1522, Anne Boleyn returned to the UK, joining the household of Catherine of Aragon where her sister Mary had been King Henry VIII’s mistress for around 2 years. It was at this time that Anne took art in the Chateau Vert dance for the King, being the first time that the King truly saw her spirit and undoubtedly began to grow fond of her. In 1523, love had struck Anne as she had fallen for the nobleman Henry Percy who served in Cardinal Wolsey’s retinue. Despite the couple becoming betrothed, the marriage was ended by Cardinal Wolsey after having received orders from a clearly jealous King Henry VIII. Anne was then banished to Hever Castle and Henry Percy was sent away to London by his father.
The Percy necklace acts as refreshing symbol of hope that both Anne and Percy likely would have felt whilst falling in love. The green is exquisitely vibrant and the flowers give it a youthful feel. Perhaps, Anne and Percy would have strolled castle grounds together, admiring all the exquisite greenery and flowers, perhaps the final moment of calm and contentment in Anne’s life. It appears particularly fitting that this necklace sparkles so beautifully in the sunlight, perfectly capturing the sparkling sense of love and peace that Anne and Percy would have felt together. The necklace is 17” long as standard and is made up of a dainty chain of green flowers, with one flower charm with an emerald centre sitting daintily in the middle. Earrings are also available, a 3cm drop featuring the flower charm with a dainty emerald on the end. The necklace is £29, the earrings are £14 and can also b bought as a set costing £43. Oh how different Anne’s life would have been had she been able to marry Henry Percy!
1527 and Anne begins to receive love letters and poems from the King. It is clear at this point that Henry wants her as more than just a mistress and Anne recognises this and begins to write back, much to the dismay for Catherine of Aragon who likely was aware of this. Around this time, Henry famously wrote the song ‘green sleeves’ as a love song to Anne.
The Harry necklace perfectly captivates this side of Henry that Anne saw, a true romantic who had fallen deep in love with her. The Harry necklace is delicate and soft and yet opulent and very Tudor, 16.5” long with a dainty gold chain and deep red rubies, a perfect symbol of Henry’s delicate romantic side with the strong reminder of his powerful role as the King of England. The matching earrings with a 4cm drop, featuring a red ruby charm and two freshwater pearls further adds to the romantic elegance of Anne and Henry’s courtship, a reminder of the deep love that they once shared for one another, a love so strong and fiery that eventually curdled into jealousy and accusations on Henry’s side, ultimately leading to extreme decisions made out of anger and jealousy sealing Anne’s fate.
In 1533, Thomas Cranmer granted the annulment of the marriage between Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. At the time divorces were, for the most part, strictly prohibited by the Catholic Church and so, in order to have the divorce, Henry had to shift the country’s religion from Catholicism to Protestantism. Thus, Henry created the Church of England, placing himself as head. Although this solved the immediate issue of his unhappy marriage to Catherine of Aragon, this was not a popular decision in the eyes of some courtiers, many of who’m blamed Anne and thus had an axe to grind with her (no pun intended)! Anne secretly married Henry shortly after was crowned the Queen of England whilst already pregnant with Elizabeth.
The Tudor necklace is perhaps the epitome of regency and power. At 16” long with it’s intricate gold flowers and bright red rubies, this necklace certainly is one that Anne would have worn to her coronation; a perfect cross between the delicate carvings of the palace court and the power of the Tudor rose. Certainly, this necklace captures the essence of the fierce queen that Anne became, a woman so powerful that the King shifted the religious denomination of the country t be with her. The earrings certainly match the regal aura of the necklace, a beautiful gold with a 4.5cm drop and 3cm width, dotted with three dainty yet strong rubies. The necklace is £35, the earrings are £16 an the set is £51. This set certainly screams the quote “It’s Queen Anne to you!”.
September 1533, Anne Boleyn gave birth to her daughter Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth I. Anne doted on Elizabeth, the light of her life. A son would have belonged to the King and country but a daughter was all hers to keep and cherish. Many records and accounts show that Anne was a loving mother, insisting on breast feeding the infant herself as opposed to hiring a wet nurse. Although Anne’s later execution meant that their time together was brief, Anne’s fiery spirit certainly ran through Elizabeth’s veins too, making Elizabeth considered as one of the greatest monarchs of British history, something which Anne certainly would have been filled with pride about!
The Gloriana necklace certainly portrays both Anne’s unconditional love for her daughter whilst also acting as a tribute to Elisabeth and the impact that the short time with her mother had on her life. The Gloriana necklace is a shining gold chain 15.5” long, sparkling with cubic zirconia. It is both delicate and yet incredibly detailed, holding a french renaissance aura which was Anne’s own preferred style and Elizabeth’s own way of secretly honouring her mother throughout her life. The Gloriana earrings are equally as sparkly, with a 4cm drop on stainless steel studs. The Gloriana necklace is £29, the earrings are £15 and the set is £44. Anne certainly would have been so incredibly proud of the strong and successful monarch that Elizabeth became, especially considering that Elizabeth had no preparation for this growing up as it was widely believed that with a brother an older sister, she would never be monarch! Elizabeth shared her mother’s fiery spirit, wit and love of languages and sports, certainly Elizabeth took after her mother for the most part!
Anne and Henry continued to try for more children, sadly failing many times. Henry was losing patience, desperate for a male heir that Anne was not providing him with. On 26th January 1536, Anne Boleyn suffered a miscarriage of a baby boy. This of course was devastating enough for her, but Henry’s rage at the loss of a male heir made this considerably worse. Henry declared that the miscarriage was a statement from God, that Anne would never produce an heir for him. This opened Anne up for a lot of criticism, with accusations of witchcraft, adultery and incest beginning to bleed through the Tudor court. Henry also began to look elsewhere, taking a likening towards one of Anne’s ladies in waiting Jane Seymour. It is unimaginable how devastating and stressful this time would have been for Anne, yet she maintained her fiery spirit, defending herself and Elisabeth in explosive rows with the King and continuing her role as Queen with strength and determination.
I feel that the Anna necklace perfectly portrays this time in Anne’s life. Created as a 15” choker or an 18” necklace, this piece is made up of shimmering gold, dotted with little onyx coloured cubic zirconia. At only 1cm in width, this necklace is incredibly dainty but oh so powerful! Certainly this would have been a necklace that Anne would have worn in a portrait, signifying her delicate exterior but also her strength and determination, especially at this difficult time of her life. The two layered chains certainly reflect Tudor grandeur, reflecting both the love for detail and glamour yet also giving a slightly more gothic feel, perhaps alluding to the darker side of extreme power that plagued the Tudor courts and dynasty at this time, something that Anne herself would sadly fall victim to. The matching earrings complement the Anna necklace so beautifully, incredibly dainty and each with a single charm, a drop of 3cm and a tiny raindrop of a 3mm crystal on the end, contrasting beautifully with the power that the necklace evokes. The Anna necklace is £35, the earrings are £14.50 and the set is £49.50.
Unfortunately, it was inevitable that the marriage of Henry and Anne was soon to draw to a close as Henry was desperate for and heir which Anne had not provided him with. It was already evident that their separation would not run smoothly given both of their fiery tempers. Yet sadly there was to be an even crueller twist to Anne’s fate. Thomas Cromwell, the King’s chief advisor, hated the queen and wanted to be completely rid of her altogether. Therefore, he concocted an evil plan beginning by sending Anne to a separate palace away from the King. Cromwell then began to suggest that Anne had had affairs with four men: Henry Norris, Francis Weston and William Brereton and a court fool Mark Smeton. Given Anne’s forward, fiery personality and known slightly promiscuous and temptress - like personality, Henry fell for every word and on 2 May 1536 Anne Boleyn was arrested by her own Uncle in Greenwich Palace for the charges of adultery and treason and taken straight to the Tower of London without even being given a chance to say goodbye to her beloved daughter Elizabeth. Cromwell knew that in order to allow his plan to work, he must act fast whilst the King was still angry and that he must keep the King and Queen separate to prevent any potential reconciliation. A few days later, Anne’s trial began. The accusation of incest with her brother George Boleyn was added to the list of charges and Anne was said to have been deeply saddened at the sight of her own father as a part of the Jury, a true suggestion that power was more important than family loyalty. Despite this, Anne remained calm and collected throughout her trial, causing many in the room to strongly empathise with her. Despite this, on 15th May 1536 Anne Boleyn was found guilty of Adultery and Treason and sentenced to death. On 17th May 1536 Norris, Weston, Brereton, Smeton and George Boleyn were all beheaded. Two days later, Anne Boleyn was executed by sword by a specially sought for french swordsman. Henry VIII was kept conveniently busy by Cromwell and was reported to have been playing tennis at the time. Anne kept a calm and collected composure , even making dark jokes about how her neck was tiny so the execution wouldn’t take long! Anne was laid to rest beside her brother and later the also executed Queen Katherine Howard in the Chapel Royal of St Peter AD Vinicula.
There is no doubt that Anne’s impact on the world has been substantial both through life and death. Her bravery, power and fiery spirit has left her as one of the most well known British monarchs of all time. And when we think of Anne Boleyn what do we all think of? Yep! The classic B necklace! Painted in a few portraits, this tribute to her family has become one of the most recognisable jewellery pieces in history. Victoria Nevermore’s Boleyn necklace is an absolutely beautiful tribute to this. This necklace is a true homage to Anne, dainty and delicate and a piece that can be worn every day. The necklace is adjustable from 18-20” and is made up of the most delicate 4mm button fresh water pearls. The classic B charm is incredibly dainty, cut from gold stainless steel and only 12mm long with three dainty pearls hanging below it, similar to the B charm that Anne once wore. The Boleyn earrings are simple and elegant, 9mm freshwater pearls on stainless steel studs, adding a truly classic feel to a timeless design. The Boleyn set truly is the most beautiful, dainty tribute to Anne, a little nod of recognition to her and her story that can be worn with any outfit. Truly timeless and beautiful! The Boleyn necklace is £27, the earrings are £12 and the set is £39.
Victoria Nevermore is incredibly talented and has many more history and literature inspired designs that she makes. Each piece is so unique and well made whilst also affordable, allowing everyone to feel like royalty!
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