Have you ever stood in a theatre, gazing around at all the grandeur and detail in the decorations, marvelling at the size of the audience, taking in a deep breath to deliver your first note to an eager audience, desperate to hear your voice? Not many of us have but certainly many of us have dreamed to be a shining star in the spotlight. Victoria Nevermore’s stunning Victorian Opera inspired jewellery set will certainly make you sparkle like a soprano, ready to perform a beautiful solo for your wonderful fans. This article will look at these necklaces and the amazing women that inspired them.
Often deemed as the ‘diva’ of Opera, the Italian Soprano Adelina Pattie acted as the inspiration for the Adelina set. Born in 1843, Adelina is widely considered as one of the greatest coloratura singers of the 19th century. Adelina appeared in concerts in New York City from the young age of 7 years old, already a recognised unique talent in the music industry. After several years of touring North and South America, Angelica made her operatic debut in Gaetano Donizetti’s ‘Lucia de Lammermoor’ at the New York Academy of music. This spiralled Adelina into years of performing, a particular highlight being her tour in London where she made her debut as ‘Amina’ in Vincenzo Bellini’s ‘la sonnambula’, a true sensation! For the next 23 years, Adelina was a Covent Garden regular, singing roles written by some of the top operatic composers including some of the early operas of Guiseppe Verdi. Adelina had a pure, sweet soprano voice and dazzling technique that conquered all who heard her. Her voice was considered small but was truly remarkable for its wide range, evenness of production and purity of quality. In fact, Guiseppe Verdi declared Adelina Pattie as the greatest singer he had ever heard. The Adelina necklace perfectly captures the sparkling musical talent that Adelina Pattie held. Decadent and eye catching, this necklace sparkles with silver and cubic zirconia, truly a show stopping piece! Yet similar to Adelina Pattie, with its sparkles this necklace still holds a certain decadence of pure victoriana, classic and timeless. At 15” long, the Adelina necklace contains bezel set star shaped crystal pieces, the crystals being actual diamond shapes to add even more lustre and sparkle as they daintily hang down. The earrings are equally exquisite, with the sparkly cubic zirconia hanging daintily like crystal raindrops. The Adelina set truly is the star showstopper of the set, stunning and sparkly and oh so graceful and eye catching. The Adelina necklace is £32, the earrings are £16 or the set is £48.
With an a truly magnificent voice, the elegant Eleanor set was named after mezzo soprano Eleanora de Cisneros. Born in 1878 and having trained in New York under MME. Murio Celli in New York, Eleanora made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1899. Between 1900-06 Eleanora sang more than 40 operatic roles in Rome, Milan, Madrid, Lisbon, Vienna, St Petersburg, Rio de Janiero, Sydney and Melbourne. In 1907, Eleanora became Oscar Hammerstein’s leading mezzo soprano at the Manhattan Opera House, New York. Certainly, Eleanora was a remarkable woman with an incredible voice. The Eleanor necklace is both breathtaking and calming, with the deep emerald green and silver contrasting beautifully to create a sparkly, ethereal and almost mythical feel to the necklace, almost as though you could imagine a beautiful fairy queen wearing this set. There is no question that this set is oh so incredibly sparkly, featuring emeralds upon emeralds that wrap tightly around the neckline at 15.5” long, accompanied by long matching earrings with a 6cm drop. This necklace certainly reflects regality whilst also providing a calming presence, perfectly reflecting the opulence of the Victorian Opera Stage. There is no question that the Eleanor set shall be crowned as Queen of the Emeralds. The Eleanora necklace is £30, the earrings are £16 or the set is £46.
Widely considered as the purest of sopranos, the incredible Clara Novella inspired the Clara set. Clara Novella born in 1861, the fourth daughter of Vincent Novello a musician and music publisher. Before she even turned 5, Clara’s musical talent was recognised by her father’s pupil Edward Holmes, a musicologist who began giving her lessons. At the age of 11, her parents sent her to Paris to study at the Institution Royale de Musique et Religeuse, although Clara only stayed for a year due to the July French revolution of 1830. In 1841, Clara made her debut as the title role in Giachino Rossini’s Semiramide in Pauda. Clara’s voice was pure and classy, with Charles Lamb even dedication a poem ‘to Clara N’ in her praise; “O tuneful daughter of a tuneful sire”. Whilst on contract in Fermo Italy in 1841, Clara Novello met the young aristocrat Count Giovanni Baptista Gigliucci. By 1843 they were married and for the next 6 years, Clara put her musical career on hold and devoted herself to her husband and children. Clara was fiery and determined, sharing her husband’s involvement in the struggle for Italian independence and in 1849, the collapse of the resurgence drove Clara and her family from Fermo into exile. It became apparent that the only way for the family to survive was through Clara’s earnings as a performer and so, after being offered a contract in Rome, Clara returned to performing. In 1851, Clara returned to England and continued to play many engagements. Meanwhile, her husband joined the liberation movement led by her house of Savoy. In 1861, union of the former Papal States with Piedmont led to the Novello-Gigliucci family being able to return from exile and for Clara to finally retire from performing. The Clara set is a perfect tribute to Clara Novello. The regal red mixed with the daintiness of the 15.5” chain of the necklace acts as a perfect reflection of the purity of Clara’s voice, mixed with her fiery personality. The Clara set truly is a cherry red dream, reflecting the sweetness of Clara Novello’s soprano voice whilst also making a statement with the deep red. The necklace dotted with consecutive diamonds and rubies truly twinkles, with the glimmers of diamond and pure red making it both dainty and luxurious, certainly a great way to wear red without it becoming too much of an overstatement. The matching stud earrings are equally dainty, truly classy and dainty. There is no doubt that if you were to visit a grand opera in a silk dress, this would be the set you would want to wear! The Clara necklace is £23, the earrings are £14 or the set is £37.
Jackie Kennedy once said “pearls are always appropriate” and i don’t think any of us could agree more! The Angelica set is a dreamy pearl set inspired by Angelica Catalani. Born in 1780, Angelica was an Italian singer and daughter of a tradesman. At only 7 years old, Angelica attracted general attention through the power and purity of her voice. In 1802, Angelica made her debut in Opera in the Italian city of Rome, plunging her into stardom and success. Angelica then appeared in Madrid, Paris and London, where her exquisite voice would evoke great enthusiasm. Not only was Anglica a gifted vocalist, she was also incredibly charitable. In 1830, Angelica Catalani officially retired from the stage and opened a free singing school in Florence for young, gifted girls as she once had been, funded by donations and the large fortune that she had amassed throughout her career. Certainly, Angelica Catalani’s career was one that went from rags to riches, from her humble upbringing as the daughter of a tradesman to a shining star with the gift of a magnificent voice. Angelica stayed grounded and grateful throughout her career which she had achieved herself through her own talent and hard work; “Only in eternity shall we see the beauty of the soul and only then shall we realise what great things we accomplished by interior suffering” ~ Angelica Catalani. The ‘Angelica’ set perfectly encaptures Angelica Catalani’s stardom but also her humbleness. Raindrops of teared fresh water pearls adorn the neckline with lavishes of pure victoriana. This necklace is simple but certainly glamorous. It almost creates a relaxing, refreshing feel that this necklace doesn’t sparkle with bright gems and instead is simple and stunning, with the decadent fresh water pearls, creating a dreamy, natural feel. Balanced with the matching earrings which hang oh so delicately, the Angelica set certainly makes a statement but is still incredibly dainty and soft, much like Angelica Catalani herself. The Angelica necklace is adjustable from a 14.5” chocker to a 17.5” necklace. The necklace is £22, the earrings are £14 or the set is £36.
And last but most certainly not least is the beautiful Georgina Weldon. Born in 1837, Georgina Weldon quickly became one of the most famous women in England at the time. A semi professional singer with an exquisite talent, Georgina Weldon constantly fought bravely against the men around her that forbid her to perform. An early feminist, Georgina Weldon was an exceptional self-publicist, incredibly bright and strong willed, often holding the belief that she was always right - naturally she caused quite a stir! Georgina quickly made powerful friendships, including with the composer Charles Gounod who was desperate for her to perform for him. Yet sadly Georgina faced a battle against a misogynistic world, where her husband was so desperate to control her life and her spirit that he attempted to have her carried off into a ‘lunatic asylum’. This caused public scandal and subsequently Georgina’s legal battles against those attempting to control her were widely reported, deeming her an early feminist icon. Weldon’s utter resistance to being certified as ‘insane’, as well as her unceasing legal claims for defamation of character and loss of earnings hugely contributed to changes in laws regarding private asylums and vexatious litigations. Georgina’s campaigns brought her Noriega and two gaol sentences. The ‘Georgiana’ necklace perfectly captures Georgina’s fighting spirit and yet class and elegance. The Georgina necklace features silver freshwater pearls intertwined with the shiniest chain and the most dazzling charms! So dainty and so sweet yet certainly a statement piece. The stud earrings are equally shimmery, each with a delicate silver charm perfectly complimenting the necklace. The necklace is 18” long and £20. The earrings are £14 or the set is £34.
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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