Women we love: Duchess of Windsor

"[...] But you must believe me when I tell you that I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love."

Excerpt from speech - Edward VIII - December 11, 1936

Duchess of Windsor wearing her Cartier bib necklace

Cartier Bib Necklace
Photo Source

Verdura Brooch
Photo Source

Cartier Brooch
Photo Source

Van Cleef & Arpels Unmatched Pearl clip earrings

Plume-shaped diamond brooch, designed in 1935 by the Prince of Wales for his future bride
Photo Source: 
Taylor, Elizabeth.  My Love Affair with Jewelry.  New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002

Read the 1966 Bazaar Interview with the Duchess of Windsor here.

Love,

Seimi

Jewelry of the Day: Betty Draper's Pearls

Betty Draper Francis (née Hofstadt) is one of my favorite characters on AMC's Mad Men.  Sure she is not without her flaws - she is vain, childish, spoiled and airs an overwhelming sense of entitlement.  But parts of her personality is very relatable.  Underneath all that facade is a woman who desperately wants to be happy.  When she smiles - an occasion few and far in between - she looks completely vulnerable.  That vulnerability tugs at your heart strings.

Love,

Seimi

Cleopatra vs. Marc Antony, WINNING!

The Banquet of Cleopatra, by Giambattista Tiepolo (1696 - 1770) 

Legend has it that Cleopatra once bet against Marc Antony that she could host the most extravagant, expensive and sumptuous dinner party ever imagined.  Marc Antony accepted the challenge, and attended her banquet.

It was an extraordinary meal, but Marc Antony, who was not a stranger to lavish dinners, remained unimpressed.  Cleopatra then ordered the next course to be served, and it unveiled to be a strong glass of vinegar.  She then proceeded to remove her state-of-the-arts pearl earrings, crushed them, dissolved the jewelry - rumored to be the biggest in the world and worth 15 kingdoms - into the vinegar.  And then she drank it.  Marc Antony accepted his defeat, and Cleopatra won the wager.

Winning,

Seimi

Jewelry of the Day: Edith Bouview Beale's Platinum necklace

Exquisite platinum necklace wore by Edith Bouview Beale, 1910s