The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

The Court Jeweller Book Club: October 2019

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It’s time for our monthly book club post, magpies! This month, we’re switching things up a bit…

In the past, we’ve done separate discussion/selection posts for each book club pick. In the interest of getting a bit more variety in our selections, though, I’m now going to share a single book club post per month, offering a few favorite recent books and inviting you to talk about any of the royal books you’ve been reading recently.
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Our most recent book club selection was Robert K. Massie’s excellent biography of Catherine the Great — just in time for the new Helen Mirren television series about her life! (The show premiered last week in the UK, and it starts on October 21st in the US.) I’d love to hear more of your thoughts on the book. Please feel free to share your reactions to the book in the comment section below!
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And now, here are my three picks for The Court Jeweller Book Club for the month…
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A.N. Wilson, Harper
Published: September 3, 2019

My chief complaint about Wilson’s biography of Queen Victoria was that he seemed much more interested in the stories of the men in Victoria’s life than he did in her own story. (The subtitle of this book reveals Wilson’s attitude toward Albert in a nutshell; the Victoria biography was subtitled simply “A Life.”) That problem is resolved in his recent biography of her consort, Prince Albert. Wilson seems much more comfortable in the traditional “great man” territory of the book, which does provide an interesting overview of Albert’s life. I’m still working my way through my copy, but it’s been a fascinating read so far. (Disclosure: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher.)
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Sali Hughes, Plume
Published: October 1, 2019
This fun little photo book is an overview of the Queen’s wardrobe, organized by color. Readers of this blog will no doubt be delighted by the numerous pictures of the Queen throughout the years, accompanied by little informative captions. It’s a vibrant, enjoyable addition to my royal bookshelf.
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Jasmine Guillory, Berkley
Published: October 1, 2019

Novelist Jasmine Guillory was inspired by two important women — Doria Ragland, mother of the Duchess of Sussex, and her own mother — when writing this charming new book, which imagines a Christmas romance between a fictional American woman and the Queen’s private secretary. The characters are endearing, and the little glimpses into the world of a royal Christmas at Sandringham are especially fun for royal watchers. And readers of this blog will just love the tiara cameos!
If you’d like even more royal book recommendations from me, be sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter! And now, let’s hear it — tell us all about the royal books you’ve been reading lately!
Note: Some links on this website are Amazon affiliate links. I put all money that I receive from these affiliate links back into materials for review on the site (including the book discussed in this post), so if you want to read more reviews, please consider purchasing items through the affiliate links in this post and throughout the site. Thanks, everybody!

Book Review: RUBY (2017)

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As our celebration of July’s birthstone continues, I’ve got a review of the latest addition to my personal royal jewelry library: Joanna Hardy’s Ruby: The King of Gems.

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The coffee-table sized book is luxurious, with a cover that feels silky and decadent, and legitimately massive, weighing in at a whopping seven pounds! The text features 368 pages of beautifully printed text and images, including super close-up views of individual rubies, showcasing their unique striations and inclusions.

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The text showcases Hardy’s expertise as a historian of gems and jewelry, with sections ranging from the ancient use of rubies (and spinels) to contemporary designs featuring the gemstone. There’s also a lot of royal ruby content here, including familiar sets like the Mellerio Ruby Parure that belongs to the Dutch royal family and the ruby suite worn by Queen Sofia of Spain. Above, you’ll see that ruby jewels belonging to French royals past are also included.

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The text is informative and engaging, and the photography is quite good, ranging from full-color portraits of collectors wearing their ruby pieces to beautiful portraits of the jewels alone. Sketches and other archival images are included, too.

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If you’re a ruby lover, or if you’re just looking for a new bejeweled coffee table book to add to your interior decor, I’d highly recommend Ruby. (Hardy also has another book devoted to emeralds that’s on my to-buy list.) Amazon is currently selling it for more than 50% off the list price, if you’re a buyer there, but as it’s been on shelves for over a year, used copies are probably beginning to pop up on the market as well.

Note: Some links on this website are Amazon affiliate links. I put all money that I receive from these affiliate links back into materials for review on the site (including the book discussed in this post), so if you want to read more reviews, please consider purchasing items through the affiliate links in this post and throughout the site. Thanks, everybody!

TCJ Book Club Pick: Massie’s CATHERINE THE GREAT

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Get excited, magpies: our July/August selection for The Court Jeweller Book Club is…

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Peter III and Catherine II of Russia (Wikimedia Commons)
Massie’s book is a completely fascinating biography of a completely fascinating royal woman. Catherine’s life has become the stuff of legend, but Massie capably transports the reader back to the world of the eighteenth century, breathing life into Catherine’s journey from a small German principality to the throne of imperial Russia.
Portrait of Empress Catherine II (Wikimedia Commons)
The biography is lengthy, but it’s very accessible, and I think both those who are familiar with the subject and those who are reading about the empress for the first time will find things to enjoy within the text. Massie is a master of his genre, and the book is an absolute joy to read.
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We’ll be discussing the book in September, so you’ve got plenty of time to grab a copy and get lost in the world of Catherine’s imperial court! Copies are available at Amazon (and other retailers), and there should be plenty to be found in the second-hand market, too!
Note: Some links on this website are Amazon affiliate links. I put all money that I receive from these affiliate links back into materials for review on the site (including the book discussed in this post), so if you want to read more reviews, please consider purchasing items through the affiliate links in this post and throughout the site. Thanks, everybody!