The Edwardian Style emerged during the reign of King Edward VII (1902-1910) and is characterized by the nearly exclusive use of platinum, diamonds, and pearls. These pieces, worn by the elite, represent the pinnacle of wealth and social status. The style was particularly popular among the upper classes of England, Europe, and America and persisted until shortly after Edward’s death and the outbreak of World War I.
A central movement within Edwardian jewelry is the Garland Style, defined by light, delicate designs featuring classical motifs such as floral wreaths, garlands, bows, and laurel wreaths, reminiscent of the aesthetics of French Rococo and Neoclassicism. Platinum, a metal difficult to work with, enabled the creation of exceptionally fine and detailed pieces, which, despite their delicate appearance, exuded a majestic aura. Louis Cartier was one of the leading jewelers who perfected this style by blending elements from various cultures and historical periods.
The Garland Style was marked by floral garlands and laurel wreaths, which were often accompanied by three central motifs that recurred almost like leitmotifs: the bow, the tassel, and the lace. These were frequently combined, with the center of the garland accentuated by an additional motif, such as a pendant bow. Particularly in harmony with the playful style of the eighteenth century was the Lacet de Bergère motif, an interlaced design reminiscent of bodice ribbons, evoking memories of Marie Antoinette and the courtly fashion of her time. These intricately crafted patterns symbolized not only elegance but also a nostalgic yearning for a bygone era of luxury and refinement.
Both styles reflect the technological advancements and the luxurious lifestyle of the era, remaining as enduring expressions of a time of wealth and elegance.
Der Edwardian Style entwickelte sich während der Regierungszeit von König Edward VII (1902-1910) und zeichnet sich durch den fast ausschließlichen Gebrauch von Platin, Diamanten und Perlen aus. Diese Schmuckstücke, die von der Elite getragen wurden, repräsentieren den Höhepunkt von Reichtum und sozialem Status. Der Stil war besonders beliebt bei den oberen Schichten Englands, Europas und Amerikas und setzte sich bis in die Zeit kurz nach dem Tod Edwards und dem Ausbruch des Ersten Weltkriegs fort.
Der Garland Style ist eine zentrale Strömung des Edwardianischen Schmucks. Er ist geprägt von leichten, filigranen Designs mit klassischen Motiven wie Blumenkränzen, Girlanden, Schleifen und Lorbeerkränzen, die an die Ästhetik des französischen Rokoko und Klassizismus erinnern. Platin, ein schwer zu bearbeitendes Metall, ermöglichte die Kreation besonders feiner und detailreicher Schmuckstücke, die durch ihre zarte Erscheinung dennoch eine majestätische Wirkung entfalteten. Louis Cartier war einer der führenden Juweliere, der diesen Stil perfektionierte, indem er Elemente aus verschiedenen Kulturen und historischen Epochen kombinierte.
Der Garland Style war geprägt von floralen Girlanden und Lorbeerkränzen, die zusammen mit drei zentralen Motiven fast wie Leitmotive wiederkehrten: die Schleife, die Quaste und die Spitze. Diese wurden oft kombiniert, wobei der Mittelpunkt der Girlande durch ein zusätzliches Motiv, wie etwa eine hängende Schleife, betont wurde. Besonders im Einklang mit dem verspielten Stil des 18. Jahrhunderts stand das Lacet de Bergère-Motiv, ein verschlungenes Design, das an die Bändchen eines Mieders erinnert und Erinnerungen an Marie Antoinette und die höfische Mode ihrer Zeit wachruft. Diese kunstvoll gearbeiteten Muster symbolisierten nicht nur Eleganz, sondern auch die nostalgische Sehnsucht nach einer vergangenen Ära des Luxus und der Raffinesse.
Beide Stile reflektieren die technischen Fortschritte und den luxuriösen Lebensstil der Zeit und bleiben als Ausdruck einer Epoche des Reichtums und der Eleganz in Erinnerung.
in german:
Diamond Tiara Garland Style|Countess Merveldt Gräfin Merveldt’s Garland Diadem| German Royal
Juwelier Koch, Frankfurt made by workshop Gebr. Kreuter Hanau
A delicate pearl and diamond pendant with pearl and diamond openwork bell-shaped mount with ribbon bow top suspending a pear shaped diamond flexible drop in a pearl and diamond garland surround above a further floral festoon, three pearl drop terminals and diamond loop to the trace link neck chain. Size 7x 3,5.
Thank you to my friend Stefan Stern, Grafische Sammlung Stern the sketch matches the fine pendant, in different versions. The design is made by Türk, Ph., 1906-07.
Websites from the year 2005 – and 2006
Vanderbilt Family
| Coronation Tiaras | British Peeress |
She ordered to rebuild the delicate and exquisite Chaumet Garland Ruby Jewel, around the year 1942, to make a new choker from the Burma Rubies in Egyptian style with palmette.
Jewels of Gladys Vanderbilt Countess Széchenyi
Gladys Moore Vanderbilt’s Cartier Diamond and Amethyst Tiara – and its Surviving Fragment
When Gladys Moore Vanderbilt (1886–1965), the youngest daughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt II and Alice Gwynne Vanderbilt, married Count László Széchényi of Hungary in 1908, her wedding became one of the most celebrated unions of the Gilded Age. To mark this transatlantic marriage, Alice Vanderbilt commissioned Cartier to create a magnificent diamond and amethyst tiara in the Belle Époque style.
The jewel was conceived as eight delicate sprays of lilies, rising gracefully above the bandeau, each set with old-cut diamonds. The innovative design allowed for interchangeable drops: either pear-shaped amethysts or similarly shaped diamonds could be suspended from the sprays, altering the tiara’s appearance according to occasion and fashion.
This tiara was more than a personal adornment; it symbolised the Vanderbilt family’s ambition and their determination to translate American industrial wealth into European aristocratic prestige. Gladys, one of the last of the great American heiresses of her generation, embodied this transfer of fortune and status across the Atlantic.
In the years that followed, the tiara was eventually dismantled-a fate not uncommon among great jewels of the period, as changing styles and inheritance divided once-cohesive parures into smaller, wearable pieces. Yet fragments survived, carrying with them echoes of their original splendour.
One such surviving jewel has now resurfaced: a Cartier diamond brooch, designed as a single lily spray, set with an old-cut pear-shaped diamond weighing 4.55 carats. Originally part of Gladys Vanderbilt’s tiara, the brooch retains the elegance of Cartier’s Belle Époque craftsmanship and stands as a rare tangible relic of the Vanderbilt legacy.
In November 2025, this brooch will be offered at auction in Geneva. Its reappearance not only revives the story of Gladys Vanderbilt’s celebrated wedding gift but also highlights the enduring allure of jewels that once served as instruments of social power, familial aspiration, and transatlantic identity.
In March 1912, Countess Széchenyi’s jewelries worth $200,000 ($8 million today) was stolen from her town residence in Budapest, the detective afterward found the jewels in a motor car garage, where they had been hidden by being wrapped in a piece of newspaper behind a barrel.
The tiara was divided between her children:
Countess Cornelia „Gilia“ Széchényi de Sárvár-Felsövidék 1908–1958 Eugene Bowie Roberts 1898–1983
Countess Alice „Ai“ Széchényi de Sárvár-Felsövidék 1911–1974 Countess Béla Hadik
Countess Gladys Széchényi de Sárvár-Felsövidé 1913–1978, Countess Winchilsea Nottinham |Viscountess Maidstone, Finch Hatton
Countess Sylvia Anita Gabriel Denise Irene Marie „Sylvie“ Széchényi de Sárvár-Felsövidék 1918–1998 Countess Antal Szapáry von Muraszombath Széchysziget und Szapar
Countess Ferdinandine „Bubby“ Széchényi de Sárvár-Felsövidék 1923–2016 Countess Alexander E. Eltz
Through her eldest daughter, Cornelia, she was the grandmother of three – Gladys Vanderbilt Roberts (b. 1934), Cornelia Roberts (1936–1982), who married Count Hans-Heinrich von Coudenhove-Kalergi (1926–2004), and Eugene Bowie Roberts, Jr. (1939–2020).
Through her daughter Alice, she was grandmother to Count László Hadik von Futak (1932–1973) and Count János Hadik von Futak (1933–2004).
Through her daughter Gladys, she was the grandmother of Christopher Denys Stormont Finch-Hatton, the 16th Earl of Winchilsea (1936–1999) and the Hon. Robin Finch-Hatton (1939–2018).
Through her daughter Sylvia, she was the grandmother of Count Pál László Szapáry (b. 1950) and Countess Gladys Vanderbilt Szapáry (b. 1952).
Through her youngest child, Ferdinandine, she was the grandmother of Count Peter von und zu Eltz (b.1948) and Count Nicholas (Nicky) von und zu Eltz (1950–2012)
Princess Louise of France was the youngest daughter of Philippe d’Orléans 1838–1894, Count of Paris and claimant to the French throne as „Philippe VII“. Her mother was Princess Marie Isabelle d’Orléans 1848–1919, daughter of Antoine, Duke of Montpensier, and Infanta Luisa Fernanda of Spain.
In the year 1907, Princess Louise of Orleans married Infant Carlos Prince of Bourbon Two Sicilies and widower of María de las Mercedes, Princess of Asturias.
