This necklace features a portrait of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, the third child and second daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. (Read more about her below)

This feminine necklace has something from the the opulence of royal jewellery from the 18th and 19th century. I kept this classic style for this piece and I complemented it with a pastel colour scheme of dusky mauve, dusky pink, peach and warm grays. It is truly stunning and sparkling with many Swarovski crystals, pearls and components.

There are three untreated rhodochrosite stones (read about this stone below), a few Czech glass flower beads (from Bohemia), hand sculpted cold porcelain roses (from Thailand), and not the least, a coin from Queen Victoria's reign (1889). I did a lot of research for these historical pieces and I bought from verified sellers. I used these coins with the purpose of bringing the energy of the past into these pieces and I would never use one that I would believe is not original to forfeit my original intent. HOWEVER, the coins I used in this collection are not certified and I do not claim with 100% certainty they are real. Nor do I reflect their rarity in the necklace price beyond what I originally purchased them for and the time spent sourcing them.

The portrait in this necklace is a reproduction of Princess Alice's portrait by Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1859), commissioned by queen Victoria, today part of the British Royal Collection. As I mentioned in the Queens Collection description, the portraits used are the last of their kind available. They were painted by two grand artists of Fedoskino art school (lacquer miniature art school outside Moskow), Tatiana Suvorova and Marina Pahomova, both retired. Their style, so suitable for the classic feel of this collection, is not matched by any other active artist of the Russian school, as I have been told by the dealers from which I purchase these portraits for many years.

About the stone: Known as the Stone of the Compassionate Heart, rhodochrosite symbolizes selfless love, moving one beyond mere empathy but stirring one to action on others’ behalf. rhodochrosite, however, directs that love first toward the self for the specific purpose of emotional healing. Its vibration of self-love, forgiveness and compassion for the child within, assists in reclaiming the self one was born to be.
Rhodochrosite is also referred to as Inca Rose (Rosa del Inca or Rosinca), as the Incas believed it was the blood of their ancestral rulers turned to stone. It is the National Gemstone of Argentina. (link to source)

Princess Alice of the United Kingdom (Apr 25th,1843-Dec14th,1878) was the third child and second daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. She was was Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine. She was the mother of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia (wife of Nicholas II) and maternal great-grandmother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (consort of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom).

Her life had been enwrapped in tragedy since her father's death in 1861. The Princess's life was unhappy as a result of impoverishment, family tragedy and worsening relations with her husband and mother. Alice showed an interest in nursing, especially the work of Florence Nightingale.When Hesse became involved in the Austro-Prussian War, Alice devoted a lot of her time to the management of field hospitals. In late 1878, diphtheria infected the Hessian court. Alice nursed her family for over a month before falling ill herself, dying later that year. (link to source)