Mary Queen of Scots

Mary Queen of Scots loved fabulous things. During her life, starting from her childhood in France, she would buy jewels and precious stones to add to the ones she had inherited. Her inventories list many pieces of jewellery; scented beads, finger rings, pendants, bracelets, belts, earrings, buttons, crucifixes, rosaries, and furs complete with bejewelled gold heads. All were made of gold, enriched with enamelling in bright colours, and set with precious and semi-precious stones, especially rubies, diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, and pearls.

She adorned her clothes with these pieces, but she was also famous for giving them out as gifts to friends and as rewards for diplomatic work.

The 'Penicuik Jewels' are thought to be examples of these precious items. The pieces were kept for years and preserved as relics of Mary by the Clerk family of Penicuik, Scotland.

They consist of a gold necklace, locket, and pendant that have been dated to the late 16th century.

The necklace is made from fourteen large oval-shaped filigree beads; each bead is separated by a smaller circular bead that probably would have held perfume. There is a locket inlaid with enamel containing two miniature portraits thought to be of Mary and her son James; the pendant was probably attached to the locket at some point. It’s unknown for sure if these pieces actually belonged to Mary, but the Clerk family’s connection to Queen Mary came about through the marriage of one of its members to the granddaughter of Gillis Mowbray, who was a servant to Mary while she was in England. Gillis was said to have received gifts from the Queen. It is possible these pieces were one of those gifts. They now reside in the National Museum of Scotland.

Via: www.nms.ac.uk