How Covett is updating the tradition of borrowing and sharing fine jewellery
By Kyle Roderick
While royal families and other notables have been sharing great vintage pieces of jewellery among themselves and their descendants for centuries, London-based Covett is updating this tradition by enhancing people’s access to fine adornments in 2021 and beyond. Indeed, many of today’s statement-making jewellery borrowers are royals and celebrities who either walk the world’s palaces or stalk ceremonial red carpets. A recent example is Princess Beatrice, who wore a borrowed tiara on her July 2020 wedding day. When she tied the knot with real estate developer Count Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, the then 32-year-old wore Queen Mary's diamond fringe tiara that was lent to her by her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
The ingeniously designed diamond fringe tiara, which can also be worn as a necklace, was made for Queen Mary in 1919. It sparkles with repurposed diamonds taken from a convertible necklace/tiara purchased by Queen Victoria from Collingwood & Co. as a wedding present for Princess Mary in 1893. In August 1936, Mary gave the tiara to her daughter-in-law, Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother). When Queen Elizabeth, consort of King George VI, first wore the tiara, the Minister of Parliament and acid-penned diarist Sir Henry “Chips” Channon described it as "an ugly spiked tiara". (History proves that Channon’s was a minority opinion!) Queen Elizabeth later lent the piece to her daughter, Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen Elizabeth II, so that the shimmering jewel could be the "something borrowed" for her 1947 wedding to Prince Philip. As Princess Elizabeth was getting dressed at Buckingham Palace before leaving for Westminster Abbey, the tiara snapped. Luckily, the court jeweller, who was on call in case of emergency, hustled the damaged treasure back to his work room, escorted by police and accomplished repairs in time for the wedding ceremony. The diamond fringe tiara was later lent to the Queen’s daughter, Princess Anne, for her 1973 wedding to Captain Mark Phillips in 1973. (Anne was the last princess to wear it before Beatrice did.)
In the entertainment world, Golden Globe nominee and presenter Jennifer Aniston stole the 2020 Golden Globe award television show with a sumptuous 68-carat double swag diamond necklace hand-made by Cartier London in the late 1950s.
Aniston borrowed it from Fred Leighton, an exclusive Madison Avenue, New York boutique catering to jewellery collectors, high net worth individuals and A-listers like Aniston. And in 2018, fashion designer Talita von Furstenberg wore vintage jewellery borrowed from her grandmother, fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, to the annual Met Gala spectacular which raises money for New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.
In light of all these sparkling shared and borrowed jewellery stories, Covett is clearly making a major contribution to the venerable tradition of sharing jewellery that royal families and celebrities have been upholding for ages. Covett offers shared jewellery ownership and subscription plans to people in London and surrounding counties who desire fine jewellery access without traditional ownership. Covett’s current vault of jewellery offers a diverse range of contemporary jewellery along with some vintage pieces. The Vault grows monthly to add even more excitement to the offering. Everyone from celebrities to Covett members seeks distinctive pieces for their ensembles; recent events show us that vintage, as well as contemporary jewels can make ideal choices for festive celebrations like weddings or gala festivities. In any event, if you wear a Covett piece, chances are that no one else will be wearing jewellery like yours.
Covett is unlocking the value in fine jewellery by providing access to the Covett Vault through an annual subscription. While a subscription offers individuals a wonderful way to experience Covett’s personalised white-glove service and innovative access to fine jewellery and ownership, a Covett subscription also makes a perfect gift for any jewellery lover or enthusiast.
Kyle Roderick is covers design-driven, limited edition jewellery and important timepieces in Forbes magazine and is the Founder / Editor-in-Chief at BIJOUXreview.com.
