Black Is Better: The Queen Wears Pomellato

THE VICTORIA LINE

Queen Victoria was reportedly so sad when her husband, Prince Albert, passed on, that not only did she consecrate several garish monuments and one very respectable museum in his honor—she also wore black for the rest of her born days. This included black jewelry. Instead of traditional stones, which inconveniently come in colors other than black, she wore jet (which isn’t a stone; it’s fossilized wood). She had the jet made into earrings and necklaces.

This year, Pomellato, the Italian jewelry line known for its cocktail rings and statement necklaces, have wedded Victorian techniques to their mod-ish aesthetic. In their aptly named Victoria line, they revive jet and combine it with yellow gold for a feline effect (pictured above). For their Tabou line, the brand reconsiders the old custom of laying silver on gold to set off stones, (which had practical value before technology took over, as gold was too soft to set off stones alone) giving Pomellato’s jewelry a uniquely baroque look. Pomellato’s muse for their collection is Tilda Swinton and in many ways this makes sense. Her esoteric wardrobe and androgynous styling is constantly at odds with her fine boned, classical face. The result is always noteworthy, and even bracing in its severity, but always elegant. Just as Queen Victoria would have it, and just like Pomellato.