Screenshot from the Trailer
IT ISN’T SUPRISING that Anna Mary Scott Robbins, costume designer for Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, turned to one of London’s premier jewelers of period and bespoke pieces, Bentley & Skinner, for 13 authentic antique and extraordinary contemporary designs for the third and final film of the beloved saga, which began as a television series in 2010 on ITV in the U.K. and PBS in the U.S. Robbins worked on Seasons 5 and 6 and the previous two films, and Bentley & Skinner lent jewelry to the series over the years. Additionally, for the first film, in 2019, the company — a leading supplier of antique and vintage tiaras — provided three styles that ranged from Victorian through Edwardian for three of the main female characters.
The most recent film follows the Crawley family and staff through the beginning of the 1930s. Mary (Michelle Dockery’s character) is the center of a public scandal, the family faces financial trouble and a new generation leads Downton Abbey into the future.
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I have been impressed by how the costumes and jewelry throughout the series and the films have captured the periods. Not only did Julian Fellowes give us a taste of the changes of the times, but the jewelry and costumes reflected them to perfection. We have seen the transitions during the six season of the TV series, set from 1912 to 1925, and in the two movies, set in 1927 and 1928. Now we see them in the final film, which represents the 1930s.
Lady Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) (from Promo of Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale)
The Belle Epoque tiara, circa 1910, that Lady Cora wears. PHOTO COURTESY OF BENTLEY & SKINNER
And although the movie takes place in 1930 during the Art Deco period, “a family always has jewelry from different eras,” says Ilias Kapsalis, manager of the Mayfair-based shop. “They don’t wear just jewelry made in the current decade.” He continues, “Women of a certain age would likely wear a piece from their youth rather than a new style.” So Lady Cora, Countess of Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern), wears a Belle Epoque diamond band tiara with a floral motif.
Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael) also mixes Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco jewels.
Lady Edith wears this late Art Deco statement brooch by Hennell featuring a 66.02-carat radiant-cut aquamarine framed within a diamond-set lozenge border. Suspended from this is a secondary brooch element, set with emerald-cut aquamarine and five-diamond floral drop elements set in platinum. This piece includes detachable elements and a ring fitting, allowing for transformation from brooch to a ring. PHOTO COURTESY OF BENTLEY & SKINNER
Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery), from promo of Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
The brooch that Lady Mary wears on the back of her red gown: an architectural diamond brooch with baguette and old European-cut diamonds, channel and grain-set in a geometric platinum mount with white gold double pin fitting. PHOTO COURTESY OF BENTLEY & SKINNER
Lady Mary’s standout scene is when she wears a red gown and dons a diamond tiara, contemporary diamond earrings and an Art Deco diamond brooch worn on the back of her gown, This look, which features mainly Art Deco pieces, is as modern as those we see today on celebrities at red carpet events.
Standout tiaras, brooches, necklaces and other pieces are worn by all three actresses throughout the film.
Diamond-set star brooch, circa 1870. PHOTO COURTESY OF BENTLEY & SKINNER
And it was fun to see Lady Edith wearing one of the pieces — a diamond-set star brooch with a larger center diamond surrounded by 12 diamond-set rays, in silver on yellow gold back with detachable brooch fittings, circa 1870 — that was featured in my book, The Modern Guide to Antique Jewellery (ACC Artbooks, 2022).
The trend toward collecting antique and vintage jewelry continues to attract new customers, and I do believe this film, like the series and two previous films, will create even more of a buzz for these types of period jewels.
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A brooch with a large pink topaz framed by four round-cut diamonds. PHOTO COURTESY OF BENTLEY & SKINNER
Trailer from the film:
