Hi friends! I’m so excited to welcome  back author, Heather Moll to Austenesque Reviews today! 

If you are a longtime reader of this blog, you may have noticed that Heather Moll has been furthering our education on Regency and Georgian jewelry – one blog post at a time. 💍

We learned about toi et moi rings, memorial rings, acrostic rings, and lover’s eyes. 📿

And today, Heather is here to share about a diamond aigrette which is featured in her new novel – A Most Natural Consequence! 💎

We hope you enjoy! 

Thank you Austenesque Reviews for hosting A Most Natural Consequence! I always enjoy working jewelry into a book. Sometimes it’s a thoughtful gift, and often that gift ties in to a story’s theme. And other times, in the process of searching gems while I’m outlining, the jewelry ends up being a plot point. In A Most Natural Consequence, a meaningful gift and a plot point came together with a diamond aigrette.

An aigrette is a hair ornament designed to hold or depict feathers and is usually jewel-encrusted. Aigrette is the French word for egret, a large water bird with long, fine feathers. Over time, upper-class women in France took the aigrette from being a military embellishment on a man’s hat to an ornament for their intricate wigs and hairstyles.

By our time period, jeweled aigrettes were made to be worn without the addition of real feathers. Even after elaborate hairstyles went out of fashion, aigrettes remained popular in Regency ladies their evening wear. Aigrettes gradually became the preference among those who preferred less ostentatious and lighter hair ornaments.

They were often mounted en tremblant, meaning “to tremble”. The gemstone pieces were attached to a something that acted as a spring, like a thin metal wire, to create movement when worn.

This is the style aigrette I had in mind for Darcy to give to Elizabeth in A Most Natural Consequence, but replace the multicolored stones with diamonds. This one is from the Victoria and Albert Museum, ca. 1810 (made), ca. 1820-1835 (altered). It has brilliant-cut diamonds, turquoises, an emerald, and other colored stones. Others were added later to increase the polychromatic effect.

In A Most Natural Consequence, Darcy decides to buy his new wife a gift so she feels pretty and confident as she meets his friends and adjusts to London life. Here’s an excerpt where he gives it to her before they attend an important ball.

~ Excerpt from A Most Natural Consequence ~

She was at the small desk in Georgiana’s old room, taking advantage of the afternoon light, when Darcy came in. “Recording all your secret thoughts in your journal?”

“Managing your engagements, actually,” she said archly as he came farther into the room. It had again been a few days since she had needed to unburden herself to her diary. Darcy’s companionship had marked quite a change. “Although, if you continue to tease me, I will be sure to make a lengthy note of your sporting behaviour toward me in my next journal entry. I am impressed by your improvement.”

“I have learnt from the best.”

She grinned at him. His manner was more wry, more quick quips than her own playfulness, but Darcy still had a sense of humour. He featured prominently in every journal account. His generosity, his kindness, his cleverness. What thoughts and reflections did he have about her? Were they the thoughts of a friend he respected, or could they be stronger and more fervent than that?

“You see all the dinner parties and evening parties made for you and your lady,” she said, gesturing to the table when she realised she had been staring at him, “and invitations are flowing in so fast that we will never have a disengaged day.” She looked over the stack. “In the course of the autumn, I must return their civilities with one superior party.”

“You cannot begin all of that yet, because I must return to Pemberley. I am typically there in August and September, and matters can no longer be put off. I will leave tomorrow, after Lady Summerlin’s ball. I can get a few stages in before dark, even though we will have a late night.”

“You must be there for the Michaelmas season?” she asked. Sunday was the twenty-ninth. Tenants would want to speak with Darcy to discuss their rates and deductions and harvest yields. Mrs Reynolds would discuss hiring of servants. His steward would want to meet with him to plan and budget for the following year.

“I will only be gone a fortnight, then all the parties honouring our marriage can resume.”

“Thank you for telling me.” She looked at the letters again, already deciding which ones she might accept alone and which ones to defer for after Darcy returned in October. She noticed he still hovered by the door, and then she looked up to see him turning a small parcel over in his hands.

He cleared his throat and came nearer. “Am I too late to add something to your preparations for tonight?”

Elizabeth rose and pointed toward the parcel. “What is it?”

“Something for your trinket box.”

She unwrapped it and opened the lid to see an aigrette made of diamonds. The hair ornament was designed as a posy of flowers, grasses, and a single peacock feather tied by a ribbon. The jewelled feather sat on a small hidden spring, mounted en tremblant, so that it trembled ever so slightly when she moved her head.

It was the prettiest thing she had ever seen.

“Darcy…” She stared at it, tracing her fingertips over the diamonds. “It is stunning. When did you get this?”

“I went to a jeweller in Ludgate Hill the other day.”

She supposed it must have been after another one of Miss Bingley’s taunts about her hair and dress not being fine enough for the great Mr Darcy. If she did not know his character as well as she did, she might assume he found her lacking and wanted her to appear the part of the elegant bride worthy of a man of Darcy’s rank and wealth.

But by his manner, rather than his words, it was clear he simply wanted to make her happy.

Fascinating! I never knew the origins of aigrettes and I love how they look! 

If I lived in the regency era, I’d pick them over tiaras and turbans any day!

How lovely of Mr. Darcy to give such a beautiful gift!

~~~

Here are some other aigrettes from the mid 18^th to early 19^th century, all from the British Museum.

Jeweled aigrettes were listed in royal collections at the beginning of the 17th century. During the 18th century, they were popular in intricate hairstyles before they were used to ornament the sleeker, simpler styles of the early nineteenth century. Then they fell out of style, and many aigrettes were converted to brooches. But there was a resurgence in the late Edwardian era when aigrettes, often with a small real feather, were worn on short hairstyles with a bandeau or a tiara.

The aigrette in A Most Natural Consequence, is a thoughtful gesture, but the eye-catching diamonds end up playing a larger role in Darcy and Elizabeth settling into their new marriage and finding their happy ever after.

~~~

 

~ GIVEAWAY TIME!!! ~

In conjunction with her blog tour, Heather brings with her a lovely prize pack to give away to one lucky winner!!

• a paperback copy of the book A Most Natural Consequence
• a pair of Pride and Prejudice earrings
• some snazzy bookish pencils

Just leave a comment on the blog or subscribe to my newsletter before Sunday March 22 and you’ll be entered to win the goodies. Giveaway is open worldwide.

(Already a subscriber? You’re already entered!) Subscribe here and get a free story!

 

• This giveaway is open worldwide.  Thank you, Heather!
• This giveaway ends March 22nd!