Love at First Sight

The Original Secret Love Note

Half portrait, half jewel, Lover’s Eye jewelry was the perfect way for secret lovers to feel close even when apart. Made to be worn close to the body, these sentimental keepsakes emerged in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when hopeless romantics began wearing a miniature likeness of their lover’s eye, hand-painted on rings, brooches, lockets, or pendants, and covered it with a portrait-cut diamond with pearls or with locks of hair.

In the late 1700s, French artists began painting miniature portraits of a single eye. Between the 1780s and 1830s, the practice spread to England and even America, especially among aristocrats. Usually painted by specialist miniature artists, many remained unsigned because there was no room for a signature on such a tiny masterpiece. 

Frequently rendered on parchment or ivory in soft watercolor or gouache, these paintings were encased in diamonds, gemstones, and sometimes even paste. Some eyes were painted with a trompe-l’oeil tear, while others had a small diamond set to mimic a tear. Only the wearer knew whose eye they held, allowing the bauble to be worn in public while the relationship stayed undercover. 

However, once photography was invented in the 1830s, the jewelry motif quickly fell out of favor. 

The Affair That Started It All

In 1785, the Prince of Wales (later King George IV) of England fell deeply in love with a Catholic commoner and widow, Maria Fitzherbert. The two began an illicit affair, even tying the knot in an illegitimate ceremony in secret. 

He commissioned portraits of their eyes as quiet tokens of devotion. Carrying an emblem of Maria himself, the King sent her a small watercolor painting of his eye in a locket with the note that read, “P.S. I send you a parcel … and I send you at the same time an Eye, if you have not totally forgotten the whole countenance. I think the likeness will strike you.”

When he died, King George IV was buried with a rendering of Maria’s eye. Once the public learned of it, Lover’s Eye jewelry became a trend throughout society. Even British Romantic poet Lord Byron owned a secret Lover’s Eye jewel. 

Lover’s Eye Jewelry Gets a Second Look

Now, American couple David and Nan Skier have accumulated one of the most impressive and complete collections of eye miniatures in existence. All-seeing Lover’s Eye jewels are on display in the Costume Art exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The beloved Netflix series Bridgerton has included Lover’s Eye necklaces in its period costumes as well. With a reinvigorated love for the romantic relic taking hold, modern-day designers are putting a new spin on the jewel.

Founder and designer of Cece Jewellery, Cece Fein-Hughes, tells The Diamond Collective, “Historically, portrait jewelry has always been one of the most romantic forms of adornment to me. From Georgian portrait miniatures to Victorian Lover’s Eye jewelry, these pieces were never simply decorative; they were deeply personal keepsakes, created to hold the memory of someone you loved close to you.”  

Canadian jeweler Kelty Pelechytik continues the tradition in her own style, often enlisting Australian artist Robyn Rich to paint bespoke miniature lovers’ eyes on gold, then covering them with a portrait-cut diamond set in contemporary gold rings and pendants.

Award-winning jewelry designer Ana Katarina also creates jewels evoking the ultimate window to the soul. With hand-carved blue agate Lover’s Eye cameos encased in diamonds and sapphires in 18-karat gold, Katarina also offers custom carvings to create the image of your own loved one.