The tradition of custom jewelry as the ultimate lover’s gift is nearly timeless. An exchange of rings is one of the most enduring symbols of devotion; its significance is easily recognized in many cultures today. There was once, however, an even more intimate form of custom jewelry given to mark a romance: it was known as “the lover’s eye.”
A lover’s eye was a miniature portrait – usually in watercolor on a tiny piece of ivory – that depicted not the entire likeness, but only the eye of the beloved. This reduction of focus drew attention specifically to the gaze, a vivid expression of love and desire exchanged only between two people. And unlike the ring which often represents a public proclamation of love, the lover’s eye, by revealing only a fraction of the face, could be worn even by those in an illicit affair while maintaining anonymity. The identity of the lover would be known only to the wearer (and the portrait artist).
The lover’s eye first appeared in France around 1780. It was made popular, however, by its scandalous use by the Prince of Wales (he who was to become King George IV) to declare his love – then illegal – to a Catholic widow named Maria Fitzherbert. The Prince’s bold gesture of sending a portrait of his amorous royal eye to the upright Mrs. Fitzherbert was a surprise success – she reciprocated by sending him her own eye portrait, they were clandestinely married, and the fashion of sporting lover’s eyes on everything from rings, brooches, necklaces and bracelets to toothpick boxes swept the courts and affluent houses of Europe.
These extraordinary emblems of ardor were frequently set in elaborate gold or silver frames, often surrounded by jewels, and they sometimes even bore delicate embellishments like diamond tears. The assembled piece of custom jewelry might also enclose a lock of hair secretly sealed behind the portrait. They were delicate, personal treasures, and looking at one today still feels like interrupting a very private conversation.
Unfortunately for the miniaturists, by about 1830 photography came on the scene, and “real” portraits became all the rage, leaving lover’s eye jewelry to fall into obscurity. These days, it might not be so common to sport a single body part of your lover on your sleeve, but custom jewelry pieces carry on the tradition of honoring expressions of love whose significance is known only to the two lovers who wear them – and, of course, to the master jewelers who lovingly craft them.
Are you looking for the perfect piece of custom jewelry to give as a gift? Let us help! Visit our custom jewelry studio in the Linden Hills neighborhood of Minneapolis, MN.
