There will be no shortage of beautiful jewelry in season 2 of the hit Netflix series “Bridgerton,” which debuts on the streaming platform on Friday, March 25.
Town & Country reporter Carol Woolton got an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the “Bridgerton” jewelry set for the magazine’s March 2022 issue and from her recount of the experience, it did not disappoint.
“In Bridgerton’s jewelry department I find vast palettes of beads, brass, old-cut crystal stones, turquoise, and bezel settings, with a gold plating machine standing in the corner presided over by jewelry chief Lorenzo Mancianti,” Woolton said. “To date he has created nearly 400 sets of gems, including matching necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and tiaras.”
Woolton explained how jewelry shopping was “a popular pastime in the Georgian period,” with a lot of attention given to pieces that can be worn in high society settings and events, such as balls, masquerades, and dances that were held every night of the season.
“White jewels were particularly fashionable; newly discovered mines in Brazil meant diamonds were more widely available, and finer methods of cutting them meant they sparkled beautifully at night, especially if they were en tremblant, throwing dazzling beams around the ballroom under candlelight,” she added. For Edwina Sharma, the new debutante to be presented to the queen in season 2 of “Bridgerton,” Mancianti “paid homage to the girandole earring, inspired by 18th- century candelabra,” and large diamond drop earrings worn by the high society “to twinkle and scintillate like fairyland after dark.”
Because diamond imitations were popular at court, according to Woolton, Mancianti tried to stay historically accurate by hand- painting resin stones to look like opals, intensifying the color of gems to make them appear richer and more expensive. A ruby necklace was also created with a quick release magnetic catch so in the scene it will come off quickly.
“Bridgerton” costume designer Sophie Canale admitted to Town & Country that she draws inspiration from Dolce & Gabbana for the younger characters in the show. She said after sketching the costumes, she looks through books and artworks for jewelry to go with the looks, adding some contemporary elements to give keep each piece a bit modern. She said, “It’s not a period-correct show. And that’s the fun.”
Season two of “Bridgerton” focuses on the love story of the eldest Bridgerton boy Anthony (played by Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma (played by Simone Ashley).
Canale opened up the Harper’s Bazaar about the new jewelry in season 2 saying, “The Bridgertons tend to be in silver. For the Featheringtons, it’s gold. And for the Sharmas, it’s rose gold. We did a lot of hairpieces, hair pins, hair decorations. And there are a few themed balls this season where the dresses are made with the same elements as the jewelry.”
She also talked about the insane amount of costumes created for the new season. She said:
“There was a team of 120 people in house, and further-out workers as well. Just for costumes, we had milliners, two female cutters, they each have a team of pattern makers, a men’s tailor, we have four assistant costume designers, we have a dyer, an embellishment team, and embroiderers. We averaged about 700 costumes, with about 160 ‘makes’ every six weeks. There is no other production like it. And for the women, each one of those costumes has a hat or hairpieces, jewelry, embroidered gloves, and shoes that are dyed to match the dresses. So it’s not only dresses—it’s an entire collection with many thousands of items.”