Culture & Style
Inside The Gilded Age’s Sparkling World of Diamond Jewelry
By Hannah Militano, August 10, 2025
As the curtain closes on season 3 of The Gilded Age, we’re unpacking some of the most lavish jewels in the HBO hit period drama.
Carrie Coon and Morgan Spector as Mr. and Mrs. Russell in The Gilded Age Season 2. (Photograph by Barbara Nitke/HBO)
This season of The Gilded Age has come to a close. The season 3 finale of Julian Fellowes’ historical period drama saw pivotal changes for our beloved characters among New York’s elite society in the late 19th century.
The fate of George Russell (portrayed by Morgan Spector) was unveiled after a near-death experience in the penultimate episode. With the exception of Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) and Mrs. Kirkland (Phylicia Rashad), many of the characters received happy endings.
The HBO series has been renewed for a fourth season after reaching record-high ratings this summer. Through all the secrets and scheming in the dark, the historically inspired jewelry shines through the brightest. Layers of pearls, oversized gemstones, cameos, and loads of gold chains catch your eye on the screen, while natural diamond tiaras, brooches, necklaces, bracelets, and rings steal your breath. The most lavish diamond jewels are used as an indicator of wealth amid the conflict between new money and old money – each bauble a chess move in the fierce competition among New York’s nouveau riche.
Meet the Author
- Hannah Militano covers diamond jewelry trends, the fashion industry, pop culture, and celebrity news.
- She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology.
- As a journalist, her work has been featured in publications such as Editorialist, Carine Roitfeld’s CR Fashion Book, L’Officiel USA, Grazia USA, Coveteur, and more.
Selected by costume designer Kasia Walicka Maimone, the sensational jewelry is the cherry on top of sumptuous costumes and gripping storylines, set in approximately 1882. Inspired by jewelry from the Victorian era, the assortment is filled with Belle Époque tiaras, Edwardian collars, and even Art Deco and contemporary jewels by the likes of Temple St. Clair and Hayley Elise Jewellery.
Bertha Russell’s The Gilded Age Diamond Tiaras and Royal Inspirations
Nouveau riche social climber Bertha Russell (played by Carrie Coon) and her railroad tycoon husband, George Russell, represent the new money that has made their names known among New York’s elite.
Her character draws heavily upon the life of Alva Vanderbilt, the wealthy socialite and advocate for women’s suffrage. She had three children with her first husband, businessman William Vanderbilt – Consuelo, William Jr., and Harold. Together, the couple built “Petit Chateau” at 660 Fifth Avenue. Similar to Bertha, Alva was shunned by the formerly established “old money” New York City until she was accepted thanks to a lavish ball she threw.
Massively wealthy, Mrs. Russell often wears the most opulent and audacious diamonds, reminiscent of those from royalty. Back in season two, Bertha Russell attends a dinner party with a swirling diamond tiara and a diamond choker, incredibly similar to Queen Alexandra’s Collier Résille, which was crafted by Cartier in 1904, according to The Royal Watcher.
The Gilded Age’s Fabergé Tiara Recreation
To attend the opening of the controversial Metropolitan Opera House at the close of season 2, Mrs. Russell wore a recreation of a diamond Fabergé Tiara, originally given to Empress Josephine by the Tsar of Russia.
Known as the Empress Josephine Tiara, its briolette-cut (drop-shaped) diamonds were a gift from Emperor Alexander I of Russia to the Empress Josephine following her divorce from Napoleon. The diamonds were passed down to her grandson, Prince Maximilian Joseph. According to Fabergé, a later owner had the stones incorporated into this tiara. The jewel was acquired by the Belgian royal family and then passed down to Queen Maria José, the last Queen of Italy. Finally, the tiara was auctioned off in 2007 at Christie’s in London and is now in the McFerrin Collection, displayed at the Houston Museum of Natural Science in Texas.
The Gilded Age Wedding Jewelry of Gladys Russell and Consuelo Vanderbilt
Much like her mother’s links to Alva Vanderbilt, Gladys Russell is heavily based on the life of Consuelo Vanderbilt. The eldest Vanderbilt daughter, Consuelo, married Charles, the ninth Duke of Marlborough, at St. Thomas’s Church on November 6, 1895, when she was just 18 years old. Much like Gladys, she was in love with someone else at the time – Winthrop Rutherford.
As legend goes, Alva Vanderbilt locked Consuelo in her room until she agreed to walk down the aisle to ensure the bride’s attendance on her wedding day. The pressure was on, considering the Duke had already agreed to a substantial amount of railroad stock and a healthy annual allowance.
The story plays out similarly for Gladys Russell on season 3 of The Gilded Age. With her mother’s help, Gladys is betrothed to the Duke of Buckingham against her own wishes. On the show, Gladys locks herself in her room before deciding to succumb to her noble fate and head down the aisle.
Ahead of her nuptials, the Russell family announces Gladys’ engagement and unveils her portrait by John Singer Sargent (Consuelo was also painted by Sargent). As the crowd steps away and reality hits her, Gladys clutches her multi-strand choker of pearls when they break and scatter across the floor. The Vanderbilts are known for the family’s pearls, once owned by Catherine the Great and Empress Eugénie.
As recounted in her autobiography, The Glitter and The Gold: The American Duchess – In Her Own Words, Alva passed down a great many pearl jewels to Consuelo for her wedding. “My mother had given me all the pearls she had received from my father. There were two fine rows which had once belonged to Catherine of Russia and to the Empress Eugénie, and also a sautoir which I could clasp round my waist,” she detailed. “A diamond tiara capped with pear-shaped stones was my father’s gift to me, and from Marlborough came a diamond belt.”
While Gladys wore a diamond floral wreath tiara above her updo on her wedding day, Consuelo wore a diamond Boucheron tiara gifted to her by her father, William Kissam Vanderbilt.
Gladys Russell’s Diamond Star Hair Ornaments Caused a Stir in The Gilded Age
While hosting the Duke of Buckingham for the first time in season 2, Gladys Russell wore four large diamond-encrusted stars in her hair, undoubtedly influenced by the Empress Elisabeth of Austria’s famed diamond stars, as depicted in her portrait by Franz Xaver Winterhalter.
Lady Sarah, the Duke’s sister, even used an opportunity this season to reprimand Gladys for choosing the celestial hair ornaments instead of a tiara, which led to the dismissal of Gladys’s lady maid, Adelheid, who recommended Gladys wear the piece to begin with.
