The Downton Tassel
©2024 by Cynthia Rutledge

For many, the historical drama television series Downton Abbey by Julian Fellowes, was truly masterful. The show was set in circa 1912 to 1926 and depicts the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their domestic servants in the post Edwardian era. Their lives revolved around major world events as in the sinking of the Titanic and the First World War.

Among the numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, the series, was in my eyes a fabulous view into historical clothing and jewelry. Watching the styles change season to season was very informative. 

The actors were taught everything from dancing and table manners to the mannerisms of the day. Of course, the jewelry was very intriguing. The one piece that stood out the most to me was the Cartier-inspired tassel sautoir. Andrew Prince, a designer with an encyclopedic knowledge of jewelry history, was hired to create the tiaras and jewelry. His sense of style and accuracy is truly amazing. Mary Crawley wore the necklace in two ways, in the front and also in the back for a formal occasion. Stunning.

The Downton Tassel is inspired by the work of Andrew Prince and the beautiful jewelry that he created for the show. Pearls in the 1920’s were all the rage, so I created a long, beautiful pearl chain (called a sautoir) ending with a bezeled cushion cut CZ and a fabulous swinging tassel. Let’s get our flapper on!

Workshop: This is a one-day workshop

Skill level: Intermediate to advanced

Necklace length: The chain is 30” long plus 4 ½” for the CZ and the tassel embellishment

Techniques:

• Flat and tubular peyote stitch

• Fringing and embellishing techniques

• Netting techniques