By Amy D’Orazio, co-author of The Heir, Rags to Richmonds Book 4
Rundell, Bridge & Rundell were popular jewelers in the Regency era. With an international reputation for the excellence of their work, their shop at 32 Ludgate Hill was often thronged with those of the ton, their carriages blocking the street.
Becoming the Royal Jewelers in 1797, the firm was well known amongst the ton; the Prince Regent, later George IV, was one of their best customers. George purchased what was known as ‘fancy articles’ — buckles, rings, cameos, pocket books, swords, toothpick cases, watches, earrings, and snuff boxes— regularly and had quarterly bills anywhere from £100 to £1000.
Rundell, Bridge & Rundell famously created the Diamond Diadem for George IV to wear for his coronation at a cost of £8216 (current value £800,000). Over thirteen hundred diamonds set in silvery and gold were used in the piece which was a particular favorite of Queen Elizabeth II and was worn by Queen Camilla to open parliament in July 2024.
The firm officially began in 1788 when Philip Rundell joined John Bridge. While their work was somewhat popular immediately, receiving the royal warrant from George III truly made their fortunes. In 1803 they were joined by Rundell’s nephew Edmund Waller Rundell and two years later became Rundell, Bridge & Rundell.
Philip Rundell was a slovenly, violent-tempered man known as a relentless taskmaster, requiring long hours of those in his employ, from about eight in the morning to eight or nine o’clock at night. He was also known as a tireless negotiator and excellent judge of fine jewels, two invaluable qualities in a business which relied upon the purchase of jewels from French emigres and nobles from other countries. Dealers often first presented their wares to Rundell, for even though he was a tough negotiator, he paid them in cash on the spot. Other London jewelers might offer more money but would take too long to pay, or default on the payment entirely. Rundell enjoyed negotiating but otherwise greatly disliked having to interact with the people who made his business successful—clients and employees alike—and was most happy when such tasks could be left to his partners.
John Bridge was a very different kind of man; quiet and retiring, he carried on most of the business that occurred outside of the shop. As many of the wealthier clients had no wish to travel to the shop on Ludgate Hill, he would go to them to sell the firm’s wares and seek commissions. During the London Season he would regularly make the rounds in Mayfair; so successful were his efforts that the firm had all the business it could handle throughout the Regency era.
In 1817, the firm suffered one of its only losses when the junior partner, Edmund Rundell was left to manage the negotiations of a sale with people who presented themselves as emissaries from the King of Bavaria. An account of the incident is written in Philip Rundell’s biography:
A person who affected to be an interpreter introduced a military-looking personage, with mustachios etc. who pretended he could only speak Russ, and that he was deputed by the Emperor of Russia to select some unique diamonds and pearls. Having selected the most valuable in the house, they were sealed up in a paper box, and put away for a few days, while good bills were brought for their payment. Having made some purchases of trifling value, they were put by also in a paper box of the same size. In a short time afterwards, the same party called again, and being shown into a private room, they wished to inspect the articles, one of the partners with a clerk being present. While the seals were being broke, the interpreter called the partner out, requesting an advance on his commission. He [was] going down stairs to consult on the subject, [when] they contrived to ring the changes with the boxes, leaving one filled with cotton and penny pieces near the same weight, and got clear off with the booty.
When Philip Rundell heard of the loss, he reportedly said, “Now let us go to work again and get some more money.” The thieves were eventually apprehended and some of the jewels recovered; in the end, the total loss was about £8000.
Philip Rundell died in 1828 a very wealthy man with a fortune of about £1M—equivalent to about £122M or $155M today. John Bridge passed away in 1834, which led to the eventual dissolution of the business; without his extensive clientele in the upper circles, commissions declined and by 1843 the firm was forced to close its doors.
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Image Sources:
All public domain
Queen Camilla: credit Roger Harris, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
References:
Rundell, Bridge and Rundell - An Early Company History. Robert W. Lovett
Bulletin of the Business Historical Society Vol. 23, No. 3 (Sep., 1949), pp. 152-162
Memoirs of the late Philip Rundell, Esq. Making of the Modern World, Part I : The Goldsmiths'-Kress Collection, 1450-1850 The Making of the Modern World, Part I : The Goldsmiths'-Kress Collection, 1450-1850. J Fairburn, 1827 Reproduction of original from Goldsmiths' Library, University of London. Goldsmiths'-Kress no. 25249.
