Revisiting "George's Gems"

King George III
Photo found at The Telegraph

The Georgian Era was a time when men took great pains with their appearances. Toward the beginning of this period, embroidery and lace were the most common adornment on men’s clothing. However, toward the end of this era, the embroidery and lace were omitted from the casual clothing of the day and reserved solely for the highly elaborate outfits worn to court and public appearance. Of course our king had many occasions to wear such outstanding apparel, being the king and all.

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Lover's Eye Locket
Photo found at Georgian Index

Now that we’ve covered his actual gems, I want to turn to some of the jeweled moments in his public life. We know that George III was a devoted father and husband, and he does not disappoint in matters of state, either. Following are a series of public accounts that have endeared him to me even more than ever. I hope you see the same picture I do. As this will be our last look at his life, I want the impression I leave of him to be the esteemed one that I hold of him.

I begin with a portion of one of his first speeches in parliament: “Born and educated in this country, I glory in the name of Briton; and the peculiar happiness of my life will ever consist in promoting the welfare of a people whose loyalty and warm affection for me I consider as the greatest and most permanent security of my throne; and I doubt not but their steadiness in those principles will equal the firmness of my invariable resolution to adhere to and strengthen this excellent constitution in church and state, and to maintain toleration inviolable. {1}”

Doesn’t it just sound poetic? I love the way they talked back then, although I did have to look up the word ‘inviolable.’ It’s an adjective that means “must be kept sacred; that cannot be transgressed or dishonored; able to withstand attack; not capable of being violated or infringed. {2}” 


Can I just say; I love that word!?!?! Here we see a man who understood the very sanctity of his position. He worked hard his entire life, regardless of his popularity or even his sanity at any given time, to fulfill his promise to keep the welfare of his people front and center during his entire reign. It’s clear that there were times when some did not agree with his decisions, but throughout his life he maintained his integrity and devotion despite opposition.