While I was in London I visited the Victoria and Albert Museum and wandered the great halls of fine objects, but principally I was there for the jewellery exhibition in the William and Judith Bollinger Jewellery Gallery which boasts 3,500 pieces making it one of the finest and most comprehensive in the world. Much of it is European jewellery from the last 800 years. On show are jewels that reflect the splendour of courtly life, some of the finest designs from the great jewellery houses of the 20th century and jewels designed by important contemporary makers.

Included in the exhibition are historically significant pieces linked to Queen Elizabeth I, Catherine the Great of Russia and Napoleon’s Josephine.

The most eye-catching exhibit for me was right at the start: a swirl of rings with varying sizes of gemstone in a myriad of colours and including some huge, but beautifully faceted gemstones. The exhibition is over two floors and feels very modern, there are touch screens which let you see close-ups of the exhibits.

It’s well worth a look, but if you can’t make a special trip then you can always have a virtual peek thanks to their Hidden Treasures part of the site. This allows you to see photos of the jewels and read a little about their history- like the Seringapatam Jewels shown above.

Museums are more fun than they used to be- even for adults! After the jewellery exhibition we visited the Theatre and Performance Galleries which were so much fun! They have Adam Ant’s Prince Charming costume, Kylie’s dressing room and Mick Jagger’s jumpsuit!

And is that wasn’t enough they even have costumes for you to try on- now that’s the sort of “interactive” I enjoy!