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British Museum Raises $5M to Keep Jewel Linked to Henry VIII, Katherine of Aragon
It is believed the 24-karat heart-shaped enameled pendant was made for an event marking the betrothal of Princess Mary in 1518.
Retained by the British Museum via a public fundraising campaign, the front of the 24-karat gold “Tudor Heart” pendant has a pomegranate plant (right) intertwining with a Tudor rose bush (left), symbols of Katherine of Aragon and Henry VIII, respectively. (© The Trustees of the British Museum)
London—A heart-shaped pendant believed to have belonged to Henry VIII and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon, will remain on public display at the British Museum thanks to a successful public fundraising campaign.
The museum, which is in London, announced this week that it has raised the money needed to keep the “Tudor Heart,” crafted in 24-karat gold with red, black, and white enamel, in its collection.
Unearthed in 2019 by a café owner/metal detectorist from Birmingham, England, the incredible jewel could have remained in private hands under the U.K.’s Treasure Act 1996.
As explained by a spokesperson for the British Museum, the Treasure Act mandates that people who find an object they believe potentially could be “treasure” report it, typically to their local Finds Liaison Officer.
If the object is indeed determined to be “treasure” at Coroners Court, then museums and galleries have an opportunity to purchase it at the fair market rate, as determined by a group of experts that includes members of the U.K’s Treasure Valuation Committee.
While the valuation process is taking place, treasures typically are held at the British Museum for safekeeping, as was the case with the Tudor Heart.
If a museum or gallery does not want to, or cannot, purchase the object, then the finder retains possession and is free to do whatever they like with the treasure.
The market value of the Tudor Heart—which took longer than normal to determine due to the disruptions and backlogs COVID created—was determined to be £3.5 million (about $4.8 million).
In October 2025, the British Museum launched a fundraising campaign so it didn’t have to part with the heart.
The museum, which is in London, announced this week that it has raised the money needed to keep the “Tudor Heart,” crafted in 24-karat gold with red, black, and white enamel, in its collection.
Unearthed in 2019 by a café owner/metal detectorist from Birmingham, England, the incredible jewel could have remained in private hands under the U.K.’s Treasure Act 1996.
As explained by a spokesperson for the British Museum, the Treasure Act mandates that people who find an object they believe potentially could be “treasure” report it, typically to their local Finds Liaison Officer.
If the object is indeed determined to be “treasure” at Coroners Court, then museums and galleries have an opportunity to purchase it at the fair market rate, as determined by a group of experts that includes members of the U.K’s Treasure Valuation Committee.
While the valuation process is taking place, treasures typically are held at the British Museum for safekeeping, as was the case with the Tudor Heart.
If a museum or gallery does not want to, or cannot, purchase the object, then the finder retains possession and is free to do whatever they like with the treasure.
The market value of the Tudor Heart—which took longer than normal to determine due to the disruptions and backlogs COVID created—was determined to be £3.5 million (about $4.8 million).
In October 2025, the British Museum launched a fundraising campaign so it didn’t have to part with the heart.
The Tudor Heart pendant opens and is hollow inside, not solid. (© The Trustees of the British Museum)
The back of the pendant has the initials “H” and “K” in red enameled Lombardic capitals. The British Museum said the enameled hand reaching out of the 24-karat gold cloud was a common motif in the 16th century, representing the hand of God. (© The Trustees of the British Museum)
A closeup of the red enamel message on the Tudor Heart, ‘TOVS IORS,” which is believed to read as “all yours.” (© The Trustees of the British Museum)
Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon (also spelled Catherine) were married for 24 years—the longest of his six unions—and their relationship shaped the first 30 years of his 38-year reign, the British Museum said.
The king had their marriage annulled in 1533 so he could marry Anne, and the museum said few objects from their relationship survive.
Suspended from a 75-link gold chain with a clasp in the shape of a hand, the front of the heart-shaped pendant features the intertwining branches of two different bushes, a Tudor rose bush representing Henry and a pomegranate shrub representing Katherine and the Spanish kings of Aragon.
Across the bottom is a banner with red-enamel text reading ‘TOVS IORS,” believed to be a pun on the French word toujours (“always”), with spacing that makes it sound like “tous (all) yours” when read aloud, the museum said.
On the reverse are two initials in red enamel, “H” and “K,” with the same motto in black enamel.
Despite its seemingly romantic nature, the museum said it does not believe the pendant was a gift from Henry to Katherine, or from Katherine to Henry.
Research by the British Museum suggests the pendant was created for a tournament held in October 1518 to mark the betrothal of their then 2-year-old daughter, Princess Mary (who later became queen and was known as “Bloody Mary”), to the French heir apparent.
The museum said, “Henry frequently commissioned London goldsmiths to create jewelry for major celebrations and state occasions, which were worn briefly by members of the court to create the impression of great splendor.”
When the museum initiated its fundraising quest in October, it set April as a target date, but it was able to beat that deadline due to a £1.75 million ($2.4 million) award from the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
While the campaign attracted major donations from other organizations, including the American Friends of the British Museum, the museum noted that more than 45,000 people made individual donations, accounting for more than 10 percent of the total amount raised.
“I want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported our campaign and to the National Heritage Memorial Fund for so generously awarding £1.75 million,” said Nicholas Cullinan OBE, director of the British Museum.
“The success of the campaign shows the power of history to spark the imagination and why objects like the Tudor Heart should be in a museum. This beautiful survivor tells us about a piece of English history few of us knew, but in which we can all now share.”
The museum said it is working on plans to take the heart pendant on a national tour, including to Warwickshire, near where it was found.
The pendant is currently on display at the museum in “Room 2: Collecting the World.”
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