NEW ORLEANS, LA (WGNO) – When the king and queen of carnival assume their Mardi Gras regalia the pair glisten with carnival spirit and the jewels of true royalty.
“Rex is very traditional krewe, so if you think about a kingdom or a realm even if it`s an imaginary one you think about jewelry. You think about glitter. You think about diamonds and rubies,” Dr. Stephen Hales, Rex Archivist, said. “…All of these glorious glittering marks of royalty.”
You can see the majesty of the king`s crown as Rex rolls down the uptown parade route, and again when he joins his queen at the Rex ball.
“Mardi Gras evening, what you will see is an absolute spectacle of royalty,” Dr. Hales said. “Crowns glitter, scepters that are filled with bright dancing lights.”
The queen of carnival is decked out with a crown and scepter and other royal ornaments.
Dr. Hales described, “The queen of carnival will have a necklace and earrings or so on.”
The queen had even more pieces to put on in the past.
“Necklaces, bracelets, pins, and even lovely stomacher…a beautiful belt with a dangling sparkling element that added to the court jewelry,” Dr. Hales explained.
Rex and his queen get to wear a lot of jewelry. Back in the day they got to take that bling home.
“Somewhere in the 30’s and 40’s that changed,” Dr. Hales said. “We began using the same crown and scepter each year for a number of years. Then retiring those and having new ones created for us.”
For decades, the jewelry has helped bring to life the glamorous royal court of the Rex Organization, and will continue to help the Mardi Gras royalty look stunning for years to come.
“Even though it’s a fanciful kingdom and a fanciful court, it’s a beautiful court,” Dr. Hales said.