Jewels of The Splendour of Power (Part 1)

The Khedive of Egypt Tiara and Queen Sofia’s Star and Pearl Tiara (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

I’ve got a special treat for you today, magpies: a peek into a major jewelry exhibition currently on display in Denmark! Lovely reader Alberta paid a visit to The Splendour of Power at Koldinghus recently, and she has generously shared some of her photographs from the exhibit with me so that I can share them with all of you! There are so many great pieces on display that I’m dividing them up into a few posts, and today’s is all about tiaras.

The Pearl Poire Tiara (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

The exhibition’s mission is to display “a selection of magnificent and unique Danish and European pieces to illustrate the ability of jewellery to capture our fascination and act as statements of shifting power structures over the past 750 years.” Accordingly, the Danish royals have made numerous important pieces of jewelry available for display. Among the grandest is the Pearl Poire Tiara from Queen Margrethe II’s collection. (Learn more about the history of the tiara here!)

The Naasut Tiara (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

Queen Margrethe has also loaned one of her newest jewels, the Naasut Tiara, to be shown. Its coordinating earrings are also included. (Learn more about both tiara and earrings here!)

The Midnight Tiara (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

And Crown Princess Mary has also placed the Midnight Tiara on loan to the exhibition. The modern tiara is one of the pieces that she wears exclusively in an arrangement with the jeweller. Alberta noted that the exhibition has revealed even more about the deal between Lynggaard and Mary: “Charlotte Lynggaard intends to loan the Midnight Tiara to the Princesses Isabella and Josephine when they [are] old enough to attend state functions. As far as she’s concerned, it’ll be linked with Crown Princess Mary and her family for as long as possible.” (Our article on the parure can be found here!)

Princess Benedikte’s Floral Birthday Tiara (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

Princess Benedikte has been generous in offering numerous pieces to the exhibition, including the diamond floral tiara that she received as an eighteenth-birthday present. (More on the tiara’s history here!)

Queen Sofia’s Star and Pearl Tiara (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

She has also offered one of the tiaras she inherited from Queen Ingrid, Queen Sofia’s Star and Pearl Tiara. (Learn about the tiara’s Swedish heritage over here!)

The Khedive of Egypt Tiara (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

And Queen Anne-Marie has also loaned a tiara to the exhibition, and a very important one: the Khedive of Egypt Tiara, which is the family’s wedding diadem. (Much more on its history here!)

Queen Elisabeth’s Cartier Bandeau (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

Royals aren’t the only ones who have loaned tiaras to the exhibition. Cartier has allowed them to display the intricate diamond tiara that belonged to Queen Elisabeth of Belgium. (More on its backstory over here!)

Queen Hortense’s Moonstone Parure (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

The Napoleon Museum in Thurgau loaned a parure of moonstone jewels, including a tiara/comb, that once belonged to Hortense de Beauharnais.

“Is Knowledge Power?” (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

Newly-made tiaras are also included in the exhibition. This diadem — titled “Is Knowledge Power?” — was made by Louise de la Laing. The piece is made of “opals, sapphires, topazes, prasiolites, citrines, poplar wood, silver with 24-carat gold-plating.” You can learn more about the intent behind the piece over here.

The “Cardboard Crown” (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

But my personal favorite might be this inventive diadem. The David Bielander piece looks like a crown constructed out of corrugated cardboard, but it’s actually made of gold!

You can learn more about the exhibition at the Koldinghus website here. It’s open until October 21, so all of you lucky ducks who are close enough to travel there still have a bit of time to see it!