Romantic Danish Royal Jewels

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Since tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to highlight a rather romantic collection of royal jewels. The late Prince Henrik of Denmark loved to lavish inventive modern jewels on his wife, Queen Margrethe II. Here’s a look at some of the interesting pieces he gave her during their five decades of marriage.

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In October 1966, when Margrethe accepted his proposal of marriage, Henrik (then Henri de Laborde de Monpezat) presented her with this incredible toi et moi engagement ring. The ring, made by Van Cleef and Arpels, features a pair of diamonds that reportedly weigh in at about six carats each. (!)

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For their silver wedding anniversary in 1992, Henrik gave Margrethe a suite of jewelry made of gold, pearls, and ruby beads. Made by one of the couple’s favorite jewelers, Torben Hardenberg, the set includes a pair of earrings and a necklace with a removable center section. Here, she wears the section as a brooch, plus the earrings, during the Icelandic state visit to Denmark in January 2017.

Here’s a look at Margrethe wearing the suite with the full necklace, worn in January 1998 during the 60th birthday celebrations for Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands.

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For Margrethe’s own 60th birthday in 2000, Henrik gave her a striking brooch. The jewel has a mythological motif in its design, which includes an image of Diana, goddess of the hunt, and a deer. The piece is made of three large turquoises, gold, silver, and diamonds. Henrik bought the turquoises himself in Egypt, and he collaborated with Torben Hardenberg on the design. The brooch can be worn with or without its turquoise pendant section. Here, she wears the brooch for the Hans Christian Andersen Bicentenary Celebrations in April 2005.

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Ten years later, in 2010, Henrik offered her a pair of earrings to match the brooch. Also made by Torben Hardenberg, these turquoise earrings can be worn either as studs or with pendants of various lengths. Above, she wears the earrings with a single pendant, plus the brooch, for the celebration of the constitutional bicentenary in Norway in May 2014.

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In April 2015, Henrik added one final gift to round out Margrethe’s collection of modern gold and turquoise jewels. He presented her with a turquoise and gold necklace as a gift to celebrate her 75th birthday. Though it’s similar in design to the brooch and earrings, the necklace is not a Torben Hardenberg creation. However, like the other pieces, it does feature turquoises purchased by Henrik himself in Egypt. He wasn’t well enough to attend Margrethe’s birthday gala that year, but he made sure she had her present in time to wear it for the celebration at Fredensborg Palace. She paired the new necklace on that occasion with the brooch and the earrings with their long pendants.