Our tiara tournament has returned to Stockholm!
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| JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images, Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images |
The Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure Tiara vs. The Napoleonic Amethyst Parure Tiara
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| JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images |
One of several important suites of heirloom jewelry in the Bernadotte collection, the Leuchtenberg sapphires began their journey in Germany. They were a gift from Empress Josephine of France to her daughter-in-law, Princess Augusta, Duchess of Leuchtenberg. Augusta passed them to her daughter, Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway, and they’ve been in the Swedish vaults ever since. In 1930, Queen Victoria of Sweden bequeathed them to the family jewel foundation, which means they cannot be sold. Today, they’re typically worn by the most senior woman in the royal family: presently, that’s Queen Silvia. The flexible diadem has been one of her favorite jewels throughout her decades as Sweden’s queen consort.
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| Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images |
This imposing circlet of amethysts and diamonds was originally a large necklace. It’s part of a parure that has been in the Swedish royal collection since the days of Queen Josefina, who inherited it from her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Leuchtenberg. Queen Silvia made the piece convertible, having it placed on a tiara frame when she joined the royal family in 1976, and it’s been worn by most of the Bernadotte women in the years since.
More tiara voting coming your way next!
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