The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Queen Mary’s Amethyst Tiara

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Queen Mary wears her amethyst tiara and necklace

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom has a massive jewel collection, with tiaras featuring all sorts of precious stones. But one notable stone lacking from the queen’s tiaras is the amethyst. That wasn’t always the case, though; once upon a time the Windsors did have amethyst tiaras, including this substantial diadem.

The tiara belonged to the biggest jewel fan of the family: that’s right, our lady of the week, Queen Mary. Rather than having the piece specifically commissioned, May snapped these amethysts up at a charity auction. She was photographed in the tiara at least twice before apparently giving it to her daughter-in-law, Queen Elizabeth. Unlike her mother-in-law, the Queen Mum was never photographed wearing the tiara. Supposedly, when she offered it to her own daughter, Elizabeth II, to be included in the royal collection, the queen refused (for reasons unknown).

Instead, the tiara was put up for auction, leaving the family entirely. The matching pieces, including earrings and a brooch, were also sold. The necklace was later photographed on Vogue editor Anna Wintour at a gala at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in 2007.

So why get rid of one of May’s tiaras, especially when there aren’t any other amethyst tiaras (that we know of, anyway!) in the family collection? Maybe the tiara wasn’t deemed to be up to the usual standards of craftsmanship for a royal collection piece? Maybe the queen simply doesn’t like amethysts? Her collection does include one important demi-parure of diamond and amethyst jewels, the Kent amethysts, but that set doesn’t include a tiara.

A fuller version of Mary’s amethyst portrait

It’s also possible, though, that Elizabeth simply doesn’t have as much use for an amethyst tiara as past queens and consorts did. Amethysts are traditionally mourning jewels, and when families still regularly observed the strict mourning protocol of earlier centuries, royal ladies needed to have an amethyst tiara on hand. Things are quite different today. Ultimately, we may never know Elizabeth’s real reason for ditching this modern purple sparkler.

This Week in Royal Jewels: February 3-9

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February 3-9, 2017
We had a couple of big jewel surprises from the royal world this week! Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!
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10. During an athletic outing in support of Heads Together on Sunday, the Duchess of Cambridge debuted a new pair of stud earrings by Asprey. (More over here!)

NICOLAS LAMBERT/AFP/Getty Images
9. On Thursday, Queen Mathilde of the Belgians wore gold earrings with her usual bracelets and rings for a visit to the Haute Ecole Libre Mosane in Liege.
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8. Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands wore gray pearls and a diamond circle brooch at Maastricht University on Tuesday.
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7. The Duchess of Cornwall chose a brooch from the late Queen Mother’s collection for a visit to the “Sussex Modernism: Retreat and Rebellion” exhibition at Two Temple Place in London on Tuesday.
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6. At the Innovation and Design Awards in Alcala de Henares on Monday, Queen Letizia of Spain wore a lovely, trendy pair of floral ear cuffs.
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5. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands visited Germany this week; during a tour of the old synagogue in Erfurt on Wednesday, Maxima wore multiple pieces set with diamonds and gray pearls.
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4. For Thursday’s visit to the Spinlab in Leipzig, Maxima wore pieces of diamond and aquamarine jewelry that belonged to the late Queen Juliana. The small bow pinned to Maxima’s jacket is the ribbon of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
3. On the day before her big Sapphire Jubilee anniversary, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom attended a Sunday church service in Norfolk; she wore one of her most important brooches, the Cullinan V Brooch.
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2. For the 30th anniversary of Expansion, a Spanish newspaper, Queen Letizia debuted a show-stopping pair of diamond and ruby earrings. (Read more over here!)
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1. Before heading to Germany, the Dutch royals hosted the German president and his partner in the Netherlands. At a dinner in The Hague, Queen Maxima gave us a huge royal jewel surprise when she debuted the long-hidden necklace from the Ruby Peacock Parure. (Much more over here!)