Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World
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| Queen Sofia’s Pink Topaz Tiara (Image: Wikimedia Commons) |
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| Crown Princess Mary’s Engagement Ring (Photo: YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images) |
Some royal engagement rings are classic, some are simple, and some are over the top. But there’s only one word that adequately captures the ring that Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark gave to Mary Donaldson: patriotic.
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| Photo: KELD NAVNTOFT/AFP/Getty Images |
Frederik presented the ring to Mary in 2003. They’d been dating for a few years, following a meeting at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. The ring, as it was originally made, featured a central emerald-cut diamond flanked by a pair of ruby baguettes. The colors were chosen specifically by Frederik because they’re the colors of Denmark’s flag.
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| Photo: Scott Barbour/Getty Images |
Here’s another look at the original setting of the ring, taken on the day of the official engagement press conference. After the royal wedding in May 2004, Mary began stacking the engagement ring with her diamond-set wedding band.
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| Crown Princess Mary’s engagement and wedding rings; she wears rings from Ole Lynggaard on her right hand (Photo: Lennart Preiss/Getty Images) |
In recent years, the engagement ring has been altered a bit: two more diamonds have been added, one on either side of the ring. I like the change; I think it makes the ring look more substantial — certainly a piece fit for a future queen. And the ring can now be seen with additional symbolic weight, as the five stones could stand for the crown princess’s husband and their four children.
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| Monaco’s National Day Gala 2016 (Photo: PLS Pool/Getty Images) |
Time for a look at the evening glitter at the National Day Gala tonight in Monaco! We had three Grimaldi ladies in attendance, and each wore a bit of sparkle.
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| Photo: PLS Pool/Getty Images |
Princess Charlene arrived at the gala wearing a dramatic white coat over her evening gown.
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| Photo: PLS Pool/Getty Images |
She accessorized with a pair of diamond and pearl earrings.
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| Photo: PLS Pool/Getty Images |
Inside the gala, we got a look at the dress underneath the coat, plus the sash and star of the Order of Saint-Charles. (I think an additional brooch, placed at the shoulder, would help to secure the sash more effectively.) For the gala, Charlene set aside her massive engagement ring in favor of her simpler wedding band.
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| Photo: PLS Pool/Getty Images |
Just as she was this morning, Princess Caroline was the star of the jewelry show. She wore a pair of girandole earrings set with diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds; these have been in her collection for years. She also wore an emerald and diamond ring, plus a very intriguing pair of diamond and ruby clips.
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| Photo: PLS Pool/Getty Images |
I feel like these brooches have a longer Grimaldi history, but I’m having trouble placing them. Perhaps their “A” shape suggests a legacy from the late Princess Antoinette? The clips coordinate nicely with the sash and star of the Order of Saint-Charles.
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| Photo: PLS Pool/Getty Images |
Tatiana Santo Domingo, wife of Andrea Casiraghi, wore a pair of ultra-modern diamond earrings with her velvet evening gown. The gown had embellishments of its own: a pair of glittering wings stitched at the neckline, plus sparkling cuffs.