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| Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara (Photo: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images) |
Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara is displayed at Buckingham Palace as a part of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh’s 60th wedding anniversary celebrations, 27 July 2007
Silvia Shines in Germany
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| King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia in Germany (Photo: BRITTA PEDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images) |
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden are on a visit to her home country of Germany this week. Let’s have a look at the jewelry she wore on the first day, including a glittering banquet, shall we?
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| Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images |
Silvia arrived in Germany wearing a large necklace of multi-colored pearls and mabe pearl earrings. The small red bow pinned to her jacket is the ribbon of Germany’s Order of Merit.
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| Photo: Guido Ohlenbostel – Pool/Getty Images |
Here’s a look at her bracelets and rings from the same event. You’ll note pearls among her usual bangles. I’m always intrigued by Silvia’s double-faced watch, and I’d love to know what time zone the second clock is set to!
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| Photo: MARKUS SCHREIBER/AFP/Getty Images |
At the evening’s banquet, Silvia brought along some serious bling, and I’ve got close-ups to share.
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| Photo: MARKUS SCHREIBER/AFP/Getty Images |
She wore the Connaught Diamond Tiara, an heirloom from Crown Princess Margareta, that dates to 1905.
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| Photo: MARKUS SCHREIBER/AFP/Getty Images |
Here’s a closer look at the family’s diamond and pearl drop earrings.
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| Photo: MARKUS SCHREIBER/AFP/Getty Images |
She also added one of the diamond rivieres from the Bernadotte collection. This view lets you see the teeny loop on the central stone that allows a pendant to be attached to the necklace.
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| Photo: MARKUS SCHREIBER/AFP/Getty Images |
And finally, she brought out one of my favorite Swedish royal pieces: the diamond zig-zag patterned bracelet.
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| Photo: MARKUS SCHREIBER/AFP/Getty Images |
All in all, a very successful glittering outing, if you ask me. What say you?
Margrethe Wears Prussian Pearls in Wittenberg
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| Queen Margrethe visits Wittenberg (Photo: ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images) |
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark visited Germany this week to attend the reopening of Wittenberg’s refurbished castle church. Wittenberg is particularly significant because it’s the place where Martin Luther lived, preached, and started the Protestant Reformation.
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| Photo: ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images |
For the German visit, Queen Margrethe wore one of the most significant heirloom jewels in her personal collection: the Connaught Pearl Bar Brooch, a piece that has German roots.
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| Photo: JAN WOITAS/AFP/Getty Images |
The brooch is made of three natural pearls set in diamond clusters. An additional diamond is set where the rings join. The piece originally belonged to Margrethe’s great-grandmother, the Duchess of Connaught, who was born Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia.
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| Photo: ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images |
I love unusual viewpoints on royal jewels, and I thought this side view of the brooch gave a unique perspective on both the shape of the pearls and the detail of the setting. Margrethe has had this brooch in her collection for decades. The Duchess of Connaught bequeathed it to her younger daughter, Princess Patricia (later Lady Patricia Ramsay). Patricia gave it to her great-niece, Margrethe, as an eighteenth-birthday present. It’s a truly classic piece, and it’s no wonder that Margrethe wears it regularly.
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| Photo: JAN WOITAS/AFP/Getty Images |
With the Connaught brooch, Margrethe wore a pair of glittering statement earrings. You can see a close-up detail above.
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| Photo: ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images |
And even Margrethe’s hat was accessorized with jewels: pearl-tipped hat pins were used to secure the chapeau.