To round out our celebrations of the jewelry worn by Queen Paola of Belgium, we’re having a look at a tiara that she wore during the reign of her husband, King Albert II. The grandest jewel in the Belgian royal collection is the Nine Provinces Tiara, a sparkler designated for the use of the nation’s queens and queens consort.

The tiara was originally worn by Queen Astrid; she’s wearing the full version of the flexible, adaptable tiara in the portrait above. (You can find a bit more about the tiara’s provenance and history here!) Today, the tiara is worn by Paola’s daughter-in-law, Queen Mathilde of the Belgians, but Paola wore the piece as a tiara and as a necklace during her twenty years as the Belgian queen. Here’s a look at some of the ways that Paola wore the tiara.

Time again for another peep into the jewelry box of our Magpie of the Month, everyone! Today we’re focusing on a pair of earrings that have been a part of Queen Paola’s jewelry collection for years: her “half-moon” diamond and pearl studs.

Unlike most European queens, the royal consorts of Belgium have had relatively little jewelry at their disposal during their spouse’s reigns. Because a queen consort isn’t going to immediately receive a cache of jewels to wear at state functions, it’s important that their personal jewels help to pull the weight of white-tie dress codes. Versatile pieces are key, and these earrings, combining pearls and diamonds, fit the bill.

The crescent-shaped earrings are made of a round central pearl, flanked on one side by a half-circle of diamond elements. The edge of each earring has a sunburst effect, with a tiny diamond fringe on its border.

In his book on the jewels of the Belgian royal ladies, Christophe Vachaudez posits that these earrings were given to Paola by her husband’s stepmother, Princess Lilian, the second wife of King Leopold III. She’s been wearing the earrings since the beginning of her marriage — they’re one of the jewelry pieces that has transitioned with her from the more mod styles of the 1960s to the present day.

Paola wore the half-moon earrings on two of the most important days of her life as a Belgian royal lady. Paola married Prince Albert, the second son of Leopold III, and she never expected to become queen consort. But when her brother-in-law, King Baudouin, died unexpectedly in 1993, Paola became the nation’s queen.

She wore the earrings at Baudouin’s funeral mass, and then donned them again at her husband’s inauguration a few days later. You can just see the earring on Paola’s ear at the left side of the photograph above, taken after Albert II’s swearing-in ceremony.

During her husband’s reign, Paola wore the half-moon earrings for both day and evening events. This is where the combination of stones is really key: the pearls set in the earrings make them more suitable for less-formal daywear, while the sparkling diamonds allow them to coordinate with the grandest of the jewels that Paola wore as queen.

You’ll see photos of Paola wearing the earrings with suits during the day; you’ll also see her wearing them with tiaras at royal galas, weddings, and state banquets. Above, Paola wears the earrings at the 2004 wedding of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, pairing them with her own diamond bandeau and with the base of the Nine Provinces Tiara, worn as a choker necklace.

Albert and Paola have been keeping a fairly low profile since his abdication in 2013, and these earrings haven’t had a significant outing since. I’m hoping we’ll see them again soon, especially with Paola’s chic new cropped hairstyle. Fingers crossed!

Happy birthday to our Magpie of the Month, Queen Paola of Belgium! Paola was born into a family of Italian aristocrats in 1937, and although she married a Belgian prince, she was never expected to become queen consort herself. As the wife of a younger son, the jewelry she received at the beginning of her marriage was more modest — and it actually remained that way throughout her life as a princess and as a queen. Today, we’re talking about one of the lovely small diamond pieces that she owns: the necklace that can also be worn as a tiara.

Paola has been wearing the piece as a necklace and as a tiara since the early years of her marriage. There’s speculation that she was given the necklace either as a wedding present in 1959 (possibly by her new husband?) or as a gift in honor of the birth of her first child, King Philippe, the following year. It’s essentially comprised of two rows of diamonds — a chain from which a row of tiny drops are suspended — and a slim pendant piece.

Paola’s modest jewel collection actually includes two delicate diamond necklaces, and sometimes people confuse the two. This piece is easy to identify because of the V-shape that it forms, thanks to the large central pendant section. In a way, it resembles the Y-necklaces that were so popular during the 1990s — but of course, a highly glamorous version. (In comparison, the second diamond necklace includes festoon designs.)

While the festoon-style necklace hasn’t been worn as a tiara, Paola wore today’s necklace as a tiara several times as a young princess. You can just see the small tiara peeking out of Paola’s complicated hairstyle in the photo above.

During her years as Belgium’s queen consort, Paola had access to two significant tiaras: the Nine Provinces Tiara, reserved for the nation’s queen, and the diamond bandeau that she had been given by her father-in-law. But the delicate diamond necklace still played an important part in her jewel collection; above, she pairs the Nine Provinces with the delicate necklace during a state visit from the Norwegian royals.

When Paola’s husband, King Albert II, abdicated last year, the Nine Provinces Tiara was transferred to the collection of the new queen consort, Mathilde. But along with her diamond bandeau tiara, Paola also retained this necklace. The former king and queen have largely kept a low profile since the abdication, but if we do so Paola appear at another glittering event any time soon, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this favorite necklace is worn as a prominent accessory.