The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Birthday Jewels: Queen Elizabeth II

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It’s that time of year again — one of the two birthdays of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (and various other places, too!). Today is the real McCoy: her genuine birthday, not the “official one” celebrated with a military parade when the weather’s nicer. To mark 88 years of royal excellence, let’s enjoy a rundown of the jewelry she’s worn at state banquets over the past decade. Which of her pieces of jewelry is your favorite?

09 Apr 2014: State Banquet at Windsor Castle for the President of Ireland




05 Nov 2013: State Banquet at Buckingham Palace for the President of South Korea




31 Oct 2012: State Banquet at Buckingham Palace for the President of Indonesia




22 Nov 2011: State Banquet at Buckingham Palace for the President of Turkey




24 May 2011: State Banquet at Buckingham Palace for the President of the United States




19 May 2011: State Banquet at Dublin Castle in Dublin, Ireland




26 Oct 2010: State Banquet at Windsor Castle for the Emir of Qatar




03 Mar 2010: State Banquet at Buckingham Palace for the President of South Africa




27 Oct 2009: State Banquet at Windsor Castle for the President of India

23 Oct 2008: State Banquet in Bratislava, Slovak Republic

21 Oct 2008: State Banquet at Brdo Castle in Slovenia




13 May 2008: State Banquet in Ankara, Turkey




26 Mar 2008: State Banquet at Windsor Castle for the President of France 




30 Oct 2007: State Banquet at Buckingham Palace for the King of Saudi Arabia




07 May 2007: State Dinner at the White House in Washington, D.C.




13 Mar 2007: State Banquet at Buckingham Palace for the President of Ghana




19 Oct 2006: State Banquet in Talinn, Estonia




17 Oct 2006: State Banquet in Vilnius, Lithuania

07 Mar 2006: State Banquet at Buckingham Palace for the President of Brazil




23 Nov 2005: State Banquet in Valletta, Malta




02 Nov 2004: State Banquet in Berlin, Germany

05 Apr 2004: State Banquet in Paris, France

Birthday Jewels: Maria Teresa of Luxembourg

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Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, 2010 [1]
On Saturday, the always-lovely Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg celebrated her 58th year on the planet. To add to the birthday fun, today I’m featuring some of my favorite glittering appearances made by Luxembourg’s Cuban-born consort over the past few years. Enjoy the bling — and be sure to register your vote for your favorite bejeweled look in the comments!

The newly-minted grand duchess wore the pearl and diamond choker tiara at the wedding of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway on August 25, 2001; she’s also wearing the Congo Diamond Necklace, which she wore as a tiara at her own wedding in 1981.


A festive beaded necklace is an appropriate choice for the daytime portion of Luxembourg’s National Day on June 23, 2005.



…and dark purple amethysts for the evening festivities later the same day!

A stunning pair of statement earrings were perfect for a big royal bash in honor of her silver wedding anniversary at Berg Castle in July 2006.




For a state banquet in Belgium on March 20, 2007, MT brought out some of the biggest jewels from the family’s vaults: the Empire Tiara, an emerald and diamond choker that once belonged to Queen Astrid of the Belgians, emerald and diamond earrings, and an enormous diamond brooch.


On the following day, during the same Belgian state visit, she sported this impressive turquoise necklace while visiting the Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels.


A toast to King Juan Carlos of Spain on April 16, 2007, wearing the Belgian Scroll Tiara that was given to her mother-in-law as a wedding present in 1953.




On April 16, 2008, she glittered in diamonds and sapphires, wearing the Grand Duchess Adelaide Tiara for a visit to the Nordic Museum in Stockholm.




Wearing Grand-Duchess Josephine Charlotte’s aquamarines at the pre-wedding dinner for Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden on June 18, 2010.


Pearl drops on the ears and the lapel for National Day on June 23, 2010.

Wearing the Chaumet choker tiara and pearl earrings at the pre-wedding dinner for her eldest son, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, on October 19, 2012.



NOTES, PHOTO CREDITS, AND LINKS

1. Cropped version of a photograph available via Wikimedia Commons; source here.

Birthday Jewels: Crown Princess Mary of Denmark

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Crown Princess Mary of Denmark [1]
Today, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark celebrates her forty-second birthday. The Tasmanian-born princess has embraced the world of royal jewelry enthusiastically since joining the Danish royal family in 2004, and today, she wears a number of heirloom pieces from the family collection. To celebrate her birthday, we’re going to look at a small piece of jewelry that packs a major sentimental punch: her sapphire, diamond, and pearl brooch.
Mary’s sapphire, diamond, and pearl brooch [2]
The brooch features a large faceted sapphire surrounded by diamonds. Swags of pearls are suspended from the main element of the brooch, as is a floral diamond and pearl drop. The brooch can be traced back five generations in the family, back to Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia. She married the Duke of Connaught (one of Queen Victoria’s sons) in 1879. Among her wedding presents was a sapphire and diamond brooch, given to her by Colonel Stannerly [3]. The Washington Post describes the jewel as “a breastpin, with a sapphire set in diamonds” [4].
Queen Margrethe II [5]
Louise’s brooch was inherited by her daughter, Princess Margaret of Connaught, who took it with her when she married the future King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden. At some point the brooch was apparently reset, taking on its current appearance; that would account for the pearls, which must have been part of a later addition to the piece. Precisely who had the jewel remodeled isn’t clear. But it is clear that the sapphire brooch is one of the jewels that Margaret’s only daughter, Ingrid, inherited and took with her to Denmark.
Here the history of the brooch becomes clearer. Ingrid generally reserved the brooch for important occasions within the family. She wore it during the engagement celebrations for her eldest daughter, Queen Margrethe II, and Count Henri de Laborde de Monpezat. Eventually, Ingrid bequeathed the brooch to Margrethe, though the queen also wore the sapphire brooch during Ingrid’s lifetime, specifically at the christening of her first grandson, Prince Nikolai, in November 1999 (see the photograph on the left).
In 2006, Margrethe gifted the sapphire, diamond, and pearl brooch to Crown Princess Mary. It was a present to mark the birth of Mary’s eldest child, Prince Christian of Denmark. Mary wore the brooch in public for the first time at Christian’s baptism, which was held on 21 January 2006. Since then, she has also worn the same brooch at the christenings of her two youngest children, twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine (in April 2011). The brooch isn’t the only wardrobe element that Mary has repeated for her children’s christenings; Mary has also worn the same ivory floral headpiece at each of the them, including Princess Isabella’s christening in 2007.
Crown Princess Mary and Prince Christian [6]
While discussing the sapphire brooch during her interviews for De Kongelige Juveler, a wonderful documentary on royal jewels, Mary noted, “Some people learn history through wars or famous people, but jewelry is just as good a possibility to learn history. It shows how the families have married through the generations. And it doesn’t only talk about lineage, but it also relates to personal events in families. For example, we know that this brooch has always been worn for family-related events. Except that now I have it, and I tend to wear it a little bit more generally” [7].
NOTES, PHOTO CREDITS, AND LINKS
1. Cropped still from a YouTube video; source here.
2. Cropped still from a YouTube video; source here.
3. It’s not clear exactly who this is referencing. Elsewhere in the Post list of Louise’s wedding gifts, a Colonel “Stanley” offers two antique silver bowls; that Col. Stanley is almost certainly the 16th Earl of Derby (the Governor General of Canada for whom the Stanley Cup is named). It seems unlikely that the brooch came from him, as the two gifts are separated by a number of other entries on the list. If anyone can identify this “Colonel Stannerly,” please let us know in the comments!
4. Published in the Washington Post on 14 Mar 1879. Ursula also includes a list of wedding gifts here.
5. Cropped still from a YouTube video; source here.
6. Cropped still from a YouTube video; source here.
7. You can view the first episode of the documentary here.