The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

This Week in Royal Jewels: June 6-12

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June 6-12, 2014
This week’s royal jewel stories include a milestone birthday, a three-brooch week in Britain, and a final hurrah for some royal heirlooms. (And, if you missed them, don’t forget to check out our posts on the British state visit to France and the Swedish christening!) Enjoy!

10. Queen Maxima was gorgeous in diamonds and a ball gown at her brother’s wedding in Vienna on Saturday. She paired the family’s nineteenth-century diamond rivière necklace with an emerald-cut kunzite brooch that belongs to her mother-in-law, Princess Beatrix.

9. Earlier the same day, Maxima and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians kept the jewels to a minimum to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy. While Maxima’s earrings were a bit more flamboyant (to coordinate with her bright yellow jacket and turban headpiece), Mathilde chose understated pearls.

8. Crown Princess Mette-Marit paired dangling earrings with her sleek hairdo on Tuesday at the amfAR Inspiration Gala in New York, where she was honored for her activism on behalf of those with AIDS.

7. After a busy state visit in France, Queen Elizabeth II hopped back across the Channel to attend the Epsom Derby, where she wore the Jardine Star Brooch.

6. Queen Elizabeth chose the Cartier aquamarine clips given to her by her parents for the Buckingham Palace garden party held on Tuesday (the 93rd birthday of Prince Philip!).

5. One more brooch for the week for Elizabeth II! She opened a new sports center in Westminster on Thursday, wearing the diamond palm leaf brooch she inherited from the Queen Mother.

4. Delicate gold jewelry was Crown Princess Mary’s adornment of choice during a photoshoot in France to mark the 80th birthday of her father-in-law, Prince Henrik.

3. The woman who will become queen of Spain next week, Princess Letizia, borrowed a tiara from her mother-in-law for the Mexican state banquet this week: the family’s nineteenth-century diamond floral tiara. She paired the tiara with sparkling drop earrings.

2. During the Mexican state visit to Spain, Queen Sofia wore two of the joyas de pasar (or “jewelry to pass down”), the pearl necklace and pearl pendant that mimics the famous La Peregrina pearl. In her will, Queen Ena left several pieces of jewelry to her son, the Count of Barcelona, with the understanding that they should be reserved for the use of the Spanish queen.
1. Finally, this week’s state banquet in Spain saw Queen Sofia wearing most of the rest of the joyas de pasar for probably the last time: the Fleur-de-Lys Tiara (or “La Buena” — more here), the diamond necklace, diamond earrings, and diamond bracelets. Some have wondered whether Sofia will retain these jewels even after her husband’s abdication; however, I think her appearance in the jewels at this final state banquet during his reign suggests that she’s saying farewell to the pieces, which we will next see on Queen Letizia.

This Week in Royal Jewels: May 30-June 5

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May 30-June 5, 2014
Lots of glitter and pomp this week, with the opening of Parliament in Britain, an awards ceremony in Sweden, and an official visit in the Netherlands. Enjoy!

10. For a concert held on Sunday in honor of Prince Henrik of Denmark’s 80th birthday, Crown Princess Mary chose a modern pair of golden earrings.

9. At the same concert, Queen Margrethe wore a set of jewelry made of gold and pearls that appropriately was given to her by her husband. The necklace and earrings were a silver wedding gift from Henrik to Margrethe; they were created by Torben Hardenberg, who also made Margrethe’s modern turquoise jewelry.

8. On the heels of her husband’s surprise abdication, Queen Sofia of Spain wore layered necklaces and a pearl brooch on a visit to the United Nations in New York on Tuesday.

7. A number of royals attended the Bernadotte Art Awards in Stockholm on Monday, including two members of the former imperial family of Iran: Farah Pahlavi and her granddaughter, Princess Noor. The former empress wore pearls and large golden earrings, while her granddaughter chose earrings to coordinate with the gold trim on her dress.

6. Also at the Bernadotte Awards? Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, who paired dangling earrings and a bracelet with her gown.

5. One more from the awards in Sweden: Queen Silvia in modern gold jewelry (with earrings that appear to have a green stone set in the center) and Countess Marianne Bernadotte in pearls.

4. This week, the Dutch royals welcomed Prince Albert II of Monaco for the opening of an exhibition on the life of his mother, Grace Kelly. (Sadly, Princess Charlene had to cancel the trip because of her recently-announced pregnancy.) For a dinner at Het Loo Palace, Princess Beatrix wore sapphires and diamonds, including the Sapphire Necklace Tiara.

3. At the same official dinner, Queen Maxima wore jewels from the family’s emerald parure, which dates to the late nineteenth century and includes emeralds brought to the country by Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia a century earlier.

2. At the State Opening of Parliament on Wednesday, the Duchess of Cornwall repeated the jewels she wore at last year’s opening: the Boucheron tiara from the Greville inheritance, her pearl necklace with the diamond clasp, and pearl earrings (plus the Royal Victorian Order and the Queen’s family order).

1. No other royal lady could compete this week with the glittering appearance of Queen Elizabeth II at the State Opening of Parliament, where she donned the Imperial State Crown to read her speech. On the way to and from the event, she wore George IV’s Diamond Diadem. The rest of her jewels included Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee Necklace, pearl earrings from Queen Victoria’s collection, a pearl bracelet and a pearl watch, and the Garter collar.