The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Diamond Tiara Tournament: Meiji vs Baumer Aigrette

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Will it be the classic Japanese sparkler or the modern Monegasque aigrette?

KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images, Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

The Meiji Tiara vs. The Baumer Aigrette
KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images

This classic diamond tiara was the first important Western-style diadem worn by the Empresses of Japan. Since the late nineteenth century, all Japanese empresses have worn the tiara, which has a set of interchangeable round and star diamond toppers. Today, the tiara is worn by Empress Masako.
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Prince Albert II of Monaco commissioned this all-diamond aigrette for his new wife, Princess Charlene, in 2011. The tiara’s creator, Lorenz Bäumer, took his inspiration from Charlene’s aquatic prowess and the principality’s maritime location, creating an aigrette that resembles the spray rising off of a cresting wave. Charlene has worn the aigrette only once so far in public: at her wedding reception, held after her religious wedding ceremony.

The Royal Jewels of October

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Can you believe it? Another month has flown by! It’s time for our overview of some of the interesting royal jewels worn in October.

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On October 8, Queen Mathilde of the Belgians beamed like a proud parent in diamond earrings at the opening ceremony of the academic year 2020-2021 at the Royal Military Academy, where her daughter, the Duchess of Brabant, is a first-year student.
DIRK WAEM/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

Queen Mathilde wore a pair of green statement earrings on October 12 as she attended a virtual event related to climate objectives.
JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images

In Sweden, Crown Princess Victoria wore a pair of gold hoops for the inauguration of the Slussbron Bridge in Stockholm on October 25.
ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

It’s been a busy (and sometimes controversial) royal month in the Netherlands. Queen Maxima wore her diamond and garnet tassel earrings on October 1 for a meeting of the Dutch Breast Cancer Association in The Hague.
REMKO DE WAAL/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

On the same day, Queen Maxima wore earrings from her collection of citrine jewels for a conference in The Hague.
PATRICK VAN KATWIJK/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

On October 7, Queen Maxima wore red and black snake earrings at the TivoliVredenburg music complex in Utrecht.
PATRICK VAN KATWIJK/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

Queen Maxima wore diamond and pale lavender amethyst earrings during a video conversation with the Secretary-General of the United Nations at Huis ten Bosch Palace on October 8.
PATRICK VAN EMST/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

Queen Maxima wore black statement earrings with a classic diamond ring (a gift from her husband after the birth of Princess Ariane) for a working visit to Lister at the Enik Recovery College in Utrecht on October 14.
KOEN VAN WEEL/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

The Dutch royal family drew criticism this month when they planned a holiday to Greece during the partial lockdown in the Netherlands. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima addressed the nation on October 21 in a video message after they canceled the vacation. She wore pearl button earrings for the recording, with her wedding and engagement rings front and center.
PATRICK VAN EMST/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

On October 29, Queen Maxima wore her Amrapali earrings for a visit to the Health Center De Bosrand in Driebergen.
LISELOTTE SABROE/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images

The Danish royal family was present on October 6 for the opening of the Danish parliament in Copenhagen. Queen Margrethe II wore disc-shaped earrings and an intriguing brooch set with cabochon sapphires for the occasion.
MARTIN SYLVEST/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images

Crown Princess Mary wore pearl stud earrings and a floral brooch for the opening of parliament.
MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images

With a rather jaunty purple hat, Princess Benedikte wore classic pearls for the opening of parliament.
EMIL HELMS/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images

Queen Margrethe wore a brooch and earrings with a cherry theme to receive the Swiss Foreign Minister at Amalienborg Palace on October 16.
CLAUS FISKER/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images

On October 28, Crown Princess Mary wore pearl drop earrings and gold necklaces for the inauguration of the new national visitor center in Odense.
BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP via Getty Images

Empress Masako of Japan wore classic pearl stud earrings with a single strand of pearls on October 28 to pay tribute during a ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary of the Meiji shrine in Tokyo.
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

Queen Letizia of Spain wore a favorite pair of earrings, her Chanel star studs, to visit a school in Santiago de Compostela on October 7.
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

For the military parade on Spain’s National Day, October 12, Queen Letizia wore her diamond and ruby cabochon earrings.
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

The Princess of Asturias wore simple gold hoops and the ribbon of the Order of the Golden Fleece for the military parade.
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

Diamond butterfly studs were Queen Letizia’s earring of choice for a visit to FPAbrica in Oviedo on October 15.
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

For the visit to FPAbrica in Oviedo, Princess Leonor wore a pair of her mother’s gold hoop earrings with a bamboo design.
MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP via Getty Images

Queen Letizia wore the butterfly earrings again on October 16 for an audience with the 2020 Princess of Asturias Awards honorees.
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

For the audience on October 16, Princess Leonor wore a petite pair of silver dragonfly earrings.
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

For the Princess of Asturias Awards ceremony in Oviedo on October 16, Queen Letizia again reached for her Chanel star stud earrings.
ANDRES BALLESTEROS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Princess Leonor wore gold hoop earrings as she delivered remarks during the awards ceremony.
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

Queen Sofia of Spain was also in attendance for the ceremony, wearing pearls with an interesting golden enhancer and a floral brooch.
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

Before leaving Asturias, Queen Letizia made one more outing in the Chanel star stud earrings, wearing them for a visit to Somao, the 2020 Best Asturian Village award winner.
LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP via Getty Images

On October 23, Queen Suthida of Thailand wore major pearl earrings, plus pearl hair clips, for a walkabout following a ceremony in honor of the late King Chulalongkorn in Bangkok.
LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP via Getty Images

During the walkabout, Princess Sirivannavari of Thailand wore sparkling diamonds as she took photos.
BEN STANSALL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom wore the Grima Ruby Brooch for a rare public appearance on October 15, as she joined the Duke of Cambridge for a tour of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory near Salisbury.
ANDREW MATTHEWS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

The Duchess of Cornwall wore an interesting gem-set necklace on October 8 for a visit to the Royal Voluntary Service Mill End lunch club in Rickmansworth.

On October 25, Camilla wore pieces from her amethyst collection for an appearance during the virtual Olivier Awards.
Justin Tallis – WPA Pool/Getty Images

A cheerful daisy brooch accompanied Camilla to Paddington Station, where she watched a demonstration by medical detection dogs on October 27.
EDDIE MULHOLLAND/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

For a visit to the Headquarters of the Bank of England in the City of London on October 28, Camilla wore her diamond and sapphire dragonfly brooches.
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The Duchess of Cambridge wore a gold necklace and earrings from All the Falling Stars on October 6 for a visit to the University of Derby.
JONATHAN BRADY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

For an audience with the President of Ukraine at Buckingham Palace on October 7, Kate wore her sapphire cluster drop earrings with a coordinating pendant necklace. (Yes, I’ve heard the speculation that this necklace may be part of Diana’s sapphire collection; no, I don’t think we have enough evidence to decide if it is or isn’t.)

Kate wore a pair of pearl drop earrings on October 13 to announce the winner of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest at the Natural History Museum.
Kirsty Wigglesworth – WPA Pool/Getty Images

On October 14, Kate wore squared-off gold hoops from Spells of Love for a visit to the Institute of Reproductive and Development Biology in London.
Jeremy Selwyn – WPA Pool/Getty Images

Kate wore diamond and gold hoop earrings on October 20 for the launch of the Hold Still campaign at Waterloo Station in London.
Chris Jackson/- WPA Pool/Getty Images

On October 1, the Countess of Wessex wore hoop earrings and stacked bracelets for a visit to Vauxhall City Farm in London.
Which royal jewels were your favorites in October?

The Meiji Tiara

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The Japanese imperial vaults are packed with jewels set with glittering diamonds and luminous pearls, but none are more important or impressive than the diadem reserved for the empress: the Meiji Tiara.

Wikimedia Commons

One of the most important Western-style jewels in the imperial vaults, this grand diamond scroll tiara was made in the late nineteenth-century, likely by a European jeweler. Empress Haruko of Japan was the first member of the family to wear the tiara, following the official incorporation of Western dress at the imperial court in 1887. The tiara can be worn with at least two sets of toppers: a set of large round diamonds, and a set of diamond star elements, which were popularized during the period by the fashionable Empress Sisi of Austria. In the portrait above, Empress Haruko wears the tiara with the diamond stars.
Wikimedia Commons

Next, the tiara passed to Empress Sadako, whose husband, Emperor Yoshihito, ascended to the throne in 1912. She wore the tiara in one of the first formal portraits taken of her in Western-style dress, following the imperial accession. You’ll note that she chose to wear the tiara with the round diamond toppers rather than the diamond stars.
DPA Picture Alliance/Alamy

The next Japanese empress consort, Empress Nagako, was photographed wearing the tiara in all three of its settings. She wore the piece with the diamond stars above in November 1963 for a state banquet at the Imperial Palace in honor of President Lubke of the Federal Republic of Germany.
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In October 1971, Empress Nagako wore the tiara with the round diamond toppers for a state banquet during the imperial couple’s state visit to the United Kingdom.
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And in October 1975, she wore the tiara without either the stars or the round diamonds for a state dinner with President and Mrs. Ford at the White House in Washington, D.C.
AFP/Getty Images

Empress Nagako’s elder son, Akihito, ascended to the throne in 1989. Accordingly, she passed the tiara on to her daughter-in-law, the new Empress Michiko. She wore the piece with the round diamond toppers for a portrait released ahead of the imperial enthronement in November 1990.
AFP/Getty Images

Though the Japanese imperial couple wears traditional dress for the actual enthronement, recent tradition has seen them change into Western-style clothes and jewelry for the celebrations that follow. Above, Michiko wears the Meiji Tiara ahead of the enthronement parade through Tokyo in November 1990.
KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images

And here’s Empress Michiko wearing the tiara during the parade itself.
KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images

In June 1993, Empress Michiko wore the tiara during the celebrations of the wedding of her son, Naruhito, and Masako Owada. Michiko wore the tiara exclusively with the round diamond toppers; the stars haven’t been seen since the reign of her father-in-law.
YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images

Empress Michiko often chose the tiara for important occasions, like state visits, especially early in her husband’s reign. Above, she wears the tiara for a state banquet in Tokyo during the Belgian state visit in October 1996. But as the years went on, Michiko developed health problems that made wearing heavy tiaras uncomfortable, and she exchanged this one for lighter sparklers (and eventually stopped wearing them completely).
TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images

In May 2019, the tiara passed to a new wearer. Emperor Akihito abdicated in favor of his elder son, who became Emperor Naruhito. His wife, the new Empress Masako, debuted the Meiji Tiara on the day of his ascension to the throne.
STR/Japan Pool via Jiji Press/AFP via Getty Images

Since then, Masako has worn the tiara in public on several occasions. She donned it for the banquet celebrating the couple’s imperial enthronement in October 2019.
Takashi Aoyama/Getty Images

The next month, in November 2019, she wore it for the enthronement parade through the streets of Tokyo.
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And in January 2020, she wore it for the New Year’s reception at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, pairing it with other glittering diamond jewels from the family collection.