The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

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.

Royal Aquamarines

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Queen Elizabeth II wears her Brazilian aquamarine parure [1]
It’s March, which means it’s time to celebrate another birthstone gem: the aquamarine! [2] This semi-precious stone, which flirts with both green and blue in its various hues, is a calming stone. It’s also supposed to offer protection to those who travel on the sea, which is appropriate given its maritime name. Aquamarines are extremely popular in the world of royal jewels — let’s look at some of the most interesting examples out there, shall we?
Countess of Wessex [3]
The Brazilian Aquamarine Parure
Few reigning monarchs have as many aquamarines in their royal vaults as Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, who has been collecting a tidy number of aquamarine pieces since her coronation in 1953. That year, the people of Brazil gifted her with an aquamarine necklace and earrings to celebrate the start of her reign. Some of the largest, best-quality aquamarines in the world are found in Brazil, and they’ve continued to supplement the Queen’s collection over the years. In 1958, they added a bracelet and a brooch, and in 1971, they gave her an aquamarine hair ornament. Elizabeth liked the set so much that she had a tiara commissioned to match, which she has had reset over the years; you can see its current incarnation above. She’s also got a smaller aquamarine tiara in a floral design, now worn by her daughter-in-law, the Countess of Wessex (see the photograph at left). And that’s only part of Elizabeth’s aquamarine collection. Notably, among other pieces,  she also frequently sports a pair of Cartier aquamarine clips, given to her by her parents as an eighteenth birthday present.
The Dutch Aquamarine Parure
The Brits aren’t the only ones with a substantial collection of aquamarines. The Dutch royal vaults contain a married parure of aquamarine jewels, given over the course of a decade to Queen Juliana. It includes an art deco tiara, a necklace, a rectangular brooch, and a pair of earrings. Juliana’s husband, Prince Bernhard, also gave her a rather enormous diamond and aquamarine pendant; today, that piece is often worn suspended from a diamond brooch by the current Dutch consort, Queen Maxima [4].
Alexandra Feodorovna’s Aquamarines
The last tsarina of Russia, Alexandra Feodorovna, was fond of aquamarines. Her husband, Tsar Nicholas II, presented her with a large Siberian aquamarine and diamond brooch as an engagement present in 1894. The piece was made by Fabergé, and today it’s in the vaults at Wartski’s in London. Alix also owned an aquamarine tiara that’s right up there on my list of personal favorites: a diamond and aquamarine kokoshnik that featured a stunning geometric design. The fate of that tiara is unknown; you’ll see modern copies of it floating around the internet (hint: if the image of the tiara is in color, not black and white, it’s a copy of the original tiara, not the real thing) [5], but the real tiara, like so many Romanov jewels, has apparently vanished.
Ena of Spain [6]
Queen Ena’s Aquamarine Tiara
After she married King Alfonso XIII of Spain, Ena of Battenberg put in a tiara request: she wanted a tiara featuring drop pearls. Ansorena made a delicate diamond and pearl tiara for her (you can see the original pearl version of the tiara in the photograph on the right). Later, Ena’s daughter, Beatriz, decided to have the piece altered by Bulgari, swapping out the pearls for a set of Brazilian aquamarines. The entire tiara was reworked, transitioning from an Edwardian piece to a sparkler made of interlocking circles, much like the British Vladimir tiara. Today, the aquamarine tiara, which also has a coordinating necklace, stomacher, bracelet, ring, and earrings, belongs to Ena’s granddaughters, Sandra and Olimpia. However, the piece has also recently been worn by another royal: Princess Sibilla, Olimpia’s daughter, who is the wife of Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg. Despite efforts by the current Spanish king to acquire the aquamarines [7], they remain with Ena’s Italian/Luxembourgish descendants.
These, of course, are only a selection of the aquamarine pieces in royal hands today — which aquamarine jewels top your must-have list?
NOTES, PHOTO CREDITS, AND LINKS
1. Cropped and retouched version of a photograph available via Wikimedia Commons; source here.
2. Trivia: March also has a second birthstone, the bloodstone, which is also meant to have healing powers. I assume all of you March babies out there are extremely healthy and evenly tempered.
3. Cropped version of a photograph available via Wikimedia Commons; source here.
4. As always, much more about these Dutch jewels can be found at John’s website.
5. Ursula has a page dedicated to the aquamarines, but again, the color images of the tiara, necklace, and earrings are of reproduction pieces.
6. Cropped version of a photograph in the public domain; source here.
7. See the Luxarazzi blog entry on the aquamarines for details on the attempted acquisition.

This Week in Royal Jewels: February 7-13

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February 7-13, 2014
From the oldest crown in the world to a glittering surprise in Britain, here are the top ten news stories about royal jewels this week!
10. If you’re in the New York area, get ready: the oldest crown in the world will be on display in your city starting today. It’s from Israel, is six thousand years old, is made of iron, and includes vultures in its design — not sure at all why that royal jewel trend didn’t last.
9. They may not be vultures, but the Duchess of Cornwall wore a pair of turquoise, diamond, and gold bird brooches to visit a radio station on Tuesday.
8. After spending her accession day at Sandringham (an annual tradition), Queen Elizabeth II returned to London. For the train journey from King’s Lynn, she paired her usual pearls with the Grima Ruby Brooch.
7. After several days spent cheering on the Dutch speed skaters in Sochi, Queen Maxima wore sentimental jewelry at the Centre for Healthy Weight in Rotterdam, including two bracelets that incorporate the names and initials of her husband and her three daughters.
6. At an engagement in Amsterdam on Thursday, Maxima chose slightly more theatrical jewels: a pair of large, dangling blue earrings.
5. Following their series on the auctioned jewelry from the collection of the late Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte of Luxembourg, the bloggers at Luxarazzi highlight one of the pieces that was kept by the family: Queen Astrid’s diamond and emerald choker.
4. The Countess of Wessex wore a delicate pendant necklace and drop earrings for a visit to Dorchester Abbey on Thursday.
3. Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway honored sustainable fashion designers this week in Oslo; she chose an appropriately fashionable cocktail ring for the event.
2. Queen Silvia of Sweden chose a pearl necklace and bracelet for the annual SemperOpernball at the Opera House in Dresden on Friday. The necklace incorporates a dusky orange stone in its clasp, possibly a topaz — there’s speculation that the set is new.
1. And finally, the top spot this week is reserved for a big jewel surprise: the Duchess of Cambridge borrowing the Queen’s Nizam of Hyderabad necklace for a gala at the National Portrait Gallery. Way to break out the serious bling, Kate!
NOTES, PHOTO CREDITS, AND LINKS

1. Banner image: detail of The Marriage of George, Duke of York to Princess Mary of Teck (1894) by Laurits Tuxen. Image in the public domain; source here.