The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Saturday Sparkler: The Mellerio Ruby Tiara

by // Leave a Comment

The Dutch tiara collection is so large that it includes not one but two major ruby tiaras. Today we’re going to look at the bigger of the two: the grand ruby tiara made for the family by Mellerio.

Mellerio dits Meller is a major French jewelry firm with a seriously glittering history. They’ve been making pieces for centuries, and this tiara is only one of several Mellerio tiaras in royal collections today.

The Dutch ruby tiara was made by the company for Queen Emma in 1889 as a part of a larger ruby parure. The pieces were a gift from Emma’s husband, King Willem III. (The parure even includes a ruby-encrusted fan. How Victorian!)

All four of the Dutch queens since Emma have worn the tiara and at least parts of the rest of the parure; the piece has also been worn by many Dutch princesses. Queen Juliana reportedly loved this parure, so much so that she even chose the brooch to wear on the day she was inaugurated as queen.

The piece has a very classic tiara shape, with rows of diamonds suspended between the larger elements; that shape fits well with both Princess Beatrix’s retro bouffant and Queen Máxima’s sleeker hairstyles.

Máxima even chose the tiara for her first official portrait as queen. And since it’s a part of the family’s jewel foundation, it will sit atop various Dutch royal hairstyles for years to come.

This Week in Royal Jewels: July 10-16

by // Leave a Comment

July 10-16, 2015
From a Grimaldi jubilee to a pair of British brooches, here are my top jewel picks of the week! Be sure to vote for your favorite in the poll below.
10. Camille Gottlieb, daughter of Princess Stephanie of Monaco (and therefore also a granddaughter of Princess Grace), wore a pair of trendy pearl earrings with a double stud at the Fight AIDS charity gala on Friday. For more jewels from this event, as well as the weekend celebrations of Prince Albert’s jubilee, head over here!

9. The Duchess of Cornwall wore one of her trademark pearl chokers, this time with the round diamond clasp, at a primary school in London on Wednesday.

8. In Wales last Thursday, Camilla wore the Faberge brooch given to the Queen Mum by Nikita Khrushchev while tasting wine. I feel like the Queen Mum would approve.

7. Crown Princess Victoria wore a slender pair of hoop earrings during her birthday celebrations on Tuesday. You can see more about the jewels worn by the other members of the family — and see lots of pictures of adorable Estelle! — in our post over here.

6. In Spain on Thursday, Queen Letizia wore her black earrings with silver star detail during a visit to music classes associated with the Princess of Asturias Foundation.

5. On Tuesday, Letizia wore her rose gold Folli Follie earrings for an event at Spain’s Air Force Academy.

4. During the royal family’s annual summer photo call, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wore dangling earrings with a bracelet she wears often. It’s engraved with the names of her husband and children.

3. Princess Charlene didn’t just wow the Monegasque people by making her first speech in French on Saturday — she also dazzled them by wearing her enormous Repossi engagement ring. More of Charlene’s weekend jewels can be found in our post here!

2. During the commemorations of the anniversary of the Battle of Britain, Queen Elizabeth II wore a favorite brooch, the Jardine Star Brooch. More jewels from the commemorations can be seen in our post here!

1. On Thursday, the Queen wore a gorgeous brooch set with opals for a visit to Barking and Dagenham. The brooch was a wedding gift from a retired military league from Australia, and it definitely gets my top spot of the week!