The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

The Swedish Diamond Arrow Brooch

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The Bernadotte jewel collection is one of the most fantastic in all of Europe, with heirloom pieces dating back centuries. Today, we’re looking at one of my favorites of their brooches: their lovely diamond arrow ornament.

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The diamond studded arrow has been used for generations in the family. The ornament appears to be able to be worn either as one solid piece or divided in two, highlighting either the head or the fletching of the arrow.

The size of the brooch becomes apparent in this moving image from the 1953 Nobel Prize Ceremony. Princess Sibylla, the present king’s mother, wears the arrow brooch pinned to her order sash. For the occasion, she paired the jewel with the family’s grand aquamarine kokoshnik.

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The brooch made another prominent appearance at the Nobel Prize Ceremony in December 1987. Queen Silvia wore the fletching end of the arrow in her hair for the occasion, pairing it with several other important family jewels (including Queen Sofia’s Tiara, the Karl Johan Earrings, and the Bernadotte Emeralds).

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The most glamorous appearance for the arrow brooch in recent years, however, came in June 2010. For the gala held on the night before her royal wedding, Crown Princess Victoria wore the brooch in her hair.

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The ornament was an especially romantic choice for a pre-wedding gala, given the association of Cupid, love, and arrows. The ornament also formed a nifty little link with the tiara Victoria wore on her wedding day, which features cameos depicting the myth of Cupid and Psyche.

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Victoria paired the arrow ornament with major earrings from the family collection for the gala. These diamond earrings were once epaulettes worn on a military dress uniform.

Royal Jewel Rewind: Nobel Prize Jewels 2014

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If you’re a royal jewelry lover, December only really means one thing: it’s Nobel Prize season! The awards will be distributed this year, as always, on December 10 in both Stockholm and Oslo. Today, we’ve got a look back at the glittering jewels worn for the Swedish ceremony five years ago.

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The entire royal family attended the ceremony in 2014, but only four royals sat on the stage: King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, and Prince Daniel.

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Queen Silvia chose a gown of embroidered blue satin for the occasion…

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… while Crown Princess Victoria made a splash in a voluminous red ballgown.

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After the ceremony, which was held at Stockholm’s Concert Hall, the royals joined the laureates and their guests for the Nobel Prize banquet at the Stockholm City Hall.

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The table seating arrangements for the dinner always give us some spectacular views of Swedish royal jewelry. Queen Silvia paired the tiara, necklace, earrings, and brooch from the grand Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure with her blue dress. (See close-ups of the jewels here!)

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We also usually get a glimpse of the view of the jewels from the back during the banquet. You’ll note that Queen Silvia secured the sash of the Order of the Seraphim with a small diamond brooch.

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Crown Princess Victoria wore diamonds and rubies for the Nobels in 2014, including one of her signature pieces, the Baden Fringe Tiara. (More on its history here!) She paired it with more jewels from the Bernadotte collection: diamond earrings, a diamond and ruby brooch, and a stunning diamond cross necklace.

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She also pinned the family’s grand diamond lozenge brooch in her hair and, like her mother, used a small round diamond brooch to secure the Seraphim sash.

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Princess Madeleine also attended both the ceremony and banquet (as did her husband, Chris O’Neill). She wore an intricately beaded gown for the occasion.

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She paired her tiara, the Modern Fringe, with the earrings and brooch from the Napoleonic Amethyst Parure. (More on the tiara here and the amethysts here!)

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She too chose a small round diamond brooch to secure her Seraphim sash.

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She wasn’t yet officially part of the family, but Sofia Hellqvist, who was then the fiancee of Prince Carl Philip, also attended the Nobels in 2014.

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She did not wear a tiara for the event, but she did choose a gown festooned in sequins, as well as a sparkling pair of stud earrings.

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She also placed a brooch with a pale pink cabochon stone in her hair.

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Two more members of the extended royal family attended the Nobels as well. Princess Christina, the youngest of the king’s sisters, wore the Diamond Six Button Tiara with diamond earrings and a diamond necklace. (More on the tiara here!)

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And finally, Countess Bettina Bernadotte wore modern earrings for the celebrations, as well as a medal commemorating King Carl XVI Gustaf’s Ruby Jubilee.