The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Crown Princess Mary and the Ruby Parure Tiara

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Crown Princess Mary has been a member of the Danish royal family for fifteen years, and in that time, the Ruby Parure Tiara has become her signature sparkler. Today, we’re looking back at some of her most glamorous appearances wearing the heirloom tiara and its coordinating jewels…

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May 11, 2004: Mary wore the tiara, as well as the girandole earrings, necklace, and bangle bracelet, in public for the first time at a dinner at Christiansborg Palace a few days before her wedding
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
May 13, 2004: She also wore the parure (tiara, earrings, necklace, brooch, bangle, ring) on the night before her wedding, for a gala performance at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen
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May 24, 2008: For the wedding of her brother-in-law, Prince Joachim, to Marie Cavallier, Mary wore the tiara with the simple cluster stud portion of the earrings
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April 15, 2010: Following a renovation of the parure, including a slight reworking of the tiara (just as Queen Ingrid had done before her), Mary wore the set for a gala performance in honor of Queen Margrethe II’s 70th birthday; note that the stud portion of the earrings was altered so it could be worn with pearl drops
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
June 19, 2010: For the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden in Stockholm, Mary wore the tiara, the earrings (with pearl drops), the brooch, the bangle, and the ring from the parure
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January 1, 2012: Mary pairs the rubies (tiara, earrings with gray pearl drops, hair ornaments, brooch, ring) with a dark red velvet gown for the annual New Year’s levee in Copenhagen; note that the brooch was also worn on this occasion with a pearl drop
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January 15, 2012: For a gala dinner in honor of Queen Margrethe II’s Ruby Jubilee, Mary wore the tiara, hair ornaments, necklace, earrings, bangle, and ring; note that the earrings on this occasion were worn with a single ruby pendant
Guy Wolff/Grand-Ducal Court of Luxembourg via Getty Images
October 19, 2012: Mary wore the tiara, earrings and necklace (without its pendants) for a pre-wedding gala in honor of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg
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January 1, 2013: Mary made a bold statement at the annual New Year’s Levee, wearing the tiara, earrings, bangle, necklace, and brooch with a bright orange gown; note that the necklace is worn with a single pendant, and the brooch worn vertically with no pendant
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January 1, 2015: Mary wears the tiara, earrings (with pearls), and necklace for the New Year’s Levee in Copenhagen
NILS MEILVANG/AFP/Getty Images
April 15, 2015: Mary wears the tiara, earrings, bangle, and ring for Queen Margrethe II’s 75th birthday dinner at Christiansborg Palace
SOEREN BIDSTRUP/AFP/Getty Images
January 1, 2016: Mary pairs jewels from the parure (tiara, earrings) with a stunning blue velvet gown for the annual New Year’s Levee
KELD NAVNTOFT/AFP/Getty Images
March 28, 2017: The tiara, earrings (with no pendants), necklace, bangle, and ring coordinate perfectly with Mary’s order sash at a state banquet for the Belgian royals at Christiansborg Palace
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August 28, 2018: Mary wears the tiara (which appears to have been adjusted again slightly) with the earrings, bangle, and ring from the parure for the French state banquet in Copenhagen

King Olav’s Gift Tiara

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It’s something of a Scandinavian tradition for royal princesses to receive tiaras as an eighteenth birthday present. Today, let’s look at the birthday tiara received by a member of the Norwegian royal family, Princess Märtha Louise.

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Märtha Louise is the only daughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway, but when she turned eighteen in 1989, the monarch in Norway was her grandfather, King Olav V. He carried on a Scandinavian royal tradition by giving a tiara to Märtha Louise as an eighteenth birthday present. Olav (who — trivia fact — was born Prince Alexander of Denmark on the Sandringham estate in England) was much beloved; he also served as one of Märtha Louise’s godparents. He died about a year and a half after bestowing this sparkler on his granddaughter.

Martha Louise wears the tiara for the wedding of Prince Joachim and Princess Marie of Denmark, 2008 (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

The tiara that Märtha Louise received is a strikingly modern one, with intertwined diamond elements forming a low bandeau, interspersed with small pearls and topped by a series of larger pearls.

Martha Louise wears the tiara for a pre-wedding gala for Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg, 2012 (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

The base of the tiara is often covered by a braid that matches Märtha Louise’s hair color — a different option frequently used by royals rather than a simple velvet-wrapped tiara base.

Martha Louise wears the tiara for the wedding of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden, 2015 (JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images)

Märtha Louise has worn the small tiara regularly since receiving it, although today she also sometimes swaps it out for other pieces from the royal jewel collection, including the family’s amethyst tiara and the smaller version of Queen Maud’s Pearl Tiara.

Note: This is an updated version of a previous post.

Queen Maxima and the Dutch Sapphire Tiara

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One of the grandest sapphire tiaras in Europe belongs to the Dutch royal family. Today, we’ve got a closer look at the two different ways Queen Maxima has worn the Dutch Sapphire Parure Tiara since becoming Queen of the Netherlands.

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Maxima debuted the tiara for the first time at her husband’s inauguration ceremony in April 2013. It was a stunning way for her to underscore the importance of her new royal role.

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For the occasion, however, Maxima did not wear the full setting of this grand tiara, choosing instead to wear it with a shorter central element.

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She paired the tiara with additional sapphire pieces from the Dutch vaults. The earrings were made for Princess Margriet using gemstones from the sapphire and diamond tiara given to Queen Wilhelmina as a wedding present by the Dutch people in 1901. The large sapphire pendant is also part of the family’s sapphire parure; she wore it on this occasion suspended from one of the family’s bow brooches.

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In March 2015, Maxima wore the tiara for a second time. The occasion: a grand state banquet held in Copenhagen during the royal couple’s state visit to Denmark.

Niels Ahlmann Olesen/AFP/Getty Images

She wore the full version of the tiara this time, including the taller diamond central element. She also suspended the large sapphire and diamond pendant from a setting that includes another large sapphire and a pair of diamond wings.

Which version of the sapphire tiara do you prefer on Queen Maxima?