The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

This Week in Royal Jewels: January 11-17

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January 11-17, 2019
We were blessed with a bevy of daytime sparkle this week — don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!
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15. The Duchess of Cambridge chose her go-to pair of outdoor earrings, leaf-shaped earrings from Kiki McDonough, for a visit to the Islington Community Garden on Tuesday.

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14. For a day of engagements in Birkenhead on Monday, the Duchess of Sussex gleamed in modern gold stud earrings.
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13. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden sparkled in diamond stud earrings during her visit to Sofiero Castle Park in Helsingborg on Wednesday.
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12. Queen Letizia of Spain added some subtle sparkle to her outfit with her Chanel star stud earrings for a Spanish Federation for Rare Diseases meeting in Madrid on Thursday.
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11. On Tuesday, Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands chose silver-toned jewels for a traditional New Year reception at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam.
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10. Oversized floral stud earrings added a little extra exuberance to Queen Maxima of the Netherlands’s outfit as she attended Tuesday’s New Year reception in Amsterdam.
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9. For Wednesday’s visit to the Mayhew, an animal welfare charity in London, Meghan sparkled in a pair of bezel-set stud earrings.
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8. Kate chose her Asprey gold leaf hoop earrings for a visit to the Royal Opera House in London on Wednesday.
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7. Swirling gold statement earrings adorned Queen Mathilde of the Belgians on Thursday for a NATO reception at the Royal Palace in Brussels.
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6. The Duchess of Rothesay (as she is known in Scotland) reached for her favorite pearl drop earrings on Wednesday for a visit to the Centre for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health in Aberdeen.
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5. Meghan sparkled in blue gem-set stud earrings and a bracelet that belonged to Diana, Princess of Wales to see a Cirque du Soleil performance benefiting Sentebale in London on Wednesday. (See jewelry close-ups here!)
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4. For the funeral of Count Philippe de Lannoy (father of Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg) on Wednesday, Queen Mathilde wore pearl and diamond earrings with a statement necklace.
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3. For the Lannoy funeral on Wednesday, Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg paired classic pearls with statement earrings that appear to be set with amethysts (a traditional mourning stone).
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2. Queen Mathilde wore Queen Fabiola’s diamond and pearl drop earrings for a reception in honor of the heads of diplomatic missions based in Belgium on Tuesday.
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1. Queen Maxima grabbed the top spot this week with her suite of silvery black pearls, worn on Thursday for a New Year reception for foreign diplomats and representatives of international organisations.

This Week in Royal Jewels: January 3-10

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January 3-10, 2019
Jewels of the new year continue to sparkle in this week’s royal jewel roundup! Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!
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15. On Wednesday, Queen Letizia of Spain wore a pair of modern, diamond-studded earrings from Gold and Roses for a Foundation Against Drug Addiction in Madrid.

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14. Queen Sofia of Spain chose a simple gold necklace and stacks of gold bracelets for Thursday’s National Sports Awards at the El Pardo Palace in Madrid.
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13. For the same sports awards ceremony, Infanta Pilar of Spain wore classic pearl and diamond earrings with a pair of pins from her time as a member of the International Olympic Committee.
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12. Infanta Elena of Spain also glittered in golden jewels for the sports awards ceremony, including a brooch featuring a bold pair of leaves and a modern pair of earrings.
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11. Queen Letizia decided to go for the gold at the sports awards ceremony, too, wearing her dramatic, long gold and diamond earrings.
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10. On Wednesday, Queen Mathilde of the Belgians brought her signature golden button earrings to Paris as she visited an exhibition of work by the Belgian artist Fernand Khnopff at the Petit Palais.
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9. Pearl drop earrings accompanied the Duchess of Cambridge to a Sunday church service at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene near the Sandringham estate.
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8. The Duchess of wore an unusual pair of earrings from Kimai, featuring a trio of evil eye drops, for a visit to Smart Works, one of her new patronages, in London on Thursday.
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7. Empress Michiko of Japan was the picture of subdued elegance on Monday as she wore pearls to mark the 30th anniversary of the death of her father-in-law, Emperor Hirohito.
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6. Last Thursday, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark wore pearls on her ears and wrist to attend the second New Year’s reception of 2019.
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5. Queen Mathilde wore delicate golden drop earrings on Thursdday for a European Union reception at the Royal Palace in Brussels.
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4. For a church service near the Sandringham estate on Sunday, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom chose her Golden Trellis Brooch. (More on the brooch here!)
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3. For the final New Year reception of 2019 on Friday, Crown Princess Mary pinned the brooch from the Danish Ruby Parure at the neckline of her gown.
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2. For last Thursday’s New Year reception, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark wore the pearl and diamond brooch that coordinates with the grand Pearl Poire Tiara.
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1. How could it be anything else? The top spot of the week goes to Queen Letizia, who wore Queen Ena’s gray pearl brooch for the first time during Sunday’s Pascua Militar celebrations in Madrid. (Much more over here!)

Queen Ena’s Brooch for Letizia

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Queen Letizia of Spain just keeps surprising us with more and more heirloom royal jewels, and I couldn’t be more delighted! This week, she reached for Queen Ena’s Gray Pearl Drop Brooch.

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The occasion for the brooch-wearing was a formal one: the Pascua Militar, the annual new year military parade and celebrations in Madrid. As usual, the day began outdoors for the military parade…

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…and then moved inside the Royal Palace for a reception.

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Letizia debuted another piece from the joyas de pasar, the collection of jewels that Queen Ena designated to pass from monarch to monarch in Spain. (More on the entire collection here!) This time, she chose the “broche con perla grande gris pálido rodeada de brillantes y del cual cuelga una perla en forma de pera,” a brooch with a large, pale gray pearl surrounded by diamonds, from which hangs a pear-shaped pearl.

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The brooch has two notable features that help distinguish it from other royal brooches. The top portion features a pale gray pearl surrounded by a double cluster of diamonds, while other similar pieces from the Spanish royal vaults feature only a single diamond cluster. Also, the pearl pendant is suspended from an additional chevron of diamonds, providing it with a sort of diamond frame.

Queen Ena wears the gray pearl cluster brooch with its pendant drop in a portrait, ca. 1920s

That chevron-style frame is clearly visible in this photograph of Ena, taken in the 1920s. You’ll note here that the brooch only features a single cluster of diamonds around the round pearl. The second row of diamonds was a later addition, made during Ena’s lifetime.

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Before Letizia, the most recent wearer of the brooch was, of course, her mother-in-law, Queen Sofia. (Under the terms of Ena’s bequest, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia had the use of the collection until his abdication, when they passed to King Felipe and Queen Letizia.)

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Two years ago, Letizia also began wearing another similar heirloom brooch from the Spanish royal vaults: the Countess of Barcelona’s Pearl Drop Brooch. The piece is also set with large pearls, but note that (unlike Ena’s brooch) it features only a single cluster of diamonds and no frame section above the pendant. (I think I might like the Countess of Barcelona’s brooch slightly more on Letizia — its simpler design suits her.)

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Along with Queen Ena’s brooch, Letizia wore a pair of embellished pearl stud earrings.

Juan Naharro Gimenez/Getty Images

This angle gives you a better view of the silver-toned design on the pearl.

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And here’s a look at Letizia’s entire ensemble. (The long skirt is part of the dress code for the event.)