The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

This Week in Royal Jewels: April 20-26

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April 20-26, 2018
Buckle up, magpies — we’ve got a MASSIVE royal jewel review for you to enjoy this week! Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!
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25. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden wore pearls on Sunday to meet with the United Nations Secretary-General in Uppsala.

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24. For the Queen’s Birthday Party at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday, Meghan Markle wore golden jewelry, including a new pair of earrings. (Details over here!)
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23. Princess Charlene of Monaco wore dazzling diamond stud earrings on Sunday to attend the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters.
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22. For Monday’s presentation of the annual Cervantes Award, Queen Letizia of Spain wore floral earrings by Yanes.
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21. Queen Letizia wore her new ring with Coolook aventurine and rose quartz earrings on Wednesday to receive the President and First Lady of Mexico in Madrid.
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20. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Tank Regiment, wears the regimental badge as she presents the regiment with their new standard at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.
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19. Crown Princess Masako of Japan wore pearls, including gold and pearl button earrings, for a luncheon with King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden in Tokyo on Tuesday.
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18. For a welcoming ceremony at Akasaka Palace state guest house in Tokyo on Wednesday, Queen Silvia of Sweden was luminous in pearls.
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17. Queen Silvia wore pearl, diamond, and gold jewels to attend a banquet in Toyko on Tuesday.
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16. Empress Michiko of Japan wore major jewels, including a gorgeous pearl and diamond necklace, to receive King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
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15. On Monday, the Duchess of Cambridge debuted her newborn son in London while wearing diamond and pearl earrings from the Queen’s collection. (More here!)
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14. Queen Silvia and Empress Michiko were radiant in pearls and floral brooches on Monday as they visited a special Swedish exhibition at the Intermediatheque Museum in Tokyo.
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13. Queen Silvia wore beautiful golden jewels, including a detailed leaf brooch, for an event at the Swedish embassy in Tokyo on Sunday.
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12. The Princess Royal wore pearls with a gem-set bird brooch for her mother’s big birthday bash at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday. (More here!)
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11. Pearls, including her striking pearl choker with the geometric clasp, were Princess Alexandra’s choice for the Queen’s Birthday Party on Saturday. (More over here!)
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10. Wearing Queen Alexandra’s cluster earrings, a triple strand of pearls, and one of the Queen Mother’s Cartier bracelets, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 92nd birthday with a grand concert at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday. (Much more here!)
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9. The Duchess of Cornwall chose Van Cleef and Arpels earrings and one of her signature pearl chokers for the Queen’s Birthday Party on Saturday. (More here!)

8. Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway wore diamond and pearl earrings with Queen Maud’s Aquamarine Brooch for a dinner in Latvia on Monday.
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7. Princess Michael of Kent wore the Wild Pansy Brooch that belonged to her late mother-in-law, Princess Marina, for the Queen’s Birthday Party.
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6. Meghan Markle debuted a new pair of diamond stud earrings from Cartier at the Invictus Games Reception at Australia House on Saturday. (More here!)

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5. To officially start the London Marathon on Sunday, Queen Elizabeth II chose one of her most important brooches, the glorious Cullinan V. (More on the brooch here!)
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4. The Duchess of Gloucester wore heirloom emeralds and pearls for the Queen’s Birthday Party on Saturday, including pieces given as wedding gifts to her late mother-in-law, Princess Alice. (More here!)
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3. On Tuesday, Princess Margriet of the Netherlands wore pearls with her wedding tiara, the Pearl Button Tiara, for the annual Diplomatic Corps gala dinner. (More on the tiara here!)
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2. Queen Emma’s Diamond Tiara was Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands’s choice for Tuesday’s Diplomatic Corps gala. (More on the tiara here!)
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1. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands stunned on Tuesday at a gala dinner for the Diplomatic Corps in Queen Juliana’s Aquamarines and her own tutti-frutti bracelet. (More on the aquas over here, and more on the bracelet here!)

The Devonshire Turquoise Brooch

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Last week, we discussed a brooch that Queen Margrethe II of Denmark received from her British royal aunt, Lady Patricia Ramsay, and today, we’re focusing on another brooch that links Margrethe with her British royal heritage: the Devonshire Turquoise Brooch.

An illustration of the brooch from Margaret’s wedding gift list

The brooch originally belonged to Margrethe’s grandmother, Princess Margaret of Connaught, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. When Margaret married the future King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden in 1905, she received a treasure trove of wedding gifts. The haul included this classic, streamlined brooch, set with a single cabochon turquoise enhanced by a quartet of diamond brilliants. The brooch was presented to Margaret by a very influential British aristocratic couple: Spencer and Louise Cavendish, Duke and Duchess of Devonshire.

You may recall Spencer and Louise’s names; they’re the pair responsible for the massive Devonshire Diadem. If you missed it, I wrote an article on the tiara for last year’s Mitford Annual. You can find out how to purchase it — and read a preview! — over here.

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When Margaret died in 1920, the brooch was one of the items bequeathed to her only daughter, Princess Ingrid of Sweden, who later became Queen Ingrid of Denmark. She wore the brooch occasionally, even once posing with it for an official Swedish court portrait. But fairly early on, she decided to pass the brooch along to her own eldest daughter, Queen Margrethe. We don’t seem to know exactly when that happened; in his book on the Danish royal jewels, Bjarne Steen Jensen notes merely that Ingrid gave the brooch to Margrethe “when she was very young.”

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Margrethe has worn the brooch throughout her life. Jensen even declares that it is “one of the brooches the Queen has most often used.” The simplicity of the brooch makes it easy to coordinate with other jewels, including pearls and diamonds. It also works well with numerous colors. Here, Margrethe highlights the brooch against a white jacket during a 2008 visit to Mexico City.

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The brooch also manages to shine when it’s worn against vivid blue, as you can see in this image from the welcome ceremony during the 2012 Chinese state visit to Copenhagen. The distinctive, bright diamonds really pop in this appearance.

This Week in Royal Daytime Jewels: April 13-19

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April 13-19, 2018
Here’s the rest of the best royal jewels of the week, including pieces that were mainly worn for daytime engagements. Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!
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15. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden wore playful green earrings for a meeting with Prime Minister Modi of India at the Royal Palace in Stockholm on Tuesday.

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14. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Contemporary Art Fair in Brussels on Thursday, Queen Mathilde of the Belgians wore striking green earrings.
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13. To welcome President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa of Portugal to Madrid on Monday, Queen Letizia of Spain wore Bulgari hoop earrings set with aquamarines and diamonds.

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12. Queen Sofia of Spain wore her trademark layered jewelry look to mark the hundredth anniversary of the Padre Rubinos charity on Thursday.
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11. For the UNDP’s Spring Gala on Tuesday, Princess Sofia of Sweden wore her dark floral statement earrings. (See a close-up of the pair over here!)
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10. Queen Silvia of Sweden wore pearl button earrings and a bumblebee brooch to receive the Speaker of the Parliament of Finland at the Royal Palace in Stockholm on Thursday.
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9. The Duchess of Cornwall wore pearls, including her favorite diamond and pearl drop earrings, to receive Prime Minister Ardern of New Zealand and her partner at Clarence House on Thursday.
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8. For Thursday’s Women’s Empowerment reception in London, Meghan Markle sparkled in the Diamond Swirl Earrings from Birks.
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7. Crown Princess Mary of Denmark wore diamond studs and a beaded bracelet for the opening of Slagelse Hospital on Tuesday.
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6. For a fundraising gala in Monaco on Saturday, Princess Charlene glittered in classic diamond stud earrings.
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5. Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, the elder daughter of Prince Albert II of Monaco, sparkled in diamond jacket-style earrings as she attended the Monte-Carlo ATP Masters Series Tournament with her father on Thursday.
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4. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom wore a floral brooch studded with blue gems for an audience with Prime Minister Ardern of New Zealand on Thursday.
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3. Aquamarine drop earrings by Bulgari were Queen Letizia’s accessory of choice to attend a literary awards event in Madrid on Wednesday.
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2. On Wednesday, Queen Elizabeth II wore the Graving Dock Diamond Brooch to unveil a panel from the new Commonwealth Walkway. (More over here!)
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1. For Thursday’s formal opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth II chose a classic jewel: the Courtauld Thomson Scallop-Shell Brooch. (More on the brooch here!)