The Top Ten: Royal Amethysts
Happy Leap Day, magpies! Since we’ve got one extra day this year to marvel at February’s birthstone, I thought it was only right to present you with ten of my favorite royal amethyst pieces. Let me know how you’d rank your list in the comments below!
Made by Flora Danica for the exclusive use of Princess Marie of Denmark, this tiara, made of silver lilies, features a row of amethyst beads at its base.
This parure, which is most notable for its convertible necklace/tiara, has been worn by all three of the senior Norwegian royal ladies: Queen Sonja, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and Princess Martha Louise.
Camilla wears a gorgeous pearl, diamond, and amethyst necklace with a large heart-shaped amethyst pendant. The necklace was a wedding present to the Queen Mother from Queen Alexandra; Camilla often pairs it with coordinating amethyst earrings.
The vast Luxembourg jewel vaults contain not one but two amethyst tiaras. One is a bandeau that features oval-cut stones, while the other includes rectangular gems. Both are regularly worn by the ladies of the grand ducal family, often with a beautiful amethyst necklace and earrings.
Sadly, Queen Mary’s amethyst necklace and tiara are no longer with the Windsors; they were sold at auction. However, the lovely necklace from the set still exists; it’s even been worn once at a gala at the Victoria and Albert Museum by Vogue editor Anna Wintour.
This astonishing amethyst, turquoise, and diamond necklace was made for the Duchess of Windsor by Cartier in 1947. It’s often featured today in museum exhibitions.
In 2013, Sotheby’s auctioned this amethyst and diamond demi-parure. The nineteenth-century set was sold by members of the former royal family of Bavaria; auction notes indicated that the family called it “Queen Amalia’s Parure,” after the former Bavarian queen of Greece.
One of the oldest sets of jewels in the Windsor collection is this amethyst demi-parure, which belonged to Queen Victoria’s mother, the Duchess of Kent. The Queen rarely wears the complete set, but she does occasionally sport one of the brooches.
I’m extremely partial to the set of amethysts that belonged to Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom. Sadly, they’re no longer with the family — they were auctioned by the family of Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk — but the incredible, convertible geometric floral necklace is a showstopper.
No amethyst set in any current royal collection can hold a candle to the Bernadotte family’s parure, which dates to the Napoleonic era and features enormous purple gemstones. The circlet may be difficult to wear, but when they get it right, it’s magical.
The Top Ten: Romantic Royal Weddings of the Century
The Spanish people were reportedly caught by surprise when Felipe announced his engagement to Letizia, a well-known journalist and news anchor. Their wedding, celebrated on May 22, 2004, was the first to be held in Madrid in almost a century, and although rain fell, the couple were clearly happy. More than ten years later, they are King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, and they are parents to two princesses, Leonor and Sofia.
Single mother Mette-Marit was a very controversial figure in Norway when her relationship with the country’s future king was made public. But Haakon was firm in his decision to marry the woman he loved, and the pair wed in Oslo’s cathedral on August 25, 2001. Today the couple are still happily married and are parents to Marius, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, and Prince Sverre Magnus. (See the glittering jewels from their pre-wedding gala and their royal wedding!)
After a very public broken engagement in 2010, Madeleine fled Sweden for New York, where she met financier Chris. Two years later they announced that they were engaged, though Chris decided to decline royal status. They were both emotional during their wedding at the chapel of the Royal Palace in Stockholm on June 8, 2013, and today, they are parents to Princess Leonore and Prince Nicolas. (See the glittering jewels from their pre-wedding dinner and their royal wedding!)
The marriage of Guillaume and Stephanie on October 20, 2012, was a rare match between a royal and a noble. Luxembourg’s future grand duke had known his bride for years. The wedding was a bittersweet occasion, however, because the bride’s mother had died unexpectedly only months before. The marriage is still going strong three years later.
The romance of Charles and Camilla was long, enduring, and incredibly controversial for years before their engagement and wedding, which took place on April 9, 2005. Although the public’s affection for the late Diana, Princess of Wales overshadowed the occasion for some — and the death of the pope delayed it by a day — there was no denying the couple’s love for each other at their religious blessing at Windsor. The two have now been happily married for more than a decade. (See Camilla’s heirloom engagement ring and the glittering jewels from their royal wedding!)
One of the most sensational royal weddings of the last decade was undoubtedly the marriage of William and Kate, who toyed with the press and public for years before finally announcing their engagement. The wedding at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011, was a romantic occasion, filled with family and celebrated under a canopy of green trees. Nearly five years on, the future British king and queen are now parents to Prince George and Princess Charlotte. (See the glittering jewels from their royal wedding!)
Few royal weddings have ever felt as personal and love-filled as the nuptials of Felix and Claire, who wed in France on September 21, 2013, after a civil wedding in the bride’s native Germany. In an especially romantic touch, the two said their vows in their spouse’s native language. Today, they run a vineyard in the south of France and are parents to Princess Amalia.
Four years after meeting in Sydney during the Olympics, Frederik married his Aussie bride on May 14, 2004, at Copenhagen’s cathedral. Mary wore a delicate lace veil that had belonged to Frederik’s great-grandmother; Frederik couldn’t hold back his tears when he saw his bride coming down the aisle. Today, the couple are the happy parents of four children: Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine. (See the glittering jewels from their royal wedding here and here!)
When Willem-Alexander made his wedding vows to Argentine-born Maxima in Amsterdam on February 2, 2002, the cheers from the crowd outside could be heard echoing through the church. Although Maxima was popular herself, her father’s ties to a dictatorship meant that her parents had to stay away from the wedding; her family and heritage were honored by the playing of a traditional Argentine tango during the ceremony. Today, the couple are the country’s king and queen, and they are parents to three princesses: Catharina-Amalia, Alexia, and Ariane.
Sweden’s future queen fell in love at the gym; she and her personal trainer, Daniel, dated for nearly a decade before they married on June 19, 2010, in Stockholm’s cathedral. They faced personal adversity after their engagement announcement, when Daniel underwent a kidney transplant. By their wedding, though, both were healthy and extremely happy, and their love for each other was evident in every moment of the day. And, as an extra romantic touch, the pair were married on the wedding anniversary of her parents, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. Almost six years later, the two are parents to Princess Estelle and to another baby, who is due to arrive in a matter of weeks. (See the glittering jewels from their pre-wedding gala here and here, and the jewels from their royal wedding here and here!)
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