The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

This Week in Royal Jewels: June 6-12

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June 6-12, 2014
This week’s royal jewel stories include a milestone birthday, a three-brooch week in Britain, and a final hurrah for some royal heirlooms. (And, if you missed them, don’t forget to check out our posts on the British state visit to France and the Swedish christening!) Enjoy!

10. Queen Maxima was gorgeous in diamonds and a ball gown at her brother’s wedding in Vienna on Saturday. She paired the family’s nineteenth-century diamond rivière necklace with an emerald-cut kunzite brooch that belongs to her mother-in-law, Princess Beatrix.

9. Earlier the same day, Maxima and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians kept the jewels to a minimum to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy. While Maxima’s earrings were a bit more flamboyant (to coordinate with her bright yellow jacket and turban headpiece), Mathilde chose understated pearls.

8. Crown Princess Mette-Marit paired dangling earrings with her sleek hairdo on Tuesday at the amfAR Inspiration Gala in New York, where she was honored for her activism on behalf of those with AIDS.

7. After a busy state visit in France, Queen Elizabeth II hopped back across the Channel to attend the Epsom Derby, where she wore the Jardine Star Brooch.

6. Queen Elizabeth chose the Cartier aquamarine clips given to her by her parents for the Buckingham Palace garden party held on Tuesday (the 93rd birthday of Prince Philip!).

5. One more brooch for the week for Elizabeth II! She opened a new sports center in Westminster on Thursday, wearing the diamond palm leaf brooch she inherited from the Queen Mother.

4. Delicate gold jewelry was Crown Princess Mary’s adornment of choice during a photoshoot in France to mark the 80th birthday of her father-in-law, Prince Henrik.

3. The woman who will become queen of Spain next week, Princess Letizia, borrowed a tiara from her mother-in-law for the Mexican state banquet this week: the family’s nineteenth-century diamond floral tiara. She paired the tiara with sparkling drop earrings.

2. During the Mexican state visit to Spain, Queen Sofia wore two of the joyas de pasar (or “jewelry to pass down”), the pearl necklace and pearl pendant that mimics the famous La Peregrina pearl. In her will, Queen Ena left several pieces of jewelry to her son, the Count of Barcelona, with the understanding that they should be reserved for the use of the Spanish queen.
1. Finally, this week’s state banquet in Spain saw Queen Sofia wearing most of the rest of the joyas de pasar for probably the last time: the Fleur-de-Lys Tiara (or “La Buena” — more here), the diamond necklace, diamond earrings, and diamond bracelets. Some have wondered whether Sofia will retain these jewels even after her husband’s abdication; however, I think her appearance in the jewels at this final state banquet during his reign suggests that she’s saying farewell to the pieces, which we will next see on Queen Letizia.

This Week in Royal Jewels: May 30-June 5

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May 30-June 5, 2014
Lots of glitter and pomp this week, with the opening of Parliament in Britain, an awards ceremony in Sweden, and an official visit in the Netherlands. Enjoy!

10. For a concert held on Sunday in honor of Prince Henrik of Denmark’s 80th birthday, Crown Princess Mary chose a modern pair of golden earrings.

9. At the same concert, Queen Margrethe wore a set of jewelry made of gold and pearls that appropriately was given to her by her husband. The necklace and earrings were a silver wedding gift from Henrik to Margrethe; they were created by Torben Hardenberg, who also made Margrethe’s modern turquoise jewelry.

8. On the heels of her husband’s surprise abdication, Queen Sofia of Spain wore layered necklaces and a pearl brooch on a visit to the United Nations in New York on Tuesday.

7. A number of royals attended the Bernadotte Art Awards in Stockholm on Monday, including two members of the former imperial family of Iran: Farah Pahlavi and her granddaughter, Princess Noor. The former empress wore pearls and large golden earrings, while her granddaughter chose earrings to coordinate with the gold trim on her dress.

6. Also at the Bernadotte Awards? Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, who paired dangling earrings and a bracelet with her gown.

5. One more from the awards in Sweden: Queen Silvia in modern gold jewelry (with earrings that appear to have a green stone set in the center) and Countess Marianne Bernadotte in pearls.

4. This week, the Dutch royals welcomed Prince Albert II of Monaco for the opening of an exhibition on the life of his mother, Grace Kelly. (Sadly, Princess Charlene had to cancel the trip because of her recently-announced pregnancy.) For a dinner at Het Loo Palace, Princess Beatrix wore sapphires and diamonds, including the Sapphire Necklace Tiara.

3. At the same official dinner, Queen Maxima wore jewels from the family’s emerald parure, which dates to the late nineteenth century and includes emeralds brought to the country by Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia a century earlier.

2. At the State Opening of Parliament on Wednesday, the Duchess of Cornwall repeated the jewels she wore at last year’s opening: the Boucheron tiara from the Greville inheritance, her pearl necklace with the diamond clasp, and pearl earrings (plus the Royal Victorian Order and the Queen’s family order).

1. No other royal lady could compete this week with the glittering appearance of Queen Elizabeth II at the State Opening of Parliament, where she donned the Imperial State Crown to read her speech. On the way to and from the event, she wore George IV’s Diamond Diadem. The rest of her jewels included Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee Necklace, pearl earrings from Queen Victoria’s collection, a pearl bracelet and a pearl watch, and the Garter collar.

This Week in Royal Jewels: May 23-29

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May 23-29, 2014
Lots of sparkle this week, with Kate, Max, Stephanie, and Sonja showing off a bit of glitter. When you’re done enjoying the royal jewels worn this week, head over to The Royal Roundup for a rundown of the many major royal events taking place in June!


10. The Duchess of Cambridge — or, for the day, the Countess of Strathearn — spent the day with her husband in Scotland on Thursday. She debuted a new brooch for the occasion.

Royal reporters shared that the brooch, which features a Celtic knot design, was one of Kate’s wedding gifts, though the identity of the giver has been kept private.

9. The Dutch royal couple is on a visit to Germany, and on Tuesday, Queen Maxima once again demonstrated her innovative approach to the family’s jewel collection. All of the pink stones she wears are kunzites, but her brooch is a combination of two pieces of jewelry: the top is part of a set of diamond brooches, while the diamond and kunzite pendant can be worn suspended from either a brooch or a necklace. The upper portion of Max’s earrings were often worn by Queen Juliana. (As always, more on the Dutch royal jewels, especially these earrings, is available here.)

8. The kunzites weren’t Maxima’s only jewelry outing in Germany; she also wore diamonds and pearls to visit a research facility on Monday. The brooch she wears is an heirloom from the era of Queen Emma. The piece features a natural pearl surrounded by two circular rows of diamonds.

7. In Belgium, Queen Mathilde went for a color-coordinated look while attending a lunch for the judges of the Queen Elisabeth Voice Competition, pairing green pendant earrings with a bright green dress.

6. At the annual Grand Prix gala in Monaco, Princess Charlene debuted some new pieces of jewelry by Repossi (the same jewelers who made her engagement ring): a ruby ring and a rather enormous gold cuff bracelet. (More photos and information on the bracelet here.)

5. The closing mass of the Octave of Our Lady of Luxembourg was held on Sunday, and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie brought out some lovely gold jewelry for the event. (Also, I agree with Sydney re: the hair!)

4. One more jewelry outing for Max this week — she really is one of our most bejeweled royal ladies these days, isn’t she? These golden pendant earrings, worn for an award ceremony on Saturday in Middelburg, are very typical of her style.

3. The garden parties at Buckingham Palace are in full swing, and on Wednesday, the Queen welcomed members of the Household Cavalry (including her grandson, Prince Harry) and their families to the palace. To honor them, she replaced her usual brooch with the badges of the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals.

2. The Scandinavian royals have continued commemorating the bicentenary of the Norwegian Constitution. At the end of last week, the celebrations moved to Denmark, where a gala was held at the opera house in Copenhagen. For the occasion, Queen Sonja sported a brooch that dates back more than a century: it was one of Queen Maud’s wedding presents.

1. A bit of a surprise for our top jewelry story of the week, but let’s face it, who wore more bling than Prince Henrik of Denmark did in the official portrait to commemorate his 80th birthday? Among other things, he’s wearing the collar of the Order of the Elephant, the highest order of Danish chivalry. (There are also two other people in the painting, but they’re both Henrik, too. He’s being stalked a bit by his younger selves, apparently.)