The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

This Week in Royal Jewels: April 4-10

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April 4-10, 2014
Jewels from a state visit, a baptism, and a royal tour top this week’s roundup. Enjoy!



10. While in Wellington during their royal tour of New Zealand, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge unveiled a new portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. In the picture, she wears the same diamond fern leaf brooch that has been lent to Kate for the tour. While Kate didn’t wear the brooch again for the unveiling, she did wear a custom Jenny Packham gown that featured fern leaf embroidery on one shoulder.

9. Plans for the celebration of Prince Henrik of Denmark’s eightieth birthday have been announced. The official events include a gala performance at the concert hall in Copenhagen on June 1. In the past, these events have included major jewels, and I think we can expect some grand glitter on this occasion, too.

8. Members of the Dutch royal family gathered in Piacenza, Italy on Saturday for the baptism of Princess Cecilia of Bourbon-Parma, the second daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Parma. The Duke is the son of Princess Irene of the Netherlands, and the event brought out a number of royal ladies in jewels. Brooches were the popular jewelry item, worn by Princess Beatrix, Princess Margarita, Princess Viktoria, and Princess Irene (who also donned a pearl necklace and pearl and diamond earrings). Additionally, the Duchess of Parma appears to have the badge of the Constantinian Order of St. George (which is worn suspended from a pale blue ribbon) pinned to her dress. The Bourbon-Parmas have had a mini baby boom of late, so we can expect to see a few more christenings in the near future.

7. After the majorly bejeweled first days of the Irish state visit to the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II chose the Jardine Star Brooch for a reception at Windsor Castle on Thursday that brought together dignitaries from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

6. The traditional Guildhall Banquet held on the second day of state visits to Britain was held on Wednesday. The Queen’s cousins tend to take on this particular event. For this banquet, the Duchess of Gloucester was resplendent in diamonds, wearing the Gloucester Honeysuckle Tiara in its all-diamond form, paired with a sparkling diamond necklace.

5. Saturday saw the second day of events marking the 400th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between Sweden and the Netherlands. On the day, Queen Maxima wore hoop earrings and a striking crescent-shaped brooch, while Queen Silvia wore a strand of multi-colored pearls.

4. On Tuesday, we discussed jewels worn in a portrait by Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg here on the blog. Leave it to the ladies of Luxarazzi to do some extra digging to give us more information on one of the pieces. They’ve identified the drop pearls suspended from Charlotte’s necklace as the same ones worn by Grand Duchess Maria Teresa on a brooch (seen above at National Day in 2010). The pearls can be traced back to Grand Duchess Maria-Ana, who was photographed in the pearls in 1921.

3. Queen Silvia of Sweden traveled to Germany this week, where she received the Friedenstein Award from the Gotha Cultural Foundation. She wore pearls, diamonds, and turquoises for the event, including a gorgeous turquoise and diamond brooch.

2. For the opening of a campus of buildings geared toward youth and education in Rotterdam, Queen Maxima again wore a striking pair of bright blue earrings. Unfortunately, her striking hat had a bit of trouble in heavy wind!

1. I mentioned this last week, but I think it’s worth a reminder: if you love Faberge eggs, and you’re in London, here’s your chance to see one of the imperial examples up close. The recently-rediscovered Third Imperial Easter Egg will be on display at Wartski’s in London from April 14-17. The press release I received gives 11 AM-5 PM as the exhibiting hours. If any of our London-based readers gets a chance to see it in person, be sure to drop by and share the experience with us!

This Week in Royal Jewels: March 21-27

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March 21-27, 2014
Time for yet another roundup of this week’s sparkliest royal jewels. Enjoy!

10. The Duchess of Cornwall made a visit to an East Sussex hospice on Wednesday, where she accessorized her outfit with a cheerful tortoise brooch.

9. Christie’s is preparing to hold one of their “Magnificent Jewels” auctions in New York next month; most of the jewels in the catalogue are twentieth-century pieces, but the auction also includes this nineteenth-century diamond and pearl brooch, the property of “a gentleman.” You can view the auction lots online here.

8. On Thursday, Queen Sofia of Spain selected a glittering gold brooch and earrings for an engagement at Zarzuela Palace in Madrid.

7. Princess Margriet of the Netherlands chose a colorful set of jewels to visit the town hall in Velsen on Wednesday, including a necklace and a pair of earrings.

6. Queen Elizabeth II chose pastels and pearls for a trip to Lloyd’s of London on Thursday. She wore the Duchess of Cambridge’s Pendant Brooch, but without its drop pearl pendant. The brooch once belonged to the Queen’s great-great grandmother, Princess Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge.

5. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands welcomed world leaders to their country for the G8 Summit on Monday. Maxima wore an heirloom brooch with a long history: the diamond and pearl strawberry leaf brooch that once belonged to Queen Sophie. (That’s King Abdullah II of Jordan on the right receiving an enthusiastic hug from his fellow monarch!)

4. It’s been an incredibly busy week for Maxima; along with the G8 events and the Chinese state visit, she also attended an investment conference wearing this striking gold necklace.

3. The Countess of Wessex made a glamorous appearance for a good cause on Wednesday, speaking at the St John Ambulance Everyday Heroes celebration wearing an Alexander McQueen gown. The “necklace” is actually an embellishment on the gown; Sophie is also wearing earrings by Heavenly Necklaces.

2. Last week in Sweden, Princess Christina pulled off a bejeweled surprise, sporting the Aquamarine Kokoshnik Tiara often worn by her sister, Princess Margaretha. There are rumors that King Carl XVI Gustaf has bought the tiara back from Margaretha. And Christina, who makes more appearances at white-tie events than her sisters, does need another sparkler, after her tiara was stolen and thrown into the sea a few years ago. (At the same event, Queen Silvia wore the Nine-Prong Tiara.)

1. One more peek into the Dutch jewel collection this week, this time from the Chinese state banquet held on Saturday. We looked yesterday at the jewels worn by Queen Maxima on the day, but Princess Beatrix also attended the banquet, wearing the diamond bandeau.

NOTES, PHOTO CREDITS, AND LINKS
1. Banner image: detail of The Marriage of George, Duke of York to Princess Mary of Teck (1894) by Laurits Tuxen. Image in the public domain; source here.

This Week in Royal Jewels: March 14-20

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March 14-20, 2014
Time once again for a sparkly royal roundup! Here’s a look at some of the biggest stories from the world of royal jewels this week.
10. Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway has kept her jewelry simple during her official visit with Crown Prince Haakon to Vietnam this week, generally sticking to a few stacked bracelets (including one that appears to have an “evil eye” motif) to add a bit of sparkle.

9. In Fabergé news this week: one of the bejeweled eggs given by Alexander III to Marie Feodorovna popped up again recently. It’s worth a cool 20 million pounds!

8. On Friday, Queen Sofia of Spain wore her favorite strand of multi-colored pearls and a golden brooch to visit the “El Griego de Toledo” exhibit at the museum of Santacruz.
7. In Ghana, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden has chosen more colorful jewels, including a playful pair of earrings for an engagement on Tuesday.
6. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands indulged in her penchant for purple once again this week, pairing oversized purple earrings with a coordinating chapeau.
5. As expected, the Duchess of Cambridge borrowed the shamrock brooch from the Irish Guards for the third year running on Monday; she wore it to present shamrocks to the regiment with the Duke.
4. If you’re in Stockholm tomorrow, pop by the palace for a lecture on royal jewels by Göran Alm. The presentation will reportedly focus on jewels from the Renaissance to the present; check out the royal court’s website for ticketing info.
3. Queen Elizabeth II also chose bright, spring-like colors for a visit to the University of London. She accessorized her blue ensemble with the Carrington Feather Brooch, which she received as a wedding gift in 1947. The piece features a sapphire nestled within the diamond feather, and it is sadly not named after Alexis Carrington, although she would certainly have worn it.
2. The Emperor and Empress of Japan welcomed the Vietnamese president to Tokyo this week; Empress Michiko wore pearls and a glittering brooch for the occasion. (Sadly, she went sans tiara for the state banquet!)
1. The always-dependable Danes brought out the glitter for their own state visit festivities this week, however. At a state banquet for the Turkish president, Queen Margrethe II wore the Baden Palmette Tiara, Crown Princess Mary wore her wedding tiara, Princess Marie wore Princess Dagmar’s Floral Tiara, and Princess Benedikte wore the Star and Pearl Tiara (although she’s mistakenly identified as Queen Anne-Marie — oops!). Ain’t no party like a Scandinavian tiara party!