The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

This Week in Royal Jewels: July 12-18

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July 12-18, 2019
Brooches and birthday jewels dominate this week’s royal jewel review! Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!
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15. The Duchess of Sussex paired simple turquoise earrings with rings on both hands at Wimbledon on Saturday. (More here!)

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14. For Saturday’s visit to Wimbledon, the Duchess of Cambridge wore a favorite pair of golden Asprey hoops with a leafy design. (More here!)
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13. Baroque pearl drops accompanied Kate to Wimbledon on Sunday, where she presented trophies after the gentlemen’s finals. (More here!)
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12. Princess Madeleine of Sweden chose coral hoop earrings to celebrate Crown Princess Victoria’s birthday at the annual concert on the island of Oland. (More here!)
11. For her sister-in-law’s birthday, Princess Sofia of Sweden wore summery gold statement earrings. (More here!)
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10. On her 42nd birthday, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden wore summery earrings set with bright stones in shades of orange and pink. (More here!)
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9. Playful pearls, hoop earrings, and bracelets were Queen Silvia of Sweden’s accessories of choice for her elder daughter’s birthday this week. (More here!)
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8. Princess Mako of Akishino has been in South America this week; she chose red earrings and a coordinating necklace on Sunday for a visit to Cusco’s cathedral.
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7. On Tuesday, Mako wore pearl earrings and a pearl station necklace for a visit to the National Museum of Ethnography and Folklore in La Paz.
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6. Queen Mathilde of the Belgians chose a pair of her favorite golden statement earrings on Thursday for a visit to the opening of the annual Science and Culture exhibition at the Royal Palace in Brussels.
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5. An intricate golden necklace, plus gold and diamond earrings, were the Duchess of Cornwall’s choice for a visit to the town of Mevagissey on Monday during her official visit to Devon and Cornwall.
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4. Camilla wore a classic single strand of pearls, plus her favorite pearl drop earrings, on Tuesday for a reception to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Prince Charles’s chairmanship of the Duchy of Cornwall.
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3. On Wednesday, Camilla wore a lovely gold and diamond brooch with a crown detail as she received birthday wishes during the National Parks “Big Picnic” celebration in Simonsbath.
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2. Meghan sparkled in diamond and enamel stud earrings for the premiere of The Lion King in London on Sunday. (More here!)
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1. On Tuesday, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom wore the Cambridge Emerald Brooch with its distinctive cabochon drop for a private audience with the Royal Gurkha Rifles regiment at Buckingham Palace.

The Queen Gleams at the Palace’s Summer Opening

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On Wednesday, the Queen popped over to the summer exhibition space at Buckingham Palace to preview this year’s Summer Opening exhibit, which is dedicated to Queen Victoria’s life at the palace.

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The Queen took a special tour of the exhibition ahead of its opening to the public. This year marks the 200th anniversary of Victoria’s birth. She and Prince Albert were the Queen’s great-great-grandparents.

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The Queen inspected a table in the State Dining Room set for a typical Victorian royal dinner.

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The place setting includes the “Victoria” pattern dessert service.

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Clothing from Victoria’s life is also prominently displayed. Here, the Queen views the gown that Victoria wore for the Stuart Ball in 1851.

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Here’s another view of the elaborate gown. The costume was inspired by the fashions worn at the restoration court of King Charles II. In the literature from a past exhibition, the Royal Collection dubbed this gown “the most glamorous of all Queen Victoria’s surviving clothes.”

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This summer’s exhibition also includes the supertunica worn by Victoria at her coronation in 1838.

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Her military tunic and hat were also included; replicas of this outfit were featured prominently in the recent Victoria television series.

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One of the most interesting garments on display, though, is a tiny little plaid dress, worn by Victoria when she was a young princess.

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The Queen also carefully inspected musical instruments that were played by Victoria’s private orchestra.

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An elaborate grand piano is included in the exhibition, too: it was a gift presented to Victoria.

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Victoria’s magnificent throne is on display as well.

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Lots of artwork is featured in the exhibition. Here, the Queen views portraits of Victoria and Albert by Louis Haghe. Over her shoulder you’ll spot the famous portrait by Sir Edwin Landseer depicting Victoria and Albert at a costume ball in 1842.

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One of the most intriguing features of the exhibition is a virtual recreation of a quadrille danced at the Crimean Ball in 1856. A Victorian illusion technique (called “Pepper’s Ghost”) is employed to make the figures appear as if they’re actually in the room, though they’re actually projected on to a tilted sheet of glass. Costumed dancers were filmed in front of a green screen in Los Angeles to create the footage. The press reported that the Queen was “totally engrossed” by this part of the exhibition, but that she also quipped, “Thank God we don’t have to do that anymore.”

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HM wore her usual pearls for the exhibition tour, but she didn’t wear a brooch. What piece would you have chosen to go with this outfit?

This year’s summer exhibition at Buckingham Palace, “Queen Victoria’s Palace,” is open to the public from July 20 until September 29. Anyone planning on going?