The Top Ten: Royal Diamond Necklaces

Mathilde’s jewelry box may be relatively small, but the diamond necklace she wore to the pre-wedding dinner for Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg in 2012 is one of my favorites.

This diamond necklace, with its distinctive central pendant drop, has been in the Luxembourgish collection for two generations; it’s been worn by both the late Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte and her daughter-in-law, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa.

The diamond fringe necklace that belongs to Princess Caroline of Monaco is an absolutely design classic, worn to perfection by a glamorous princess.

Princess Benedikte of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and her younger sister, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, have identical, intricate diamond necklaces; they were made by dividing up a sautoir that belonged to their grandmother, Queen Alexandrine of Denmark.

The lovely diamond rivière from the Dutch royal collection packs a major, sparkly punch, especially when paired with the family’s diamond bandeau tiara. The necklace can also be worn with a diamond pendant.

The dramatic diamond collet necklace from the Spanish royal collection is a part of the joyas de pasar, a cache of jewels that is designated for the use of the country’s queen.

The intricate diamond necklace worn for years by Princess Lilian of Sweden — and now by her niece, Crown Princess Victoria — was originally part of a diamond stomacher that belonged to Josephine of Leuchtenberg.

This elaborate floral Cartier necklace was a wedding gift to Queen Elizabeth II in 1947 from the Nizam of Hyderabad, though Elizabeth herself selected it from Cartier’s stock.

Made in 1858, this incredible diamond necklace has been worn by four queens — Alexandra, Mary, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth II — at their coronations. The necklace’s pendant is the Lahore Diamond, which alone weighs more than 22 carats.

Part of the astonishing jewel bequest left to the Queen Mother by the Hon. Mrs. Greville, this five-stranded necklace of diamonds has been worn most recently by the Duchess of Cornwall. If I had this one, I’d wear it everywhere! 🙂