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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

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This Week in Royal Jewels: January 15-21

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January 15-21, 2016
From jubilees to circus festivals, we’ve got a treasure trove of jewelry on display this week. Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!
10. Princess Charlene of Monaco exercised the privilege du blanc when she visited the Vatican this week, and you could just see a glimpse of pearl stud earrings peeking out from under her white lace veil.

9. While visiting a tourism fair in Madrid on Wednesday, Queen Letizia of Spain wore her Tous cultured pearl drop earrings.
8. In a departure from her usual minimalist jewelry style, Charlotte Casiraghi, daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco, wore statement earrings during a gala dinner in Geneva on Monday.

7. Speaking of a departure from the usual — look at the earrings that Princess Stephanie of Monaco wore at the annual circus festival on Saturday! I don’t know what’s gotten into the Monegasque jewelry water, but I like it.

6. During the Silver Jubilee festivities for King Harald V of Norway on Sunday, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark wore a gorgeous pair of ruby and diamond earrings. She also pinned a diamond and ruby brooch to the jacket beneath that fur coat. (See more jewels from the Jubilee over here.)

5. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom attended a church service near the Sandringham estate on Sunday. For the occasion, she chose one of her most-worn brooches: the Frosted Sunflower Brooch.

4. Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway turned twelve on Thursday, and the royal court released new portraits to mark the occasion. In the photographs, she wears the pearl necklace and diamond and ruby heart pendant that was given to her by her grandmother, Queen Sonja, as a christening present. (See more of her birthday portraits here!)

3. Queen Elizabeth II wore the largest of the three Nizam of Hyderabad Rose Brooches to a Women’s Institute meeting on Thursday. To read more about the Cartier-made brooches and the dearly-departed tiara that once housed them, check out this post.

2. For a dinner held at the crown princely family’s home during the Silver Jubilee, Queen Sonja of Norway wore pieces from her set of modern emerald jewelry. (More on the jewels worn at this event can be found here.)

1. My number one spot this week goes to the three Scandinavian queens, who all wore beautiful jewels during the most glittering of the Jubilee events. Queen Silvia’s diamond floral brooch, Queen Margrethe’s sapphire demi-parure, and Queen Sonja’s diamond and pearl brooch were all stunners, and I couldn’t choose just one!

Princess Ingrid Alexandra Wears Her Heart Pendant Necklace

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Photo: Jørgen Gomnæs / Det kongelige hoff

The royal jewels from Norway just keep coming this week! Today is Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s twelfth birthday, and the Norwegian royal court released a new set of portraits for the occasion. In the pictures, the future queen wore a piece of heirloom jewelry that belongs to her: a pearl necklace with a diamond and ruby heart pendant.

Photo: Jørgen Gomnæs / Det kongelige hoff

The necklace was a christening gift to the princess from her grandmother, Queen Sonja. Sources have suggested that the necklace was originally a gift to Queen Sonja from her husband, King Harald, on the occasion of the christening of Ingrid Alexandra’s father, Crown Prince Haakon. To my knowledge, though, the court has never clarified the precise provenance of the necklace. The piece has also been worn by Ingrid Alexandra’s mother, Crown Princess Mette-Marit.

Photo: Jørgen Gomnæs / Det kongelige hoff

Ingrid Alexandra sometimes wears the diamond and ruby heart pendant on a simpler silver-toned chain, but for these portraits, she wore the pendant with the original pearl necklace. She also donned the necklace in one of the family portraits released to mark King Harald’s Silver Jubilee: a special image featuring three generations of Norwegian monarchs, present and future.

Ingrid Alexandra often wears this important necklace for important occasions. Here’s a picture of her from June 2010, when she wore the necklace on the night before the wedding of her godmother, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.

Queen Alexandrine’s Sapphires

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Some of you asked yesterday for more on the sapphires that Queen Margrethe II of Denmark wore at this weekend’s Norwegian Silver Jubilee, and I’m more than happy to oblige. Here’s a look at various sapphire pieces from the collection of Queen Alexandrine of Denmark, grandmother of the current queen.

Queen Margrethe’s Sapphire and Diamond Demi-Parure



This versatile set consists of at least three major pieces: a necklace, earrings, and a large brooch. The necklace is adjustable; sections can be removed to make it longer or shorter. Queen Margrethe has in the past used some of the removed sapphire elements as hairpins. She’s also worn the necklace with an additional marquise-shaped sapphire and diamond pendant. The entire set comes from Queen Alexandrine, and it’s often speculated that it has Russian origins. That would make sense — Alexandrine’s mother, Anastasia, was born a Romanov grand duchess. When Alexandrine owned these sapphires, some of them were mounted in a large corsage ornament, which was broken up to create the set now worn by Margrethe.

Queen Alexandrine’s Sapphire Tiara



This tiara of diamonds and sapphires was inherited by the other major branch of the current Danish royal family: the family of Alexandrine’s younger son, Prince Knud. The tiara was worn by his wife, Princess Caroline-Mathilde, as well as his daughter, Princess Elisabeth. Eventually it ended up in the collection of their younger son, Count Christian of Rosenborg, and it was worn frequently by his wife, Countess Anne-Dorte. Both Christian and Anne-Dorte have recently died, and it’s presumed that the tiara was inherited by their daughters, but I don’t think any kind of official announcement about the inheritance of the jewel has been made. The tiara was originally convertible, able to be worn as both a diadem and a necklace. I’ve read that the piece originally belonged to Alexandrine’s mother, Grand Duchess Anastasia, but I’m not sure that’s ever been confirmed.

Queen Alexandrine’s Sapphire and Diamond Pendant Brooch



This brooch from Alexandrine’s collection is worn today by Princess Marie; it was previously worn by Marie’s mother-in-law, Queen Margrethe. The piece can be worn as a pendant on a necklace or as a brooch; its pendant drop can also be removed. The piece’s origins are apparently not known, but Alexandrine wears the brooch in portraits that date to the turn of the 20th century.