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Archives for 2017

Princess Takamado’s Tiaras

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JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images

Our survey of the lovely tiaras worn by the women of Japan’s imperial family continues this weekend with a look at the jewels worn by Hisako, the widow of the Prince Takamado. Because she often represents the family abroad, the Princess Takamado has several glittering sparklers at her disposal.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

This pearl and diamond scroll tiara is the first one from Hisako’s jewel collection; she wore it in 1984 for her wedding to the Prince Takamado, who was a first cousin of Emperor Akihito. (Here’s a link to a wedding picture.) The tiara, which has a coordinating “mirrored” necklace, is still worn by Hisako today. Above, she wears the tiara and necklace at the wedding of Princess Madeleine of Sweden in June 2013.

Ian Gavan/Getty Images

Hisako wore her wedding necklace again in June 2015 for the wedding of Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, but on this occasion, she paired it with a small diamond and pearl drop tiara. This sparkler was previously worn by Princess Yasuko of Mikasa, one of Hisako’s sisters-in-law.

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Like all Japanese princesses who marry commoners, Yasuko left her imperial jewelry behind when she married Tadateru Konoe in December 1966. The picture above was taken at a reception held on the day before Yasuko’s wedding, so it’s almost certainly the last time she was seen wearing the tiara in public.

HENRIK MONTGOMERY/AFP/Getty Images

Hisako also has a third tiara, a delicate diamond bandeau with a classical laurel leaf design. She often pairs it with a necklace made of diamond clusters. Above, she wears the tiara and the necklace at a birthday gala for King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden in April 2016.

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The laurel leaf bandeau has also been Hisako’s go-to tiara for the annual New Year’s reception at the imperial palace in recent years. Here, in January 2016, she pairs the tiara with the same bird brooch she wore at the Swedish royal wedding in 2015. Two of her daughters, Princess Tsuguko and Princess Ayako, are standing beside her here; their jewelry suites also feature leaf motifs. (Also of note: the brooch Hisako wore at the Swedish royal wedding in 2013 appears to coordinate with Tsuguko’s jewels.)

This Week in Royal Jewels: September 7-14

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September 7-14, 2017
Our royal jewel roundup of the week is loaded with statement earrings and brightly colored jewels. Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!
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10. For an oncology congress in Madrid on Thursday, Queen Letizia of Spain wore Coolook earrings set with white and black onyx. (See her entire outfit over here!)

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9. Pearl drop earrings and a delicate horseshoe necklace were Crown Princess Victoria’s choice for the annual opening of Sweden’s parliament on Tuesday.
KOEN VAN WEEL/AFP/Getty Images
8. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wore earrings with carved jade disk drops for an entrepreneurial awards ceremony in Amsterdam on Monday. (More over here!)
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7. For a Red Cross event in Amsterdam on Saturday, Princess Margriet of the Netherlands wore a red floral brooch and red and gold carved earrings.

6. Princess Madeleine chose a delicate brooch with a diamond necklace and diamond stud earrings for the opening of parliament on Tuesday.
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5. Pearl earrings and a sapphire ring were Queen Mathilde’s accessories of choice for a visit to a group of horse-mounted fishermen (!) on Belgium on Tuesday. (See jewelry close-ups over here!)
JANE BARLOW/AFP/Getty Images
4. The Duchess of Rothesay (as the Duchess of Cornwall is known in Scotland) took part in the official naming ceremony for the HMS Prince of Wales on Friday, and she appropriately wore her Prince of Wales Feather Brooch for the occasion. (More over here!)
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3. Queen Maxima wore amethyst girandoles with the family’s purple flower brooch for a forum on financial inclusion in Mexico City on Thursday. (See more views over here!)

2. Queen Silvia of Sweden wore pearls with the family’s fabulous Diamond Lozenge Brooch for Tuesday’s Riksdag opening.

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1. My top vote of the week goes to Queen Maxima, who wore emeralds for a gala at the royal palace on Wednesday.

A Queen Maxima Earring Update

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Time for a look at some of the statement earrings that Queen Maxima’s been wearing this week!

PEDRO PARDO/AFP/Getty Images

Last Thursday, Maxima was in Mexico, attending the Third International Forum for Financial Inclusion at the National Palace.

PEDRO PARDO/AFP/Getty Images

Maxima chose a pair of girandole-style earrings set with amethysts. These have been in her collection for at least seven years. It’s not able to be seen in the images available for me to use, but she also wore the family’s dark purple carved flower brooch pinned at the waist of her dress.

KOEN VAN WEEL/AFP/Getty Images

Maxima was back in the Netherlands on Monday for the 2017 LOEY Awards, which honor the best online entrepreneur of the year.

KOEN VAN WEEL/AFP/Getty Images

Here’s a look at her earrings. These appear to feature a black enamel stud, a diamond-set spacer, and a large carved green disk drop, perhaps made of jade?

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Maxima chose green again — this time her diamond and emerald earrings — for a gala at the royal palace on Wednesday. She paired the earrings with the necklace from the family’s emerald parure.

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And earlier today, Maxima chose a pair of bold statement earrings to coordinate with her black and white outfit for the opening of the new Asian Library at the University of Leiden.