The jewelry collection of the royal family of Sweden contains numerous gorgeous, classic brooches set with diamonds and pearls. Today, we’ve got a closer look at a piece that is a favorite of multiple Bernadotte women: the floral diamond and pearl brooch with a pearl pendant drop.
Here’s a closer look at the main portion of the brooch. The piece features a large pearl surrounded by a cluster of ten diamonds. The metal setting of each diamond comes to a point, emphasizing the “petal” floral design of the piece. Two more diamond brilliants are set on either side of the cluster. The piece can be worn with or without a pear-shaped pearl pendant, and the women of the family regularly wear it in both settings.
The brooch has been in the family collection for at least a century. Above, Queen Victoria of Sweden wears the brooch on her bodice in a portrait that dates to the 1920s.
In recent decades, the primary wearer of the brooch has been Queen Silvia of Sweden, who wears it both with and without the pendant drop. Above, she wears the brooch without the pendant for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in London in April 2002.
In April 2005, she wore the complete brooch for the funeral of Prince Rainier III of Monaco.
The brooch’s simple, classic style makes it appropriate for a range of occasions. Here, during a state visit to Japan in March 2007, Silvia uses it to secure the sash of the Order of the Precious Crown during a dinner at a Tokyo hotel. She paired it on this occasion with the Connaught Diamond Tiara, pearl drop earrings, and the Processional Jewels.
One of Queen Silvia’s most recent appearances in the brooch came in September 2020, when she wore it for the annual opening of the Riksdag, Sweden’s parliament. The brooch fits in nicely with the traditional black-and-white color scheme of the event.
Over the years, Crown Princess Victoria has also made good use of the pearl and diamond brooch. She wore it without its pendant for an official portrait taken early in her marriage.
In July 2011, she pinned it to the shoulder of her gown for a reception following the wedding of Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco. She also wore one of her signature jewels, the Baden Fringe Tiara, for the dinner.
The following year, in October 2012, she wore the brooch for the wedding of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg.
Princess Sofia of Sweden has been pictured wearing the brooch as well. For the Nobel Prize ceremony and banquet in December 2018, she used the top portion of the brooch to secure the sash of the Order of the Seraphim. For the event, she also wore the pearl setting of her Palmette Tiara and a newly-created seed pearl choker necklace.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.