Our week-long Sparkling Spotlight celebration of the jewels of Princess Irene of the Netherlands wraps up today with an appearance at a very important Dutch royal gala almost a decade ago.
On April 29, 2013, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands welcomed royal guests from around the world to a special gala dinner at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The dinner marked the last night of her reign as the Queen of the Netherlands. The following morning, she abdicated in favor of her eldest son, King Willem-Alexander. But for one final evening, she reigned over the nation, surrounded by family, friends, and fellow heads of state. Among the guests, naturally, were her three sisters. Above, Princess Irene arrives for the dinner with Princess Christina.
For the gala, Princess Irene wore a unique gown featuring a black lace bodice and a black-and-white plaid taffeta skirt. She kept the black-and-white theme going with her jewels, which were set with diamonds and pearls.
The spotlight piece of the look was the Antique Pearl Tiara, which Irene borrowed from the family jewelry collection for the occasion. Made in 1900, the tiara is set with seven pear-shaped pearls that originally belonged to Amalia of Solms-Braunfels, a seventeenth-century Dutch princess.
Princess Irene finished off the look with more diamonds and pearls, including a diamond necklace and a pair of lovely earrings with diamond studs and pear-shaped pearl drops.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.