October babies are blessed with a truly unusual and fascinating gemstone: the luminous, fire-filled opal. Among the most interesting royal jewels set with the stone are the Dutch Fire Opals. Today, we’ve got a look at one of Queen Maxima’s appearances in the complete set.
In June 2013, shortly after his inauguration, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands made an official visit to the state of Hesse in Germany.
For engagements in Wiesbaden, Queen Maxima wore an exuberant ensemble in shades of orange and tan. (As the name of the Dutch royal dynasty is the House of Orange, the family often plays on the name with the color of their clothes and jewels.)
With the outfit, Queen Maxima dipped into the family vaults for the family’s suite of diamonds and fire opals. The set, which belongs personally to Princess Beatrix, has been worn by the Dutch royals since the 1960s. The diamond design of the earrings definitely fits with a ’50s or ’60s creation date. The top portion of the earrings can also be worn with other pendants, and the family has added both pearls and diamonds to them in the past.
The design of the earrings is carried through in the set’s coordinating brooch.
Here’s another view of the fire opal brooch. The opals in this suite have a distinctive orange-yellow hue. These distinctive fire opals, named for their bright orange, red, and yellow colors, are found in Mexico, as well as in parts of Maxima’s native South America.
The suite also includes two other pieces. Here, you’ll spot the diamond and fire opal ring from the set on Maxima’s left hand during the Wiesbaden visit.
And here, on Maxima’s right wrist, you’ll spot the bracelet from the set, which is studded with three more fire opals.
I love royal jewels that experiment with lesser-used stones like these bright, colorful opals. They add such an interesting dimension to classic pieces!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.