Queen Maxima’s Astonishing Antique Pearl Tiara

On March 22, 2014, King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima, and Princess Beatrix hosted President Xi Jinping and First Lady Peng Liyuan for a state banquet at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam. Both Máxima and Beatrix dazzled in jewelry pieces from the family’s impressive collection. Beatrix wore diamonds, including the Dutch Diamond Bandeau.

Queen Máxima wore a modern pink evening gown with a Grecian-inspired neckline and a deconstructed lace skirt for the banquet, pairing it with diamonds and pearls. She also wore the sash and star of the Order of the Netherlands Lion.

For the dinner, Máxima wore the full setting of the Antique Pearl Tiara. The tiara, made in 1900, is set with pearls that have been in the Dutch royal collection since the seventeenth century. Originally worn by Queen Wilhelmina, the tiara has been worn by all subsequent Dutch queens and queens consort, as well as other royal ladies in the Netherlands.

Máxima paired the tiara with diamond and pearl drop earrings, plus an impressive corsage ornament from the family vaults. The corsage ornament (or, as they’re sometimes called, stomacher) was made in the early nineteenth century and originally worn by Queen Sophie, the first wife of King Willem III of the Netherlands. The piece features a large diamond bow from which a pearl pendant is suspended. A diamond-studded chain also hangs from the brooch, supporting a smaller diamond bow brooch and a pair of additional pearl pendants. The jewel also contains several rare pink diamonds, coordinating nicely with Máxima’s dress for the occasion.

Máxima also wore a pearl ring, plus two diamond bracelets. On her right wrist, she wears one of the Dutch East Indies Bracelets. On her left, she wears the Dutch Diamond Star Bracelet, which was purchased from Mellerio in 1888 by King Willem III as a gift for his second wife, Queen Emma.