Queen Maxima Sparkles in Diamond and Kunzite Earrings—With a Twist!

At Noordeinde Palace in The Hague on Wednesday, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima attended the presentation of the Appeltjes van Oranje (or “Apples of Orange”) Prizes, which are awarded annually to three projects focused on innovations in social welfare and social cohesion. This year’s prizes focused on building bridges within communities, bringing together groups of people to improve social relationships. Winners receive a special bronze Apple of Orange statuette, designed by Princess Beatrix, and a cash prize of 25,000 euros to be put toward further supporting the winning project.

For the award presentation, Queen Maxima wore a blush colored dress embroidered with sequins, made by one of her go-to designers, Natan. She accessorized with a major pair of diamond and kunzite statement earrings from her collection. The earrings, which feature a distinctive twist at the top of the pendant, come from Steltman.

Queen Maxima has had the earrings in her jewelry box for many years. One of her first prominent appearances in the jewels took place in May 2015, when she attended the opening of an institute devoted to helping those who have hearing deficits or other struggles with language.

Maxima has generally paired the earrings with clothing in shades of pink, blush, tan, and beige. Above, she wears the kunzites for her arrival at the Elysee Palace in Paris during the March 2016 state visit to France.

Two years later, in April 2018, she wore the earrings to attend the premiere of the musical The Color Purple in Amsterdam.

She made a dramatic appearance in the earrings in The Hague in August 2018 during the presentation of the highest Dutch military decoration, the Willemsorde.

She also chose the earrings, plus additional pieces from her collection of kunzite jewels, for the official welcome ceremony at Buckingham Palace during the October 2018 state visit to the United Kingdom.

Maxima has worn the earrings both for grand state occasions and local engagements. Here, in May 2021, she wears the earrings for a visit to a cultural center in Roermond.

She paired the earrings with a bubblegum pink and tan ensemble on King’s Day in Maastricht in April 2022.

She’s even worn the earrings on a May 2023 visit to a sheep farm! Talk about versatility.

Last month, Queen Maxima chose the earrings for Prinsjesdag, pairing them with an eye-catching coat from Claes Iversen.

She’s not the only member of the family who has worn the earrings for Prinsjesdag. Princess Laurentien wore the jewels, plus other parts of the married kunzite suite, for the same occasion back in September 2019.

For Wednesday’s prize presentations, Queen Maxima finished off her look with the diamond and kunzite ring from the suite, as well as the pair of coordinating diamond bangles with floral accent designs.