Queen Maxima’s Magnificent Royal Amethyst Jewels

February is the month to celebrate one of my favorite gemstones: the luscious purple amethyst. We’ll be marveling at several examples of royal jewels featuring the gemstone this month, starting off today with a gorgeous pair of amethyst earrings—and a fabulous ring!—from the collection of Queen Maxima of the Netherlands.

Queen Maxima has worn her amethyst jewels on numerous occasions, but today we’re looking at a glamorous appearance from May 2016: her appearance during the presentation of the King Willem I Awards in Eindhoven. The foundation that organizes the awards presents three prizes every two years, recognizing companies that have demonstrated courageous innovation in their business practices. In 2016, the prizes were awarded to the CEOs of Tobroco Machines, Koppert Cress, and Royal Philips Electronics.

For the presentation of the awards, Maxima reached into her clothing archive for a bold ensemble with a chartreuse-colored bodice and a purple skirt. ModeKoninginMaxima tells us that the dress was made by an Argentinian designer, Graciela Naum.

Maxima made her first appearance in the dress way back in May 2002, when she wore it for a gala held the night before the wedding of Princess Martha Louise of Norway and Ari Behn in Trondheim. On that occasion, she wore a colorful pair of statement earrings with the dress, plus her trio of tennis bracelets set with colored gemstones.

For her 2016 appearance in the same gown, Maxima reached into her collection of amethysts, reflecting the deep berry purple color of the skirt. The yellow-green bodice of the dress contrasted beautifully with her girandole-style earrings set with diamonds and amethysts.

On her left wrist, Maxima wore her diamond wedding bracelet and the diamond bracelet featuring the initials of her family members. She also added more berry tones with an impressive amethyst ring and her tutti frutti bracelet on her right wrist.

The bracelet from her tutti frutti set doesn’t include amethysts, but the carved rubies set in the suite have a distinctive pink-purple hue. Here’s a close-up that shows the bracelet in all of its colorful glory. The bracelet has a matching necklace, but Maxima likes to pair it with lots of other colored gemstone jewelry from her collection as well.

But it’s that amethyst cocktail ring that really caught my eye in the photographs from this royal engagement. Look at the size of the central purple gemstone! The ring is definitely a modern design, with its unique pavé-setting that features even more colored gems. This is a jewel that I’d definitely like to see Maxima bring out more often!