Queen Mathilde’s Mysterious Leafy Statement Earrings in Brussels

Last week, Belgium’s Queen Mathilde helped to mark an important anniversary at a conference in Brussels, wearing a pair of major—and slightly mysterious—statement earrings that have been in her jewelry box for years.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child, an international human rights treaty that sets out the rights of children, was signed by member states of the United Nations on November 20, 1989. Last week, to mark the 35th anniversary of the signing of the convention, Queen Mathilde of the Belgians attended an international conference at the Royal Palace in Brussels.

During the conference, Queen Mathilde delivered remarks praising the work of the convention over the past three and a half decade while also pointing out many ways that the world has still fallen short in creating a safe, healthy world for children. “Together, we need to guarantee that all children, no matter where they live, no matter who they are, can experience a real childhood. Now is the time to recommit to the rights of every child,” she said. You can read her full speech here.

For the conference, Queen Mathilde wore an elegant, subdued ensemble in shades of gray and white. UFO No More tells us that the top and trousers both come from Natan.

Mathilde continued the color theme of the outfit through to her earrings, wearing a pair of shoulder-grazing statement earrings in a shifting shade of gray-blue.

The long earrings feature a leaf-like detail, with luminescent gray “leaves” linked in the center by a line of gems set in dark metal. I’m not sure exactly what materials were used here, but the blue-gray-green shift of the cabochons reminds me a lot of a smoky chalcedony or a gray jade.

The maker of the earrings also appears to be unknown, even though Mathilde has had them in her collection for many years. Above, she wears the earrings with a gray suit for a World Health Organization event in the spring of 2010, when she was still the Duchess of Brabant. What do you think—any guesses about the creator of these jewels?