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The King and Queen of Sweden dressed up this week for an important academy celebration in Stockholm, with Queen Silvia selecting a special necklace of pearls for the occasion.
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On Wednesday, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden arrived at Stockholm’s City Hall for a ceremonial gathering of the Royal Swedish Academy of Forestry and Agriculture. The academy, one of the Royal Academies founded in Sweden in 1813 by the future King Carl XIV Johan, has a mission of balancing the needs of the environment with those of the Swedish people.
Their website notes, “The Academy is an active forum for science and practical experience. The Academy is also an independent and critical review organisation, which for society’s benefit shall promote ecologically, ethically, aesthetically and socially sustainable and therefore financially viable use and care of the earth, forests, plants, animals, water and air.”
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For the academy’s gala gathering at City Hall, Queen Silvia wore a favorite violet-colored evening gown with a bright pink shawl. Though the men in attendance wore white tie, the ladies did not wear tiaras, and Queen Silvia followed that example. She did, however, wear orders and decorations, including the sash and star of the Order of the Seraphim. It’s likely that the King’s Royal Family Order is also pinned to her dress beneath her wrap.
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Silvia opted to wear pearls with her gala gown for the event. Here’s a good look at the earrings she chose, which feature diamond and pearl cluster studs and substantial pearl drops.
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The star of the show, though, was her necklace: a double row of pearls, strung with visible knots between each bead. The necklace belonged to the King’s late mother, Princess Sibylla. Though she never became queen because of the early death of her husband, Princess Sibylla was the senior lady at the Swedish royal court from Queen Louise’s death in 1965 until her own passing in 1972.
Princess Sibylla’s only son, Carl XVI Gustaf, ascended to the throne less than a year after her death. The entire family, especially the King and his older sisters, have been keen to preserve Sibylla’s memory, and the use of her jewels by the ladies of the family is part of that remembrance.
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Queen Silvia has been wearing her late mother-in-law’s pearls for many years. The necklace features an elaborate diamond and pearl clasp, which Silvia usually wears near her shoulder so its details can be seen and enjoyed. On this occasion, though, the necklace’s clasp was hidden by her shawl. (You can see the necklace’s clasp in photos from a previous outing, the opening of the Riksdag in 2021.)
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Queen Silvia finished off the look with a stack of bracelets, including the signature colorful beaded bracelets that symbolize one of her most important charitable endeavors, the World Childhood Foundation. She also wore rings on both hands. The large gold ring on her right hand features a design made with pavé-set diamonds.
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