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We long lamented the lack of tiaras in the jewelry box of Princess Marie of Denmark, but this year, she added a third piece to her sparkler rotation: the Nuits Claires Tiara. Thanks to a generous reader, we have some new close-up views of the tiara to enjoy today.

The Nuits Claires Tiara (Image kindly shared by Jennifer; do not reproduce!)

French-born Marie collaborated with a French firm, Maison Mauboussin, to design the new tiara. The floral diadem is made of white gold and set with 13.35 carats of diamonds and 13.35 carats of sapphires. The centerpiece of the tiara is a vivid pear-shaped Ceylon sapphire, which weighs in at 6.82 carats. In French, nuits claires translates to something like “bright nights” or “light nights” — a very appropriate name for such a sparkling evening ornament.

The Nuits Claires Tiara (Image kindly shared by Jennifer; do not reproduce!)

The tiara slopes gently from its central point down to tapered edges on either side, giving it a sort of modified kokoshnik shape.

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The tiara was made in Paris, and so was the matching ring that accompanies it. The ring is also made of diamonds and features a large sapphire central stone.

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Marie chose an appropriate occasion to debut the tiara: the French state visit to Denmark in August 2018. She did not purchase the tiara or the ring from the jeweler; instead, the jewels are available exclusively to her as a long-term loan, an agreement that resembles those governing the use of the Midnight Tiara and the Flora Danica Tiara.

The Nuits Claires Tiara (Image kindly shared by Jennifer; do not reproduce!)

After its appearance at the French state dinner, the Nuits Claires Tiara went on public display as a part of the major jewelry exhibition at Koldinghus. (We covered the tiaras from the exhibition here!) One of our lovely readers, Jennifer, visited the exhibition and snapped these photos for us to enjoy. She noted that the name of the tiara is especially appropriate, “as it was way more stark white in comparison [to the others on display], maybe because the diamonds are more clear white in color.”

Princess Marie of Denmark wears her opal tiara and necklace

The lovely, unique birthstone of October babies, the opal, often makes an appearance in royal jewelry with a dramatic flair. Today’s sparkler, the opal tiara that belonged to Princess Marie of Denmark, certainly fits that bill.

Princess Marie of Denmark wears her opal tiara and necklace

Calling this piece a tiara feels sort of silly — it’s more of an art piece. The diadem features floral-esque sprays, each with a large oval-shaped opal at its tip. It’s a towering, artistic tiara, one very suited to its original owner: Princess Marie of Orleans, the French princess who married Prince Valdemar of Denmark, the youngest child of King Christian IX and Queen Louise. She was an unconventional royal, probably as close to a Bohemian as a princess could ever really be.

Countess Ruth of Rosenborg (back row, left) wears the redesigned opal tiara at the Norwegian royal wedding, 1968 (AFP/Getty Images)

When Marie died, the tiara passed to her fourth son, Prince Viggo. It was later worn by his wife, the American-born Eleanor Green (who was generally known as Princess Viggo). As I said above, the original tiara really was more sculpture than wearable ornament, but I still think it’s a shame that the tiara was redesigned during its time with Viggo and Eleanor. The largest opals were repurposed as upright elements on a much simpler diadem. More wearable, certainly — but definitely less original.

In the image above, you can spot the tiara on its next wearer. Viggo and Eleanor had no children, so the tiara was inherited by Viggo’s nephew, Count Flemming of Rosenborg, and worn by his wife, Countess Ruth. She’s wearing the tiara in the upper left-hand portion of the photograph, which was taken at the wedding of King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway in 1968. (Our post on the jewels worn at that wedding can be found over here!)

Princess Marie of Denmark wears her opal necklace (Wikimedia Commons)

Along with her opal tiara, Princess Marie also often wore a choker-style necklace of opals, rubies, sapphires, and seed pearls.

Kildine Stevenson wears the opal necklace, 2009 (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

After it left Marie’s jewelry box, the opal necklace took a different path than the tiara — it’s now owned by her French relatives. The necklace resides in the jewelry box of her great-niece, Princess Chantal of Orleans. In 2009, she loaned the necklace to her daughter, Kildine, who wore it to the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Vendome at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Senlis.