denmark – Page 95

Jewels of The Splendour of Power (Part 2)

09.27.2018 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

Queen Lovisa’s Pearl Necklace (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

Last week, a generous reader, Alberta, shared a set of photographs that allowed us to marvel at the tiaras currently on display in The Splendour of Power, an exhibition at Koldinghus in Denmark. This week, our second post on the exhibition features additional Scandinavian royal jewels on display.

Queen Caroline Matilda’s Pearls and (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

This luminous necklace of pearls belonged to Queen Caroline Matilda (1751-1775), the consort (and first cousin) of King Christian VII and sister of King George III of the United Kingdom. (You may have seen her rather tragic life story depicted in the 2012 film A Royal Affair.) They are displayed alongside a pair of her earrings, which feature gem-set bows with a trio of pendant drops.

Crown Princess Mary’s Earrings and Queen Alexandrine’s Meander Bracelet (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

In contrast, the exhibition also includes a pair of diamond-studded gold Marianne Dulong earrings from Crown Princess Mary’s collection. They are displayed alongside the stunning diamond meander bracelet that belonged to Queen Alexandrine. It’s now worn by Countess Sussie of Rosenborg.

Princess Benedikte’s Necklace and Pendant (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

Princess Benedikte loaned another piece from Queen Alexandrine’s collection: her portion of Alexandrine’s flexible diamond sautoir. The necklace is displayed with Benedikte’s diamond floral pendant. Both pieces were wedding gifts from her parents.

Princess Anne of Orange’s Diamond Riviere (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

One of the simplest — yet most important and glittering — heirloom jewels on display is the diamond riviere that belonged to Princess Anne (1709-1759), who was Princess Royal as the daughter of King George II of Great Britain and Princess of Orange as the wife of Willem IV. The necklace came to Scandinavia with her great-great-granddaughter, Louise (1828-1871), who married King Carl XV of Sweden in 1850. Their daughter, Queen Lovisa (1851-1926), was the consort of King Frederik VIII.

Queen Lovisa’s Pearl Necklace (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

The diamond riviere isn’t the only important jewels from Lovisa’s collection on display. One of the grandest non-tiara items on display is the pearl and diamond necklace that is grouped with the family’s married parure of pearl jewels. The necklace was presented to Queen Lovisa by Isma’il Pasha, the Khedive of Egypt, as a wedding present in 1869. The piece originally had two more pear-shaped pearl pendants; those were removed and remodeled as earrings. The necklace (and the rest of Lovisa’s diamond and pearl jewels) are now in trust and pass from monarch to monarch.

Queen Dorothea’s Jewel (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

This elaborate jewel was given in 1557 by Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg (1511-1571), the consort of King Christian III, to the city of Copenhagen. The jewel was originally used as a cloak clasp.

Endless thanks to Alberta for sharing her experience and photographs with all of us! Stay tuned next week for the final installment in our series on this exhibition.

This Week in Royal Jewels: September 14-20

09.21.2018 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

September 14-20, 2018

There’s some serious regal sparkle to enjoy in this week’s roundup! Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!

BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images

10. The Duchess of Sussex’s rings sparkled and gleamed at Kensington Palace on Thursday during the launch of Together, a cookbook produced by women affected by the Grenfell Tower Fire.

FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images

9. On Monday, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark wore classic hoop earrings to attend a WHO Regional Committee for Europe meeting in Rome.

Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

8. In Salamanca, Queen Letizia of Spain chose her feather earrings for Tuesday’s visit to the Science Park.

BENOIT DOPPAGNE/AFP/Getty Images

7. Queen Mathilde of the Belgians wore a pair of her signature gold statement earrings on Tuesday for a visit to a school for children with special needs in Brussels.

JOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images

6. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg wore a massive pair of ornate earrings on Thursday for a football match between F91 Dudelange and AC Milan at the Josy Barthel Stadium.

BART MAAT/AFP/Getty Images

5. On Tuesday, Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands wore a suite of blue beaded jewelry during the Prinsjesdag celebrations in The Hague. (Much more over here!)

LINTAO ZHANG/AFP/Getty Images

4. Queen Monique of Cambodia, the mother of King Norodom Sihamoni, wore elegant pearls to accompany her son to Beijing on Wednesday.

Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

3. Dazzling Bulgari earrings set with aquamarines and diamonds were Queen Letizia’s choice for a night at the opera in Madrid on Wednesday.

ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP/Getty Images

2. Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands sparkled in diamonds and aquamarines from the Dutch royal vaults for Prinsjesdag in The Hague on Tuesday. (More over here!)

ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP/Getty Images

1. For her annual Prinsjesdag appearance, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands glittered in diamonds, including modern fringe earrings, a diamond ribbon brooch, and several bracelets. (Much more over here!)

Jewels of The Splendour of Power (Part 1)

09.19.2018 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

The Khedive of Egypt Tiara and Queen Sofia’s Star and Pearl Tiara (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

I’ve got a special treat for you today, magpies: a peek into a major jewelry exhibition currently on display in Denmark! Lovely reader Alberta paid a visit to The Splendour of Power at Koldinghus recently, and she has generously shared some of her photographs from the exhibit with me so that I can share them with all of you! There are so many great pieces on display that I’m dividing them up into a few posts, and today’s is all about tiaras.

The Pearl Poire Tiara (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

The exhibition’s mission is to display “a selection of magnificent and unique Danish and European pieces to illustrate the ability of jewellery to capture our fascination and act as statements of shifting power structures over the past 750 years.” Accordingly, the Danish royals have made numerous important pieces of jewelry available for display. Among the grandest is the Pearl Poire Tiara from Queen Margrethe II’s collection. (Learn more about the history of the tiara here!)

The Naasut Tiara (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

Queen Margrethe has also loaned one of her newest jewels, the Naasut Tiara, to be shown. Its coordinating earrings are also included. (Learn more about both tiara and earrings here!)

The Midnight Tiara (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

And Crown Princess Mary has also placed the Midnight Tiara on loan to the exhibition. The modern tiara is one of the pieces that she wears exclusively in an arrangement with the jeweller. Alberta noted that the exhibition has revealed even more about the deal between Lynggaard and Mary: “Charlotte Lynggaard intends to loan the Midnight Tiara to the Princesses Isabella and Josephine when they [are] old enough to attend state functions. As far as she’s concerned, it’ll be linked with Crown Princess Mary and her family for as long as possible.” (Our article on the parure can be found here!)

Princess Benedikte’s Floral Birthday Tiara (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

Princess Benedikte has been generous in offering numerous pieces to the exhibition, including the diamond floral tiara that she received as an eighteenth-birthday present. (More on the tiara’s history here!)

Queen Sofia’s Star and Pearl Tiara (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

She has also offered one of the tiaras she inherited from Queen Ingrid, Queen Sofia’s Star and Pearl Tiara. (Learn about the tiara’s Swedish heritage over here!)

The Khedive of Egypt Tiara (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

And Queen Anne-Marie has also loaned a tiara to the exhibition, and a very important one: the Khedive of Egypt Tiara, which is the family’s wedding diadem. (Much more on its history here!)

Queen Elisabeth’s Cartier Bandeau (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

Royals aren’t the only ones who have loaned tiaras to the exhibition. Cartier has allowed them to display the intricate diamond tiara that belonged to Queen Elisabeth of Belgium. (More on its backstory over here!)

Queen Hortense’s Moonstone Parure (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

The Napoleon Museum in Thurgau loaned a parure of moonstone jewels, including a tiara/comb, that once belonged to Hortense de Beauharnais.

“Is Knowledge Power?” (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

Newly-made tiaras are also included in the exhibition. This diadem — titled “Is Knowledge Power?” — was made by Louise de la Laing. The piece is made of “opals, sapphires, topazes, prasiolites, citrines, poplar wood, silver with 24-carat gold-plating.” You can learn more about the intent behind the piece over here.

The “Cardboard Crown” (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

But my personal favorite might be this inventive diadem. The David Bielander piece looks like a crown constructed out of corrugated cardboard, but it’s actually made of gold!

You can learn more about the exhibition at the Koldinghus website here. It’s open until October 21, so all of you lucky ducks who are close enough to travel there still have a bit of time to see it!

Stay tuned next week for another installment of bejeweled photos, brought to us courtesy the wonderful Alberta! Make sure to give her extra kudos in the comments for sharing!