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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Maxima Continues to Sparkle in Bavaria

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Willem-Alexander and Maxima visit Nuremberg (Photo: DANIEL KARMANN/AFP/Getty Images)

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands continued their visit to Bavaria and Wednesday and Thursday, and there were jewels galore.

Maxima brought out the diamonds on Wednesday afternoon in Munich. She paired a diamond riviere with one of the bracelets made from the larger (now dismantled) East Indies diamond bracelet.

She also donned the family’s diamond pendant earrings that can be worn with various interchangeable drops.

Photo: DANIEL KARMANN/AFP/Getty Images

On Thursday in Nuremberg, she wore the same pair of earrings, but she swapped out the drops for sapphires.

Photo: DANIEL KARMANN/AFP/Getty Images

Here’s a closeup of the earring design — see the alternating shapes?

Photo: DANIEL KARMANN/AFP/Getty Images

Unfortunately, though, some photos suggest that there was a jewelry mishap at one point — the sapphire drop from her left earring appears to have gone MIA!

Photo: NICOLAS ARMER/AFP/Getty Images

Photographs from inside the city’s famous Palace of Justice, however, show both drops intact, so we’ll hope the left drop was quickly rescued. The coat-off photo also shows that Max wore the gorgeous diamond and sapphire wing brooch. The large diamond ring on her right hand was a gift from Willem-Alexander to celebrate the birth of Princess Ariane. As with yesterday, the small bow pinned to her dress is the ribbon of the Order

Maxima Goes Pink in Bavaria

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Willem-Alexander and Maxima visit a market in Munich (Photo: CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP/Getty Images)

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands began a two-day visit to Bavaria on Wednesday, and Maxima wore vibrant pink for the occasion.

Photos: CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP/Getty Images

The pink beaded earrings are made to match the dress; see the beaded dress detail above.

Photo: CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP/Getty Images

The small bow pinned to Maxima’s dress is the ribbon of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Photo: CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP/Getty Images

Maxima also wore a set of bracelets set with rubies, sapphires, and emeralds, plus the ruby and diamond ring she received from her husband after the birth of their eldest daughter, Princess Amalia.

Saturday Sparkler: The Bavarian Sunburst Tiara

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The Bavarian Sunburst Tiara (Photo: Sotheby’s)

I’ve got quite the Saturday Sparkler to share with all of you today — there are few tiaras in the world that are as interestingly composed as this one, to say the least. With a royal history that began in Spain and ended a few years ago in Germany, this sunburst tiara is a truly intriguing piece.

The diamond tiara entered the Bavarian collection in 1883, when Infanta María de la Paz of Spain married Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria, a first cousin of the nation’s last king, Ludwig III. The tiara was one of María’s wedding gifts from her mother, Queen Isabella II of Spain. The large fleur-de-lys element in the center of the tiara served as a reminder of Maria’s Bourbon heritage; it is a symbol of the royal house. The central element, including the fleur-de-lys, is unusual in that it is set en tremblant, which means that it moves slightly as the wearer moves.

The women of the family continued to wear this tiara to major royal events in the years before they decided to put it up for sale. Ursula of Bavaria, who is married to Maria’s great-grandson, Leopold, wore it to Albert and Charlene of Monaco’s wedding reception in 2011. Her daughter-in-law, Anna (who was born into the Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg family), wore the tiara to the big royal wedding in Sweden in 2010.

The tiara even graced the head of a Bavarian bride, Felipa, in 2012. But for reasons unknown (though likely financial), the family decided to put the tiara, as well as some other jewels, up for auction in May 2013 at Sotheby’s. Auction estimates noted that the tiara was expected to fetch between $100,000 and $150,000, but when the hammer fell, a lucky buyer had splashed out more than $180,000 on the piece. If it was you, congrats! But be careful — I really think this tiara could be classified as a weapon!