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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

This Fortnight in Royal Jewels: December 20-January 2

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December 20, 2019-January 2, 2020
The holidays have brought us a bounty of bling to enjoy in this jewelry roundup! Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!
Stephen Pond/Getty Images

35. On Christmas Day, the Countess of Wessex wore earrings with petite round drops for church near the Sandringham estate. (More here!)

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34. Lady Louise Windsor wore small pearls and a cheerful horseshoe necklace for church near Sandringham on Christmas Day. (More here!)

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33. The Duchess of Cambridge reached for green amethyst earrings from her Kiki McDonough collection for church on Christmas Day. (More here!)

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32. Princess Takamado wore a brooch and playful soccer ball earrings as she presented the trophy to the winners of the 99th Emperor’s Cup final in Tokyo on New Year’s Day.

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31. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom wore her Diamond Clematis Brooch to attend church near Sandringham on December 29. (More on the brooch here!)

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30. During the annual New Year’s public appearance at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Thursday, Princess Mikasa wore a long necklace of pearls with a brooch, and Princess Tomohito of Mikasa and Princess Akiko of Mikasa also wore brooches with pearl necklaces.

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29. On Thursday, the Akishino princesses wore pearls and brooches (pearls for Mako, a diamond bow for Kako) during the imperial family’s balcony appearance.

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28. The Takamado princesses are often a bit more adventurous with jewels than many Japanese imperial ladies, and on Thursday, Princess Takamado wore green earrings with her pearls and brooch, while Princess Tsuguko of Takamado wore a black choker necklace.

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27. Princess Hitachi was ultra-elegant in a brooch with a triple strand of pearls during Thursday’s balcony appearance in Tokyo.

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26. Crown Princess Kiko of Japan gleamed in a pearl necklace, pearl drop earrings, and a leafy silver and pearl brooch for the New Year’s balcony appearance at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Thursday.

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25. On Thursday, Empress Masako of Japan sparkled on the palace balcony in a gold and diamond ribbon brooch with a matching pair of pearl drop earrings.

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24. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark wore a dramatic necklace with a colorful round pendant as she delivered her annual New Year’s speech in Copenhagen on Tuesday.

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23. On December 20, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden wore diamond earrings and a diamond brooch for the annual meeting of the Swedish Academy in Stockholm. (More here!)

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22. For church services near Sandringham on Christmas Day, the Duchess of Cornwall wore one of her signature pearl choker necklaces with a diamond knot brooch. (More over here!)

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21. The Princess Royal accessorized with pearls and a silver and amethyst brooch for church services on Christmas Day. (More Christmas jewels here!)

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20. Empress Emerita Michiko of Japan was gorgeous in a festive pearl brooch and a pearl station necklace for the family’s New Year balcony appearance on Thursday.

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19. Queen Elizabeth II chose Prince Albert’s Brooch for her annual Christmas message this year. (Much more over here!)
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18. For the launch of The Royal British Legion’s Together at Christmas initiative at Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth II chose Empress Marie Feodorovna’s Sapphire Brooch. (More on its history here!)
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17. For church on Christmas Day, Queen Elizabeth II wore a ruby and diamond floral spray brooch that belonged to her late mother. (More here!)

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16. Queen Margrethe II wore diamonds and pearls to greet members of the diplomatic corps during the second New Year’s court in Copenhagen on Thursday.

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15. For Thursday’s second New Year’s court, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark wore luminous pearls.

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14. Queen Silvia of Sweden dazzled in diamonds and pearls for the meeting of the Swedish Academy on December 20. (More here!)

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13. Princess Kako of Akishino wore her twentieth-birthday parure, and 12. Princess Mako of Akishino wore hers, for the annual New Year’s reception at the palace in Tokyo on Wednesday. (More here!)
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11. Princess Yoko of Mikasa (right), and 10. Princess Akiko of Mikasa (center) wore diamonds and pearls for the New Year’s reception in Tokyo, while 9. Princess Tomohito of Mikasa (left) wore her wedding parure. (More over here!)
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8. Princess Tsuguko of Takamado wore her floral diamond parure, and 7. Princess Takamado wore her wedding jewels, for the New Year’s reception at the palace in Tokyo on Wednesday. (More here!)
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6. For Wednesday’s New Year reception, Crown Princess Kiko of Japan wore the family’s crown princely parure with pearl drop earrings and a clip brooch. (More here!)
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5. Empress Masako sparkled in incredible imperial diamonds, including the Meiji Tiara, for Wednesday’s New Year reception at the palace. (More over here!)
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4. For the first New Year’s Levee of 2020, Princess Marie of Denmark wore diamonds, including Princess Dagmar’s Floral Tiara. (More here!)
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3. Crown Princess Mary was gorgeous in the ruby parure for the New Year’s Levee at Amalienborg on Wednesday. (More here!)
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2. Queen Margrethe II chose the grand emerald parure for the first New Year’s court of the year in Copenhagen on Wednesday. (More here!)
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1. Princess Benedikte of Denmark made a rare appearance at the glittering New Year’s Levee on Wednesday, wearing heirloom diamonds and pearls, including Queen Sofia’s Star and Pearl Tiara. (More over here!)

New Year Tiaras in Tokyo

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STR/Japan Pool via Jiji Press/AFP via Getty Images

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako led the Japanese imperial family in receiving New Year greetings at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Wednesday, and as always, the ladies of the family wore their best diamonds.

STR/Japan Pool via Jiji Press/AFP via Getty Images

The New Year reception was the first for the new Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, who ascended to the Chrysanthemum Throne in a series of bejeweled events last year.

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Empress Masako sparkled in some of the family’s most important diamonds for the reception, including the Meiji Tiara, which is reserved for the use of the empress. She also wore diamond earrings, a grand double diamond riviere, and a diamond chrysanthemum brooch.

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The Akishinos, who are the nation’s crown princely family, stood beside the imperial couple during the reception.

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Crown Princess Kiko wore the family’s crown princely tiara and its matching mirrored necklace. She also added a pair of pearl drop earrings and a diamond clip brooch.

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Princess Mako of Akishino (right) wore the diamond parure she received on her twentieth birthday, as did her younger sister, Princess Kako (left). (More on the Akishino tiara collection here!)

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The ladies of the extended Mikasa branch of the imperial family were also present and bejeweled for the reception.

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Princess Nobuko, widow of the late Prince Tomohito of Mikasa, wore her diamond and pearl wedding parure, including her tiara. Her daughters, Princess Akiko and Princess Yoko, both wore their usual sets of jewels.

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Princess Hisako, widow of the late Prince Takamado, wore her diamond wedding parure, as well as her gorgeous diamond bird brooch. (More on her tiaras here!) Her daughter, Princess Tsuguko, wore her diamond parure, which has a lovely natural design.

The incredible splendor of these imperial diamonds isn’t really captured well by photographs, so I thought I’d leave you with a moving image of the empress that reflects just a little of the sparkle of these wonderful jewels. You can read more about all of the imperial tiaras in our Tiarapedia!

The Best Royal Jewels of 2019: #1 (The Japanese Imperial Enthronement)

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KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images
And now, for the sparkliest royal jewelry moment of the year…
#1: The Japanese Imperial Enthronement

JAPAN POOL VIA JIJI PRESS/AFP/Getty Images
We witnessed a once-in-a-generation series of celebrations in Japan this year, as Emperor Akihito celebrated thirty years on the Chrysanthemum throne, and then abdicated in favor of his son, Emperor Naruhito.
Handout/Imperial Household Agency of Japan via Getty Images
A new imperial era dawned in May, when Emperor Naruhito officially ascended to the throne. He made his first speech as emperor in Tokyo in front of Empress Masako and the rest of the imperial family.
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Empress Masako made her first appearance in the Meiji Tiara, an heirloom reserved for the use of the Japanese empress.
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And her sister-in-law, Crown Princess Kiko, wore the family’s crown princely diamond parure for the first time as well.
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A few days later, the imperial family greeted the public from the palace balcony, with brooches and pearls the empress and princesses.
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Shortly afterward, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako hosted their first state visit, and Masako brought out a fantastic gold and diamond necklace during the state banquet.
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In October, we marveled at the pageantry at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo as Emperor Naruhito was officially enthroned.
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The entire imperial family wore incredible ceremonial attire during the enthronement rite.
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And the numerous royals attending the ceremonies brought jewels with them from around the globe.
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That night, the imperial family hosted the first of a series of enthronement banquets for their guests. Empress Masako was dripping in diamonds…
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…and the foreign royal guests brought along their very best tiaras, too!
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In November, the festivities concluded with one more magnificent moment: a parade through the streets of Tokyo. Empress Masako again wore the heirloom diamonds of Japanese empresses. What an incredible imperial year it’s been!