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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

The Japanese Tiarapedia Is Here!

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The Meiji Tiara (AFP/Getty Images)

The wedding day of an imperial princess seems like a good time to debut a section of the Tiarapedia devoted to Japanese tiaras, doesn’t it? To celebrate Princess Ayako of Takamado’s nuptials, we’re bringing you a look at the family’s sparklers.

Princess Kako’s Tiara (TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images)

The Tiarapedia began in 2008 as a project devoted to collecting and sharing information about the provenance and ownership of royal tiaras from around the world. A decade on, we’re presenting an updated and expanded version of the project.

The Takamado Diamond Bandeau (HENRIK MONTGOMERY/AFP/Getty Images)

Today’s new section focuses on the tiaras worn by the imperial women of Japan. From nineteenth-century heirlooms to twenty-first-century creations, the family’s tiara collection is truly fascinating — including the tiara that Princess Ayako wore for the last time this weekend.

The Japanese Crown Princely Wedding Tiara (AFP/Getty Images)

A new, updated section of the Tiarapedia will be added to The Court Jeweller every week this autumn. Today, be sure to stop by the section on Japan’s tiaras, and enjoy a bit of imperial glitter!

Japan’s imperial jewels are restricted by established IHA rules. If those rules could be relaxed, what types of tiaras would you like to see added to the collection?

This Week in Royal Jewels: September 21-27

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September 21-27, 2018
Lots of royals descended upon New York this week, bringing lots of jewelry with them. Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!
JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images
15. For Tuesday’s state opening of parliament in Stockholm, Princess Sofia of Sweden wore classic diamond hoop earrings. (More on the event here!)

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14. Queen Letizia of Spain chose a playful pair of gold earrings shaped like prawns for a visit to a school in Marratxi on Thursday.
EDDIE MULHOLLAND/AFP/Getty Images
13. The Duchess of Sussex wore a rose gold, diamond, and onyx pendant necklace from Pascale Monvoisin for Monday’s Coach Core Awards at Loughborough University.
Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit
12. Stacked bracelets and rings were the accessories of choice for Princess Lamia Al Saud (a granddaughter of King Saud of Saudi Arabia) as she spoke onstage during the 2018 Concordia Annual Summit on Tuesday in New York.
Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit
11. Also in attendance at the Concordia Summit in New York was Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, who wore lovely earrings with pale pink drops as she delivered remarks on Monday.
DIRK WAEM/AFP/Getty Images
10. Queen Mathilde of the Belgians wore a pair of gold earrings with pearlescent disc drops to meet with some of Belgium’s champion athletes at the Royal Palace in Brussels on Thursday.
JACQUES DEMARTHON/AFP/Getty Images
9. Queen Sonja of Norway has been on a visit to France this week, and for Sunday’s visit to the National Ceramics Museum of Sevres, she wore a suite of beaded jewels with a distinctive bronze hue.
CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP/Getty Images
8. For Monday’s visit to the Pierre Corneille high school in Rouen with Brigitte Macron, Queen Sonja wore the earrings and necklace from one of her suites of modern metallic jewels.
ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images
7. To deliver her annual report at the United Nations in New York on Wednesday, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wore her pearly shell earrings with a pearl drop pendant necklace.
JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images
6. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden chose her diamond and pearl cluster stud earrings, a necklace with a horseshoe charm, and a gorgeous diamond rosette brooch for Tuesday’s state opening of parliament. (More here!)
5. Crown Princess Masako of Japan wore pearls with a lovely, classic brooch on Tuesday to attend a reception for the World Social Science Forum at the Fukuoka International Congress Center.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
4. For her very first solo engagement, Tuesday’s visit to a new exhibition of Oceanic art, the Duchess of Sussex wore favorite diamond earrings from Birks with her usual set of rings. (More views here!)
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for Fashion 4 Development
3. Camilla of Bourbon-Two Sicilies sparkled in a major pair of geometric gem-set earrings on Tuesday for Fashion 4 Development’s 8th Annual Official First Ladies Luncheon in New York.
JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images
2. At the Riksdag on Tuesday, Queen Silvia of Sweden wore pearls — a single-stranded pearl necklace, diamond and pearl drop earrings, and a gorgeous diamond and pearl cluster and drop brooch — for the state opening of parliament. (Much more here!)
VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images
1. Princess Charlene of Monaco sparkled in diamond stud earrings and a glittering diamond cuff bracelet with a lattice pattern for Wednesday’s second annual Monte-Carlo Gala for the Global Ocean.

This Week in Royal Jewels: September 7-13

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September 7-13, 2018
Royal visits and royal pilgrimages brought us some lovely jewel sightings this week — don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
10. Queen Letizia of Spain wore her butterfly stud earrings on Saturday for a visit to Covadonga, where the royal family celebrated the centenary of the National Park of Covadonga’s Mountain. 

Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
9. To inaugurate a viewpoint named for her in Covadonga’s national park on Saturday, the Princess of Asturias wore petite square stud earrings.
Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
8. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom wore a brooch to Crathie Kirk on Sunday near Balmoral, but unfortunately the photographs available don’t provide a clear identification of the piece.
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
7. On Wednesday, Queen Letizia wore trendy climber earrings for a visit to the Baudilio Arce School in Oviedo.
Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images
6. For Monday’s G20 Workshop of the Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion in The Hague, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands accessorized with a white beaded bracelet and a large gem-set ring on her right hand. (More on the ring here!)
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
5. Queen Letizia wore her ruby and diamond earrings on Saturday to celebrate the centenary of the Catholic Coronation of the Virgin of Covadonga at Santa Cueva de Covadonga.
John Linton – WPA Pool/Getty Images
4. In Glasgow on Sunday, the Duchess of Cornwall wore delicate bracelets and her dark offset pearl necklace to visit with patients at Maggie’s Centre at Gartnavel Hospital.
PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP/Getty Images
3. Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands layered pearls and a pendant necklace on Thursday as she attended a state funeral in Accra for former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.
ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images
2. Luminous pearls accompanied Japan’ Princess Akiko of Mikasa as she visited the tomb of Ataturk during a visit to Ankara on Monday.
Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images
1. As she opened a theater in Veghel on Monday, Queen Maxima wore Queen Juliana’s aquamarines with stacks of bracelets and her blue gem ring. (Close-ups over here!)