Japan – Page 42

Princess Mako’s Engagement Announcement Jewels

09.04.2017 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

SHIZUO KAMBAYASHI/AFP/Getty Images

As anticipated, Princess Mako of Akishino, the eldest granddaughter of the Emperor and Empress of Japan, officially announced her engagement this weekend. Here’s a look at the jewelry that she wore for the official press conference.

SHIZUO KAMBAYASHI/AFP/Getty Images

Mako sat beside her fiance, Kei Komuro, to answer questions from the press. Komuro works for a law firm in Tokyo, while Mako is a museum researcher. The couple met and began dating while in university. During the press conference, Mako revealed that she was “first attracted to his bright smiles that seemed like the sun,” and Komuro added that he feels Mako “has been quietly watching over me like the moon” during their relationship. They have been unofficially engaged for almost four years.

SHIZUO KAMBAYASHI/AFP/Getty Images

For the press conference, Mako didn’t stray from the usual daytime jewelry uniform worn by ladies of the imperial household. She wore a single stranded pearl necklace with a small floral brooch made of mixed metals. Her earrings featured a silver-toned floral stud and a small round pearl drop.

SHIZUO KAMBAYASHI/AFP/Getty Images

Mako’s engagement has highlighted continuing issues with the dwindling succession of Japan’s monarchy. Only paternal-line men can inherit the throne, and there are currently only four living heirs: Crown Prince Naruhito (Mako’s uncle); his younger brother, Prince Fumihito (Mako’s father); Prince Hisahito of Akishino (Mako’s younger brother); and Prince Masahito (Mako’s great-uncle). Japanese princesses who marry commoners (the only available choice they have currently in Japan) lose their imperial status and their public role. Mako will also leave behind her tiara, as we discussed this weekend. But she is clearly looking forward to the future today, noting that she “would like to have a family that is always calm and peaceful.” The wedding is expected to take place some time after next spring.

Princess Mako’s Tiara

09.02.2017 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images

The eldest granddaughter of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan, Princess Mako of Akishino, has been in the spotlight lately thanks to her recent engagement announcement, and I’ve been getting a few specific questions about her tiara. Today, we’ve got an in-depth look at the diamond sparkler.

TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images

Japanese princesses first begin attending formal court functions at the age of 20. On her 20th birthday, Princess Mako was presented with a suite of jewels suitable for these events, including a tiara and a coordinating necklace. The tiara, which was made by the Japanese jewelry firm Wako, features festoon and floral designs. The tiara’s motifs echo some of the iris-inspired design elements of her mother’s diamond wedding tiara. The profile of Mako’s all-diamond tiara is a bit different, though; it has sometimes been compared to that of Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara.

Since receiving the tiara in October 2011, Princess Mako has worn it regularly at the annual New Year’s reception and at events like state banquets. Above, she wears the tiara at the New Year’s reception at the imperial palace in January 2016. (She’s standing between her mother, the Princess Akishino, and her younger sister, Princess Kako. Note the uniformity of the jewel sets presented to each Japanese princess.)

TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images

But soon, the tiara will return to the Japanese imperial vaults. When Mako marries her longtime boyfriend, Kei Komuro, she will lose her imperial role, including her title and her jewelry. Tomorrow, the Emperor is expected officially approve Mako’s upcoming marriage, and she and Komuro will speak together to the media for the first time. The wedding is expected to take place in 2018. Update: Princess Mako and Komuro’s engagement has been indefinitely postponed.

This Fortnight in Royal Jewels: August 18-31

09.01.2017 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

August 18-31, 2017

We begin September with a look back at the royal jewels we’ve seen over the past two weeks. Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!

ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images

15. Japan’s Princess Mako wore delicate silver-toned earrings during a family trip to Hungary on August 20.

Chris Jackson/Getty Images

14. The Duchess of Cambridge wore green onyx earrings by Monica Vinader for a commemorative visit to the White Garden at Kensington Palace on Wednesday. (More over here!)

Embed from Getty Images

13. On Monday, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden paired orange drop earrings with one of her mother’s vintage dresses for a seminar on antibiotic resistance during the World Water Week conference in Stockholm.

Embed from Getty Images

12. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands chose bright pink earrings to mark the 60th anniversary of Kansfonds on August 22 in Delft.

Michael Campanella/Getty Images

11. On Tuesday, Crown Princess Victoria wore dark, glittering hoop earrings for the Stockholm Junior Water Prize.

Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images

10. Queen Maxima wore her milky cabochon pendant earrings with her diamond wedding bracelet and her diamond initial bracelet on August 24 for the 650th anniversary of the Bartholomeus Gasthuis.

Embed from Getty Images

9. Prince Nikolai of Denmark turned eighteen this week, and his mother, Countess Alexandra of Frederiksborg (pictured here with her younger son, Prince Felix) wore sparkling stud earrings and a cross necklace for his birthday party on Monday aboard the Dannebrog, the royal yacht.

Embed from Getty Images

8. Queen Margarethe II of Denmark selected modern red jewels for her eldest grandson’s birthday party on Monday.

Embed from Getty Images

7. Nikolai’s stepmother, Princess Marie of Denmark, wore a glittering pair of modern pendant earrings for his birthday bash.

Embed from Getty Images

6. And Nikolai’s aunt, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, wore earrings with pale gemstone drops.

Embed from Getty Images

5. On Wednesday, Queen Margrethe wore modern cluster earrings and her anchor brooch for her arrival at Roenne Harbour on the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea.

Embed from Getty Images

4. Crown Princess Mary chose pearls (earrings, bracelet, ring) for Tuesday’s opening of the National Care Center in Copenhagen.

HENRIK MONTGOMERY/AFP/Getty Images

3. On August 24, Queen Silvia of Sweden chose pearls to celebrate Finland’s centennial jubilee at the Royal Palace in Stockholm.

Ludovic Marin/Getty Images

2. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg wore a torsade necklace of green gemstone beads during a summit with leaders from Belgium and France on Tuesday. (See more views of the necklace over here!)

Embed from Getty Images

1. My top vote for this super-sized royal jewel roundup goes to Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, who wore pale blue cabochon earrings with a coordinating cluster brooch for the dance event Free to Move at the Zuiderstrandtheater on Thursday in The Hague.