Japan – Page 43

This Week in Royal Jewels: September 1-7

09.08.2017 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

September 1-7, 2017

It was a blockbuster week for royal news, and we’ve got lots of royal jewels on the docket, too! Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!

Olivier Matthys/Getty Images

10. Queen Mathilde of the Belgians wore a pair of her trademark golden statement earrings for a performance of the opera Pinnochio in Brussels on Tuesday.

Anders Wiklund/AFP/Getty Images

9. A delicate dragonfly brooch was Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden’s accessory of choice on Monday for the official announcement of the full name and title of her new nephew, Prince Gabriel. (Much more over here!)

Anders Wiklund/AFP/Getty Images

8. Prince Gabriel’s grandmother, Queen Silvia of Sweden, chose multicolored pearls for a Te Deum service in his honor on Monday. (More over here!)

AFP/Getty Images

7. In Zoetermeer, Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands wore her massive green and silver statement necklace with coordinating earrings for Monday’s Literacy Week launch.

Shizuo Kambayashi/AFP/Getty Images

6. Princess Mako of Akishino was luminous in pearls and a mixed-metals floral brooch for the official announcement of her engagement to Kei Komura on Sunday in Tokyo. (Much more, including the wedding details we know, over here!)

Chris Jackson/Getty Images

5. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and her daughter, Princess Anne, both wore large brooches for the annual Braemar Gathering on Saturday. (See a closer view of each brooch over here!)

Crown Prince Frederik & Crown Princess Mary attended a dinner for the 10th anniversary of Mary Fonden pic.twitter.com/H3WtT9Fac4

— Royal Highness (@vaninaswchindt) September 7, 2017

4. For a dinner celebrating the tenth anniversary of her charitable foundation, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark chose a modern suite of jewelry.

Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images

3. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands glittered in blue gemstones with diamonds and moonstones for a gala dinner benefiting the children’s cancer center that bears her name. (Much more, including jewelry close-ups, over here!)

Andrew Milligan – WPA Pool/Getty Images

2. Queen Mary’s Thistle Brooch, a little seen diamond treasure from the royal vaults, was Queen Elizabeth II’s choice for the official opening of the new Queensferry Crossing near Edinburgh on Monday. (See close-ups of the brooch over here!)

#ROYAL #BRIDE #PrincessMarieGabrielle of #Nassau, daughter of #PrinceJean of #Luxembourg, weds in #Marbella. #royals pic.twitter.com/iZ6rS8pvHj

— Kjell Arne Totland (@TV2KjellArne) September 3, 2017

1. My top vote of the week goes to an unexpected wedding tiara choice! Princess Marie Gabrielle of Nassau, niece of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, borrowed the Grand Duchess Adelaide Tiara for her wedding in Marbella over the weekend. (More on this tiara’s lengthy history over here!)

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.