Don’t Miss a Single Sparkling Moment! Sign up for The Court Jeweller Newsletter

The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

The Chaumet Emerald Tiara

by // Leave a Comment

Grand Duchess Charlotte wears the Chaumet Emerald Tiara, ca. 1920

Not all royal families have a tiara in their collections that’s fit for a superhero, but I think Wonder Woman could borrow the Art Deco-style emerald tiara from Luxembourg in a heartbeat. (I assume superheros attend more white-tie events than we mere mortals do, of course. Can you tell I saw the new Wonder Woman film this week?)

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

The tiara, which was made by Chaumet, is a quintessential Art Deco piece. Its intricate diamond scroll work is interrupted by an absolutely enormous cabochon emerald at the center of the tiara, which is anchored by a large square-cut diamond. From afar, it takes on a rather solid appearance, but up close, you can see how complicated the design actually is.

Charlotte wears the tiara in a portrait, ca. 1921 (Wartenberg Trust)

The first Luxembourg royal pictured in the tiara was Grand Duchess Charlotte, the grandmother of the current grand duke; it’s possible that the piece was a gift to Charlotte from her husband, Prince Félix. Charlotte sometimes supplemented the base of the tiara with extra diamonds, making the piece slightly taller. Charlotte’s daughter-in-law, Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte, was also photographed in the tiara.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

But the current grand duchess, Maria Teresa, is the one who has gotten the most use out of the tiara. She wears the piece regularly at events both in Luxembourg and abroad and, I assume, while she’s secretly saving the world.

This Week in Royal Jewels: May 19-25

by // Leave a Comment

May 19-25, 2017
There were lots of royal jewels to choose from this week, including a couple of sparkly tiara events! Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below.
KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images
10. Princess Mako of Akishino, who has gained press attention recently because of her engagement, wore pearls to visit a natural history exhibition in Tokyo on Monday.

NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/AFP/Getty Images
9. On Saturday, Queen Mathilde of the Belgians wore some of her trademark gold statement earrings for the semi-finals of the Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition in Brussels.
Antony Jones/Getty Images
8. In Cannes, Princess Beatrice of York wore a striking golden cuff bracelet at a fashion-based charity event. (More on the bracelet, plus her mother’s choker necklace, over here!)
Arthur Edwards – WPA Pool/Getty Images
7. The Duchess of Cambridge wore morganites and diamonds from Kiki McDonough for her sister’s wedding in Berkshire on Saturday. (Much more on the earrings and Pippa’s wedding jewels over here!)
Antonio Gutierrez – Pool/Getty Images
6. Queen Letizia of Spain chose edgy floral earrings from SCHIELD to mark the 40th anniversary of the Reina Sofia Alzheimer Foundation — and her own 13th wedding anniversary — in Madrid on Monday. (Read all about Letizia’s wedding jewelry over here!)
KOEN VAN WEEL/AFP/Getty Images
5. On Friday, Sheikha Mozah of Qatar wore pearls and diamonds to The Hague Institute for Global Justice, where she attended a seminar.
KOEN VAN WEEL/AFP/Getty Images
4. Also attending Friday’s seminar in The Hague: Queen Maxima of the Netherlands who wore ribbon brooches and her tanzanite earrings for the occasion.
JULIAN SIMMONDS/AFP/Getty Images
3. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom was out and about several times this week, but my favorite brooch outing of the bunch was the annual appearance of the Chelsea Iris Brooch at the Chelsea Flower Show. (More on this outing over here; and here’s more on other jewels she wore this week!)

2. In Luxembourg, the grand ducal ladies busted out the tiaras for a state banquet in honor of the President of Portugal. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore the Belgian Scroll Tiara with diamond and pearl jewelry, while Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie wore her own Diamond Butterfly Tiara.

1. My collective first place vote goes to three royal ladies from the Netherlands, who put on tiaras for the annual diplomatic corps dinner. Queen Maxima wore the grand Wurttemberg Ornate Pearl Tiara with pearl drop earrings; Princess Beatrix wore the Pearl Button Tiara; and Princess Margriet wore the family’s emerald parure tiara.

Stephanie Sparkles at Cannes

by // Leave a Comment

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg joined the glamorous celebrities at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, and Stephanie’s glittering jewels lived up to even the most sparkling of movie star gems.

ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images

Guillaume and Stephanie, accompanied by Luxembourg’s prime minister and his husband, attended the opening gala and a screening of the film Ismael’s Ghosts. With a white Ralph Lauren gown, Stephanie wore a stunning pair of earrings.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Here’s a good close-up. The earrings form a modified diamond figure-eight, with one loop surrounding a pear-shaped, pinkish-red gemstone. I don’t think these are rubies, as most rubies are not this large, but that’s just a guess on my part. I believe these are a new pair; I can’t recall seeing Stephanie (or any of the ladies of the grand ducal family) wearing them before.

ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images

A hint of a necklace peeked out from the neckline of Stephanie’s gown…

ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images

…and a look at her bejeweled clutch also shows her three usual rings.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

And here’s a look at her full ensemble. Stephanie has really been knocking it out of the jewelry park lately, hasn’t she?