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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Royal Rubies from Van Cleef & Arpels

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Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

July babies were blessed with a particularly vibrant birthstone: the bright red ruby. Today, we’re looking at a selection of royal ruby pieces created by one of the world’s most famous jewelry firms, Van Cleef and Arpels.

ALBERTO MARTIN/AFP/Getty Images
The Niarchos Rubies

Queen Sofia of Spain received this suite of VCA diamond and ruby jewels as a wedding gift in 1962. As the name suggests, the jewels were a present from Stavros Niarchos, the famous Greek shipping magnate. A similar ruby set is also owned by Marina Karella, wife of Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark. (Learn more about the set over here!)

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Princess Grace’s Versailles Rubies

For a 1973 gala at the Palace of Versailles, which was a benefit to raise funds for restoration of the magnificent building, Princess Grace of Monaco borrowed a VCA ruby and diamond suite. The set bears some resemblance to Queen Sofia’s rubies. (See another angle on the pieces over here!)

Chris Jackson/Getty Images
The Duchess of Cornwall’s Ballerina Brooch

The Duchess of Cornwall has an extensive collection of VCA jewelry, including this lovely ballerina brooch. The golden brooch, which dates to the 1940s, is set with diamonds, sapphires, and rubies. It’s an heirloom from Camilla’s own family.

Sotheby’s
Grand Duchess Josephine Charlotte’s Ruby Bracelet

Made by VCA in 1952, this bracelet features diamonds and rubies set in platinum. It was an engagement gift to Grand Duchess Josephine Charlotte of Luxembourg from her father, King Leopold III of Belgium. Thanks to some expert jewelry detective work by the bloggers at Luxarazzi, we know that the bracelet was sold at Sotheby’s in Geneva in 2009, fetching around $78,000.

Christie’s
Princess Gabriele’s Mystery-Set Rubies

Gabriele, Princess zu Leiningen (the former wife of the Aga Khan IV) once owned this suite of diamond and ruby jewels from VCA, which are made using the firm’s famous mystery setting. Along with numerous other pieces of her jewelry, the brooch, earrings, and ring were sold at Christie’s in 2016. The three pieces combined fetched more than $1.1 million. (Read more about the sale over here!)

Keystone/Getty Images
The Duchess of Windsor’s Rubies

One of the most famous royal ruby suites of all time belonged to a woman who was almost royal: the Duchess of Windsor. The cascading ruby tassel necklace, worn by Wallis above in Paris in 1966, was a birthday gift from her husband; it’s inscribed “My Wallis from her David, 19.VI.1936.” Wallis also had other VCA ruby pieces, including a bracelet and a pair of brooches. All were auctioned after her death.

This Week in Royal Jewels: June 23-29

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June 23-29, 2017
We’ve got some wonderful and unexpected pieces in this week’s royal jewel review! Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!

(Note: some beautiful, elegant jewels were worn at the late Countess Mountbatten’s funeral this week; you can view them over here, but they were not included in these rankings.)
Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images
10. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wore hot pink earrings — and a … fuzzy swim cap? — on Thursday for a visit to the Architecture Museum Nagele in Urk.

VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images
9. For an appearance at Jumping International de Monaco on Saturday, Princess Caroline wore a brightly beaded necklace and earring set, plus a gold cross necklace.
BRUNO FAHY/AFP/Getty Images
8. To kick off a summer of 80th birthday celebrations, Queen Paola of Belgium wore pearls and diamond stud earrings as she sliced into a giant birthday cake on Thursday in Waterloo. (Paola’s actual birthday falls in September.)
Robert Marquardt/Getty Images
7. For Thursday’s Princess de Girona Awards, Queen Letizia of Spain wore girandole earrings from her jewelry box. (See more of the earrings she’s been wearing this week over here!)
Jonathan Brady – WPA Pool/Getty Images
6. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom wore her diamond and aquamarine clip brooches for the 2017 Queen’s Young Leaders Awards Ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Thursday.
Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images
5. Queen Elizabeth II rounded out this year’s Royal Ascot with a brooch of diamond flax flowers on Saturday. (Much more over here!)
Chris Jackson-Pool/Getty Images
4. The Duchess of Cornwall kicked off a three-day tour of Canada on Thursday; she wore pearls and her Faberge Lily of the Valley Brooch for the welcome ceremony in Nunavut. (More on the brooch’s provenance over here!)
Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images
3. My third vote goes to all of the jewels worn by Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg during the country’s National Day celebrations last weekend. (See more, including tiaras, over here!)
Photograph © Stefan from Royal Travel and Events. Do not reproduce.
2. Stefan, friend of the blog and writer at Royal Travel and Events, brings us even more jewels today from this weekend’s noble wedding in Germany. The gala featured numerous tiaras, including Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria wearing the Bavarian Pearl and Diamond Floral Tiara and a necklace with her initial. (Read more about the tiara’s history from our friends at Luxarazzi, and then head over to Stefan’s blog to see more tiaras!)
Photograph © Stefan from Royal Travel and Events. Do not reproduce.
1. My top vote of the week goes to the unusual, fascinating diamond and emerald bridal tiara worn by Sophie, Princess zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg. (Much more on the tiara over here!)

National Day Jewels in Luxembourg

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Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images

The grand ducal family of Luxembourg has been out and about at the end of this week to celebrate the country’s national day. Here’s a look at some of the jewels we saw, for both the daytime and evening engagements.

Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images

Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa were in Luxembourg City for Thursday’s celebrations. Maria Teresa chose pearl drop earrings and a very sparkly right-hand ring for the occasion.

Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images

Here’s another look at those pearl drops.

Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images

Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie focused their attentions on Thursday in Esch-sur-Alzette.

Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images

Stephanie wore golden jewels with her bright red dress, including statement earrings and a necklace with a five-petaled flower charm slide.

Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images

And here’s a look at her hands, including her rings and her watch.

Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images

The entire ensemble coordinated nicely with the Luxembourgish flags that decorated the streets.

Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images

Clearly the crowd likes their future grand duchess; here’s a trio of little girls who wore Stephanie masks, complete with the Grand Duchess Adelaide Tiara!

On Friday, both Maria Teresa and Stephanie wore red for the annual Te Deum mass. Maria Teresa again accessorized with pearl drop earrings, while Stephanie wore earrings that coordinated with the bejeweled neckline of her dress.

Stephanie wore orange for additional events during the morning.

And the tiaras came out on Friday evening! Maria Teresa wore the Belgian Scroll Tiara, while Stephanie wore the family’s amethyst bandeau. For more on the National Day festivities — including more details on the source of Stephanie’s gala dress! — be sure to visit our good friends over at Luxarazzi!