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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Royal Jewel Rewind: King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 60th Birthday (Gala Dinner)

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The Swedish royal family poses for a portrait before the king’s birthday gala (Photo: JONAS EKSTROMER/AFP/Getty Images)

The final event of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden’s 60th birthday celebrations was the most glittering: a gala dinner at the palace.

Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Queen Silvia wore the grandest diadem in Sweden’s vast collection, the Braganza Tiara, with coordinating diamond floral jewels and the diamond necklace with a pear-shaped pendant.

Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Crown Princess Victoria made an early appearance in the Baden Fringe Tiara, which has become one of her signature pieces; you can tell that she wasn’t yet the primary wearer of the piece because the base is still wrapped in gray velvet to match Princess Lilian’s hair. Victoria also wore coordinating diamond pieces: her small earrings, a simple riviere, and a small round floral brooch.

Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Princess Madeleine wore her mother’s diamond fringe — later Madeleine’s own wedding tiara — with a seed-pearl choker, diamond and pearl earrings, and a round diamond brooch.

Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Princess Lilian wore two favorite pieces, one from her own jewelry box and one from the Bernadotte collection. The tiara, the Boucheron Laurel Wreath, is the convertible tiara/necklace that once belonged to her mother-in-law, Margaret of Connaught. The diamond necklace was converted from a stomacher that belonged to Queen Josefina. In 2013, to pay tribute to Lilian, Crown Princess Victoria wore both the tiara and the necklace at Princess Madeleine’s wedding. On this occasion, Lilian also wore diamond and pearl earrings and a diamond and pearl brooch.

Photo: MAJA SUSLIN/AFP/Getty Images

Queen Sonja of Norway wore pieces from one of her grandest sets of jewelry: the emerald parure.

Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Crown Princess Mette-Marit wore her wedding tiara with Crown Princess Martha’s silver wedding earrings, plus (I believe) the brooch from the amethyst parure.

Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Crown Princess Mary also wore her wedding tiara, pairing it with the earrings and pearl choker from her collection of aquamarine jewels.

Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Princess (now Queen) Maxima wore pieces from the Mellerio Ruby Parure, including the suite’s gorgeous diamond and ruby tiara.

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Princess (now Queen) Mathilde wore her diamond laurel wreath tiara with a diamond floral necklace, diamond and pearl earrings, and a gem-set bracelet.

Photos: AFP/AFP/Getty Images

Both Mathilde’s and Maxima’s mothers-in-law also attended the gala, as did Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg. She wore the Chaumet Choker Tiara, plus the convertible sapphire tiara/necklace. Beatrix wore Queen Emma’s Diamond Tiara, which all but disappeared into her hair, with the family’s Russian bow brooch. Paola wore another convertible tiara, the Diamond Art Deco Bandeau.

Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

The Jordanian royals were also at the gala. Princess Sarvath wore a lovely diamond tiara and brooch — and check out the rock on her left hand!

Photo: ANDERS WIKLUND/AFP/Getty Images

Princess Rym wore an intriguing tiara with a pair of earrings that look like they might be part of a coordinating set.

Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

And one more tiara: Marie-Chantal of Greece donned the same JAR earrings and diamond bracelet from the night before, but for the gala she added her daughter’s diamond fringe tiara and a small diamond brooch.

Which gala jewels from this event were your favorite?



This Week in Royal Jewels: March 25-31

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March 25-31, 2016

A bit of a casual week when it comes to royal jewels — but there’s also a definite trend happening in the earring department. Be sure to vote for your favorite in the poll below!
Photos: Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images

10. To kick things off, we’re reaching back to an event we didn’t cover last week: the visit of the grand ducal family of Luxembourg to the Vatican. All three of the grand ducal daughters-in-law were in attendance. Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie wore a delicate pair of pendant earrings; Princess Claire donned an intriguing pair of stud earrings, and Princess Tessy selected a classic pair of pearl drop earrings.

Photo: Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images

9. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa (holding her granddaughter, Princess Amalia) wore a pair of drop earrings with round pearls for the papal visit. Note that she’s wearing white, while her daughters-in-law are wearing black; as the wife of a Catholic monarch, Maria Teresa has the right to exercise the privilege du blanc.

Photo: Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images

8. King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium were also in Vatican City this week. For an outdoor mass in St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, Paola wore a pair of diamond and pearl stud earrings, plus a delicate necklace and bracelets.

Photo: Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images

7. Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco observed Good Friday at the Palais Princier; Charlene wore a delicate cross necklace and a pair of trendy back-to-front earrings.

Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth – WPA Pool/Getty Images

6. Also in back-to-front earrings: the Countess of Wessex, who wore a pair on Easter Sunday at Windsor.

Photo: Khalil Mazraawi/AFP/Getty Images

5, On the same day, Queen Rania of Jordan wore a pair of marbleized back-to-front earrings (reportedly from Dior) as she welcomed UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to the Royal Palace in Amman.

Photo: Jaime Reina/AFP/Getty Images

4. For an Easter Sunday mass in Palma de Mallorca, Queen Letizia of Spain wore her unusual gold hoop earrings with interior filagree detail.

Photo: Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

3. On Wednesday, Letizia chose her diamond sunburst earrings by Yanes for a microfinance event in Madrid.

Photo: Cati Cladera – Pool/Getty Images

2. Queen Sofia of Spain loaded up the necklaces and bracelets for Easter mass, including her whimsical Easter egg necklace.

Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth – WPA Pool/Getty Images

1. It was a wild and windy Easter morning at Windsor, but Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom still glittered in one of her favorite pieces: the Frosted Sunflower Brooch.

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The Top Ten: Royal Aquamarine Tiaras

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As March draws to a close, so does our month-long discussion of various royal jewels set with aquamarines. To wrap things up, here’s a look at my ten favorite royal aquamarine tiaras. Add your own top ten list in the comments below!

10. The Aquamarine Pineflower Tiara: Made in the 1940s by Cartier, this diamond and aquamarine tiara was originally owned by the Queen Mother. She passed the piece along to her granddaughter, Princess Anne, who had it remodeled; she now wears the new version occasionally at state events.

9. The Swedish Aquamarine Bandeau: Princess Madeleine received this petite diamond and aquamarine bandeau for her eighteenth birthday; the piece was an heirloom that had been in the family for at least one generation. Madeleine occasionally wears the bandeau à la Josephine — that is, low across the brow in a style influenced by Empress Josephine and the Empire period (and later revived in the 1920s).

8. The Luxembourg Aquamarine Bandeau: The vast Luxembourgish grand ducal jewelry vaults includes a lovely diamond and aquamarine bandeau, which features large aquamarines set between elements that look like diamond knots. Like most of the family’s bandeaux, this piece seems to have originated with Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte.

7. The Countess of Wessex’s Aquamarine Necklace Tiara: Sophie debuted this modern, convertible jewel in 2005; some have attributed the piece to Collins and Sons. Last year, she chose the diamond and aquamarine tiara for the royal wedding of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden.

6. The Spanish Wedding Gift Tiara: Queen Fabiola of Belgium’s endlessly-convertible tiara can be worn with small aquamarines set in the center of each of its diamond “leaves.” The piece was a gift from the Francos, who governed Fabiola’s native Spain at the time of her wedding to Belgium’s king.

5. The Small Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara: This diamond and aquamarine tiara, said to be made using stones gifted to Queen Elizabeth II by Brazil, was worn briefly by the Queen earlier in her reign. In recent years, she has often loaned the piece to her daughter-in-law, the Countess of Wessex.

4. The Dutch Aquamarine Tiara: Part of a married parure of aquamarine jewels amassed by Queen Juliana, the Dutch royal family’s diamond and aquamarine tiara features seven large aquamarine briolettes. The tiara, which was made by Kempen, Begeer, and Vos, has been worn by a number of Dutch royal ladies, including Queen Maxima, Princess Laurentien, Princess Beatrix, Princess Margriet, and Princess Irene.

3. The Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara: Queen Elizabeth II commissioned this tiara of diamonds and aquamarines to accompany various aquamarine pieces she’d received over time from the people and the government of Brazil. That original tiara was remodeled, turning it into the enormous diamond and aquamarine sparkler worn by the Queen today.

2. Queen Ena’s Aquamarine Tiara: This tiara of diamonds and aquamarines originally belonged to Queen Ena of Spain. Its original incarnation looked very different; it was eventually remodeled by Bulgari at the request of Ena’s daughter, Beatriz. The new tiara, which resembles the Vladimir Tiara in shape, was most recently worn in public by Ena’s great-granddaughter, Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg.

1. The Swedish Aquamarine Kokoshnik: My favorite royal aquamarine tiara is the lovely diamond and aquamarine kokoshnik that belongs to the Swedish royal family. A favorite of the late Princess Sibylla, the tiara now belongs to Princess Margaretha, who has loaned it out recently to her sister, Princess Christina, and her niece, Princess Madeleine.
Read more about royal aquamarine jewels…