Monaco – Page 48

Jewels in Motion: Van Cleef & Arpels in Paris

11.12.2017 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images

In 2012, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris hosted an exhibition of iconic jewels made by Van Cleef and Arpels, including several royal pieces. Today, we’ve got a front-row seat to the show — in motion!

A general view of the exhibition’s displays

A view of a turquoise and diamond “Panka” necklace, ca. 1973

Curators set a necklace on a display frame

A necklace set with carved emeralds is placed in position

Diamond ribbon ornaments are displayed in a clear viewing cylinder

A close-up view of an elaborate diamond bangle and ruby and diamond earrings

A replica of Farah Pahlavi’s ornate coronation crown is displayed

The firm’s elaborate “Phoenix” necklace (ca. 2012) in close-up view

A new royal tiara was also on display: the “Ocean” tiara made by the firm for Princess Charlene of Monaco. (More on that tiara over here!)

Appropriately, Princess Charlene previewed the exhibition, wearing the earrings made to coordinate with the tiara. In the GIF above, you see her admiring her tiara; she appears to say, “ah, it’s beautiful!”

Royal Jewel Rewind: Luxembourg Royal Wedding (Part 2)

10.19.2017 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

Our celebration of the royal wedding of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg, which was held five years ago tomorrow, continues with more royal jewels! If you missed part one, you can catch up over here!

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Queen Silvia of Sweden was elegant in diamonds and pearls for the wedding day, including a double-stranded pearl bracelet and an intriguing diamond and pearl brooch. Both the earrings and brooch are heirloom Bernadotte pieces.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden followed in her mother’s jewelry footsteps for the day, wearing pearl and diamond earrings and a brooch with a diamond and pearl cluster and a pearl drop. She wears the brooch often; in fact, she wore the same brooch without its pearl pendant for the Cambridge royal wedding in 2011.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Queen Sonja of Norway went for a bit of whimsy in an, uh, interesting hat and striped suit. She accessorized with a suite of jewelry in mixed metals, including a necklace, bracelet, and earrings.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Taking her minimalist aesthetic almost to its limit was Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, who wore teeny gold pyramid stud earrings and a delicate golden bracelet.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Her sister-in-law, Princess Martha Louise, went for a heavier jewelry look, including pearl pieces and earrings set with blue gemstones, perhaps blue topaz or aquamarine.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Here’s a better look at the earrings and her unusual pearl brooch.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark wore one of her most treasured jewels, her Diamond Daisy Brooch, for the wedding. (More on this sentimental piece over here!) She paired it with a four-stranded pearl necklace and modern pearl earrings.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark wore one of the newer earring settings from the Danish Ruby Parure: the cluster studs with pearl drops. (More on this historic parure over here!)

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Representing the Monegasque princely family, Princess Caroline was elegant in neutrals with sparkling embellishments.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

She wore a large pair of stud earrings with an imposing gold bracelet.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

A closer look reveals that the bracelet features Caroline’s monogram, a pair of interlocked Cs (similar to the logo of her favorite fashion house) topped by a crown.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

They missed the gala the night before, but King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain (who were then Prince and Princess of Asturias) made it for the wedding itself. Note that Letizia is wearing rings — an unusual sight these days — more specifically, her wedding ring and her Parentesi ring from Bulgari.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Here’s a closer view of Letizia’s simple round stud earrings.

NICOLAS LAMBERT/AFP/Getty Images

Bring a bit more bling was Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco, who coordinated her diamond and sapphire jewels with her vibrant blue caftan.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Princess Sarvath of Jordan chose gold jewelry for the wedding, including bright earrings and a torque-style cuff bracelet.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

The Countess of Wessex made her diamond and pearl earrings the star of her jewelry show. These are the earrings, on loan from Queen Elizabeth II, now worn by the Duchess of Cambridge. (More over here!) Sophie also wore them at the gala the night before.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

A large pearl necklace and a matched suite of gem-set pieces, including earrings and a brooch, adorned Queen Anne-Marie of Greece.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Her daughter-in-law, Marie-Chantal, wore diamond earrings by JAR.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, daughter of Princess Benedikte of Denmark, wore pearls with elaborate earrings featuring blue gemstone briolettes. I’m more interested, though, in her outfit — isn’t she basically wearing a slightly different version of the Natan ensemble worn by the mother of the groom? Fascinating.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Margarita of Romania wore luminous pearls, but look closer — there’s also a set of diamond clips pinned to her jacket. They almost completely disappear against the pattern!

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

A big sigh: no visible jewels for Clotilde Courau, wife of Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

A bit more French glitter came courtesy of Philomena d’Orleans, daughter-in-law of the Count of Paris (one of the pretenders to the French throne). I’m digging these vivid diamond and sapphire earrings!

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Margarita of Bulgaria, wife of the country’s last tsar, wore numerous pieces of jewelry, but I’m most interested in her pendant, which features both ribbon and cluster details and has an amber-colored central stone.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Big sigh #2: no jewelry here for Miriam of Bulgaria, Margarita’s daughter-in-law.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Wearing traditional pearls, the Duchess of Braganza (wife of the pretender to the Portuguese throne) looked every inch the elegant almost-royal lady.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

And last but not least, Katherine of Serbia wore an interesting diamond bird brooch on her lapel, plus gem-set earrings and a lovely ring.

Which jewels from Guillaume and Stephanie’s wedding were your favorites?

Royal Jewel Rewind: Pre-Wedding Gala in Luxembourg (Part 2)

10.18.2017 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

Guy Wolff/Grand-Ducal Court of Luxembourg via Getty Images

Time for the second installment of our look back at the glittering pre-wedding gala held in Luxembourg five years ago! If you missed our first post, check it out here. Otherwise, get ready for some royal glitter!

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

The grand ducal family of Luxembourg and the royal family of Belgium are closely related. The late Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte was the sister of King Albert II of Belgium, which means that the current rulers of each nation are first cousins. Add in the bride’s Belgian nationality, and it’s no wonder, then, that there was a major contingent of Belgian royalty and nobility at the wedding. Queen Paola arrived wearing some of her best personal jewels, including Queen Elisabeth’s Art Deco Bandeau (more here!), her diamond and pearl half-moon earrings (more here!), and a diamond necklace.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Queen Mathilde, who was then the Duchess of Brabant, wore one of her wedding gifts: her sparkling diamond laurel wreath tiara (more over here!). She also wore her diamond and pearl wedding earrings, a diamond necklace, and a pair of diamond bracelets.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Princess Astrid wore the Savoy-Aosta Tiara, a diamond sparkler from the family of her husband, Prince Lorenz. (More on the tiara over here!) She paired it with stunning diamond and emerald drop earrings.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Also in green: Princess Claire, who wore her small diamond and pearl tiara (more on that here!) with her pearl wedding earrings.

Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

The wedding was one of the last major public appearances of Queen Fabiola of Belgium, who was a beloved aunt to both the Belgian and Luxembourgish royals. On this occasion, she accessorized with a diamond daisy ornament in her hair, plus a pair of coordinating earrings.

Guy Wolff/Grand-Ducal Court of Luxembourg via Getty Images

Belgian friends and relatives of the bride were also in attendance. Wearing an impressive diamond tiara above is Countess Blanche de Merode, a member of one of Belgium’s most important noble families. She was one of Stephanie’s witnesses at the wedding. Blanche wore the same tiara for her wedding to Baron Philipp von und zu Bodmann in 2010. (Thanks to Svenja for helping jog my memory on Blanche’s tiara — of course, some of the best coverage of this wedding can be found at Luxarazzi!)

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

One of Stephanie’s sisters-in-law, Countess Luisa de Lannoy, wore a petite diamond tiara for the gala, plus diamond earrings and a diamond brooch.

Guy Wolff/Grand-Ducal Court of Luxembourg via Getty Images

Also very elegant and sparkly: Stephanie’s sister, Nathalie Hamilton, who wore tassel earrings with a lovely diamond necklace. The Lannoys are experienced jewel-sharers; Stephanie herself has also worn the same necklace.

Grand-Ducal Court of Luxembourg via Getty Images

Stephanie has also worn the lovely diamond earrings worn by another sister, Isabelle de la Court, at the gala. Isabelle also wore a triple-stranded pearl necklace with diamond spacers, a diamond brooch, and a diamond and pearl bracelet.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

The Benelux representation at the gala was rounded out by Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, who was then still a princess. She wore pieces from one of her favorite sets of Dutch royal jewelry, the Mellerio Ruby Parure. (More here!)

Guy Wolff/Grand-Ducal Court of Luxembourg via Getty Images

We were also treated to a rare appearance by Princess Marie Aglae, the wife of Prince Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein. She wore a major pair of diamond earrings and a pearl choker with an elaborate diamond clasp.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

We’ll round out this second installment of gala jewels with a very sparkling appearance by Princess Caroline, who represented the princely family of Monaco at the event. She wore her grandmother’s fantastic Cartier Pearl Drop Tiara (more here!), her diamond fringe necklace (more here!), and diamond earrings.

We’ve got even more royals on the way in our third installment, coming in a few hours! Stay tuned!