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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Year in Review: The Tiaras of 2014

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It’s that time of year again, everyone — break out the champagne and settle in for yet another year in review post! Let’s make our new year extra sparkly by having a look at some of the tiaras worn by royal ladies in 2014, shall we?

The Danish Emerald Parure Tiara
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, New Year’s Levée

The Danish Ruby Parure Tiara
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, New Year’s Levée

Princess Dagmar’s Floral Tiara
Princess Marie of Denmark, New Year’s Levée
The Baden Palmette Tiara
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Turkish State Visit

Diamond Wedding Tiara, Pearl Setting
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Turkish State Visit

Princess Dagmar’s Floral Tiara
Princess Marie of Denmark, Turkish State Visit

Queen Sofia’s Star and Pearl Tiara
Princess Benedikte of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, Turkish State Visit

The Antique Pearl Tiara
Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, Chinese State Visit

The Nine Provinces Tiara, Bandeau Setting
Queen Mathilde of the Belgians, Chinese State Visit

The Vladimir Tiara, Emerald Setting
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Irish State Visit

The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Order of the Bath Service

The Dutch Emerald Parure Tiara
Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, Monegasque Official Visit

The Greville Tiara
The Duchess of Cornwall, State Opening of Parliament

The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, French State Visit

Queen Ena’s Fleur-de-Lys Tiara
Queen Sofia of Spain, Mexican State Visit

The Spanish Floral Tiara
The Princess of Asturias, Mexican State Visit

Queen Elisabeth’s Art Deco Bandeau Tiara
Elisabetta Rosboch von Wolkenstein, Wedding to Prince Amedeo of Belgium

The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Singaporean State Visit

Queen Mary’s Honeysuckle Tiara, Diamond Setting
The Duchess of Gloucester, Guildhall Banquet

The Württemberg Ornate Pearl Tiara
Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, Japanese State Visit

The Spanish Floral Tiara
Queen Letizia of Spain, Chilean Official Visit

The Shand-Cubitt Tiara
The Duchess of Cornwall, Diplomatic Reception

The Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure Tiara
Queen Silvia of Sweden, Nobel Prize Banquet

The Baden Fringe Tiara
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Nobel Prize Banquet

The Modern Fringe Tiara
Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Nobel Prize Banquet

Diamond Fleur-de-Lys Mirrored Tiara
Princess Kako of Akishino, Twentieth Birthday Audience

This Week in Royal Jewels: December 12-18

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December 12-18, 2014

This week’s jewel roundup is full of happy holiday gatherings and bittersweet farewells. Be sure to cast your vote for your favorite jewels of the week in the poll at the bottom of the post!
10. Royals from all over the world gathered in Belgium on Friday to say goodbye to Queen Fabiola. The late queen’s niece, Princess Astrid, wore a striking pair of sparkling earrings to the service, which was equal parts somber and hopeful.

9. Empress Michiko traveled all the way from Japan to be at Fabiola’s funeral — it was one of the only trips she has ever made abroad without the emperor. She wore elegant, simple jewelry to the cathedral, including dark earrings and a small brooch.

8. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians led the procession of mourners at Fabiola’s funeral. Mathilde wore luminous pearls to remember her husband’s aunt; both she and Philippe were very close to Fabiola.

7. Queen Sofia of Spain attended two high-profile funerals this week. After returning from the Spanish-born Fabiola’s funeral in Belgium, she attended the second memorial service for the late Duchess of Alba. Above, she wears pearls and a gold brooch — a fitting tribute to a woman who loved jewelry — while comforting the duchess’s daughter, Eugenia.

6. The Duchess of Cambridge attended a happier occasion this week: the Queen’s annual Christmas lunch for the royal family at Buckingham Palace. The sparkling chandelier earrings Kate wore have been in her collection since before her engagement.

5. Our Magpie of the Month, Princess Alexandra, also attended Wednesday’s Christmas lunch wearing an intriguing pair of earrings.

4. The Duchess of Cornwall attended a Christmas carol concert at St. Paul’s Cathedral on Tuesday evening, wearing her diamond and sapphire butterfly brooch with her usual pearls.

3. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands also selected pearls to open the “Secret of Dresden” exhibition at the Groninger Museum on Friday.

2. The Belgian royals both mourned and celebrated this week. They attended the annual Christmas concert on Wednesday, and Queen Mathilde wore a gorgeous pair of diamond earrings.

1. While Queen Mathilde has favored large earrings this year, her sisters-in-law went with big necklaces for the annual Christmas concert. Princess Claire went with a gold breastplate, while Princess Astrid went with sparkling black beads with a large geometric pendant.

This Week in Royal Jewels: December 5-11

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December 5-11, 2014
Galas, galas, and more galas this week! Enjoy!

10. Kate’s new emerald demi-parure wasn’t the only surprise at the Metropolitan Museum of Art gala — Princess Eugenie, who lives in New York, dropped by the party wearing a pair of gold earrings with her gown.

9. Kate brought a few more surprise pairs of earrings with her to the US. This pair, crocodile earrings by Patrick Mavros, were worn at the Nets/Cavs game on Monday.

8. The other pair of Kate’s new earrings, silver statement pieces worn on Sunday evening for a private fundraising dinner, have not yet been identified.

7. Queen Silvia wore a pearl necklace that belonged to her late mother-in-law, Princess Sibylla, at the “A Heart for Children” gala in Berlin on Saturday.

6. The Duchess of Cornwall wore her pair of dragonfly brooches with diamond and pearl earrings for a visit to the Jubilee Centre on Wednesday.

5. During the Nobel Peace Prize celebrations in Oslo, Queen Sonja of Norway donned the green amber and silver necklace given to her by the Polish president in 2012.

4. Camilla also attended the annual Sun Military Awards on Wednesday, and she brought along a show-stopping jewel: a diamond pendant necklace with an enormous square sapphire, plus coordinating diamond and sapphire earrings.

3. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wore an elaborate necklace with blue gemstones from her own jewelry collection, debuted around this time last year, at a gala for the 75th birthday of Pieter van Vollenhoven, Princess Margriet’s husband.

2. At the same gala, Princess Margriet wore a lovely necklace — amethysts and topazes, perhaps?

1. We’ve talked about the glamorous jewels worn by the Swedish royal ladies at the Nobels on Wednesday already; on Thursday, they all attended the King’s Dinner, a second gala event for the Nobel winners. Queen Silvia wore the Connaught tiara, but the rest of the ladies — Victoria, Madeleine, and Christina — wore the same tiaras they’d worn the previous evening.

Victoria did add the necklace made from Josephine of Leuchtenberg’s diamond stomacher. And there’s something suspiciously sparkly in Sofia Hellqvist’s hair, too…