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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

This Week in Royal Jewels: September 12-18

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September 12-18, 2014
A golden wedding and two tours of Canada are only some of our glittering stories this week. Enjoy!
10. Marie-Chantal of Greece, who celebrated her birthday this week, hobnobbed with the sartorial elite at London Fashion Week, where she wore eye-catching green earrings and a cuff bracelet to a party.

9. Following the pomp and circumstance of Prinsjesdag, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wore standout blue pendant earrings to attend a meeting on Thursday in The Hague.

8. I can hear the groans already: on Wednesday in Orense, Queen Letizia (who also celebrated a birthday this week!) brought out her trustworthy silver star stud earrings.

7. The Earl and Countess of Wessex have been on an extended tour of Canada this week. On a visit to a spinal cord injury center in Vancouver, Sophie wore pearls and a bracelet.

6. The Wessexes aren’t the only royal couple in Canada right now. Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary have been touring various parts of the country, too. In Ottawa on Wednesday, Mary wore a gorgeous pair of pearl earrings.

5. During a visit to Toronto on Thursday, photographers snapped a great shot of Mary’s hands, including her bracelets, watch, and rings.

4. On Friday, the Duchess of Cornwall wore her familiar diamond and pearl choker to open a new building at the Countess of Chester Hospital. She’s also wearing a pair of pearl earrings, albeit a different set than her usual ones.

3. In Drammen, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway wore a silver-toned necklace against her black coat. The piece looks like it may have been a gift from one of the well-wishers who gathered to see her, as she’s only wearing it in some photographs of the event.

2. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden made a diplomatic visit to Latvia on Wednesday, sporting a pair of pearl earrings and a set of bracelets to meet with the nation’s president in Riga.

1. Fifty years ago this week, King Constantine II of Greece married Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark in Athens. On Wednesday, the couple celebrated their golden wedding anniversary with a family dinner at the Acropolis Museum. Queen Anne-Marie wore pearls for the evening event. Their children and their spouses all attended, as did Constantine’s sister, Queen Sofia of Spain (who wore her usual strands of necklaces), and Anne-Marie’s sister, Princess Benedikte (who wore pearls).

On Thursday, the couple celebrated with a black-tie event at the yacht club in Athens. Attending were Constantine, Anne-Marie, their five children and their spouses, Queen Sofia of Spain, Princess Irene, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Princess Benedikte, Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Count Jefferson of Pfiel and Klein-Ellguth, Prince Hassan and Princess Sarvath of Jordan, Simeon and Margarita of Bulgaria, Margarita and Radu of Romania, and Alexander and Katharine of Serbia. You can see photos of some of the bejeweled guests here and here.

Prinsjesdag Jewels

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Yesterday was the annual state opening of parliament in the Netherlands, an occasion called Prinsjesdag by the Dutch. (My translation tools tell me that Prinsjesdag roughly means “Budget Day,” which does make some sense in the context of a parliamentary opening. Dutch readers, please offer any corrections!)

For those of us who aren’t Dutch, Prinsjesdag is notable as one of the glittering days on the Dutch royal calendar. The dress code is a bit peculiar: men, including the king, wear morning dress, and women wear long gowns and orders, as they would for an evening white-tie event, but with hats instead of tiaras.

This year, Queen Máxima chose a bright red gown and accessories, including a pair of matching gloves for the king’s speech. (She ditched the gloves for the annual balcony appearance.) She’s also wearing the star and sash of the Order of the Netherlands Lion.

The brooch pinned to Máxima’s sash is a serious heirloom piece. The diamond strawberry leaf brooch, which features a round pearl center and a pearl drop, dates to the early nineteenth century. It originally belonged to Queen Sophie, the first wife of King Willem III. She was born a princess of Württemberg, and it’s entirely possible that the piece is the work of a German jeweler.

With the diamond and pearl brooch, Máxima wore large earrings with pearl button studs and pear-shaped pearl drops; she also wore a diamond bracelet on her wrist.

Wax ‘n Máx were joined on the balcony by two other members of the royal family: his younger brother, Prince Constantijn, and his wife, Princess Laurentien. (Following tradition, Princess Beatrix has not appeared publicly at Prinsjesdag since her abdication, though eagle-eyed royal watchers spotted her this year watching from a window.)

Laurentien can always be counted on to bring out something wacky in her attire for events like this, and this year, it was her Wild Kingdom hat ornament. I sort of love her purple gown, though — the buttons and collar give it a really interesting and flattering vintage touch. (Although — is it corduroy???) She’s wearing the star and sash of the Order of the House of Orange pinned to her dress.

In the jewelry department, Laurentien went gold. Her delicate leaf-shaped earrings are from the jewelry collection designed by her husband’s cousin, Princess Margarita of Bourbon-Parma. (Thanks to Erik Schoonhoven for tweeting this tidbit!) She’s also wearing a gold bracelet, but the star (no pun intended) of her accessories is the brooch on her sash. It’s the round diamond star-motif brooch made in 1888 by Mellerio; it was a gift from King Willem III to his second wife, Queen Emma.

That’s all from this year’s state opening! What’s the verdict on the sparkling gems on show?

This Week in Royal Jewels: September 5-11

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September 5-11, 2014

The royals are back in full swing this week, making visits, attending seminars, and hosting audiences. All of these events gave the ladies a chance to show off their jewels. Which look of the week is your favorite?

10. One queen contemplated another as Queen Margrethe II of Denmark viewed a bust of Queen Nefertiti of Europe during a visit to Berlin on Wednesday. Margrethe chose a whimsical pair of golden earrings with colored center stones and a turtle-shaped brooch for the event, but let’s be honest, who can out-jewel an ancient Egyptian queen?

9. On the first day of her German visit, Margrethe wore a pair of floral earrings and a diamond and sapphire brooch in the shape of an anchor. The brooch was especially appropriate, as Margrethe was visiting a replica of a Viking ship. It’s also a piece with a long history; she’s been wearing it for decades, though I don’t believe its provenance is known.

8. In the Netherlands, Queen Maxima wore gold jewelry for a financial seminar on Thursday, including a gorgeous pair of golden butterfly brooches pinned to her shoulder.

7. On Tuesday, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark wore an absolutely stunning pair of pendant earrings set with bright blue stones while awarding a research prize at an art museum.

6. Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway have been visiting Nordland this week. As many of the events were casual outdoor affairs, Mette-Marit wore minimal jewelry, but Wednesday’s event gave us a glimpse of shiny stud earrings and a less-shiny bracelet.

5. On Monday, Queen Letizia wore her diamond and pearl pendant earrings to welcome President Varela of Panama to Zarzuela Palace in Madrid.

4. For the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games on Wednesday, the Duchess of Cornwall wore her pearl choker with the all-diamond clasp. (She also wore the same necklace the following day at a memorial service for her brother, Mark Shand.) Appropriately for the Games, she also wore the cap badge of The Rifles pinned to her jacket.

3. Pearls were Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden’s jewel of choice on Tuesday while attending the celebrations for the Kammarkollegiet’s 475th anniversary at the Royal Palace in Stockholm.

2. The Swedes went for higher-octane glitter on Monday at a dinner for the World Childhood Foundation. Crown Princess Victoria wore a sparkling hair ornament and earrings, while Madeleine chose dramatic black and silver earrings and Silvia wore a large pendant necklace.

1. The Danish royals (sans Frederik, who is in Britain for the Invictus Games) brought out some glamorous accessories on Thursday at a dinner for the Red Cross at Fredensborg Palace. Queen Margrethe wore pearls, while Crown Princess Mary and Princess Marie both chose large cuff bracelets. Mary also wore dramatic feather earrings.