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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Queen Juliana’s Aquamarine Pendant

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PETER DEJONG/AFP/Getty Images

With one of the most extensive jewelry collections in Europe, it’s no surprise that the Dutch royal family owns a large number of excellent aquamarine pieces. Today, we’ve got a closer look at one of the sparkliest: Queen Juliana’s Aquamarine Pendant.

Juliana wears the pendant for a visit to an Amsterdam museum, November 1955 (Nationaal Archief/Wikimedia Commons)

The pendant features a large, pear-shaped aquamarine in a vivid shade of bright blue, surrounded by a thin border of diamonds. The gem was one of the gifts that the future Queen Juliana of the Netherlands received when she married Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld in January 1937.

Juliana wears the pendant as she serves chocolate milk during a Christmas party at Het Loo, December 1958 (Nationaal Archief/Wikimedia Commons)

Juliana usually wore the pendant on a thin white-gold chain, which is studded with additional diamonds. It fit perfectly into her collection of sautoir-length necklaces.

Juliana wears the pendant for a concert in The Hague, November 1964 (Nationaal Archief/Wikimedia Commons)

Although it is a large, glamorous piece of jewelry, Juliana wore it for both casual daytime engagements and more formal evening occasions, often pairing it with other pieces from her aquamarine collection.

Juliana wears the pendant for a gala dinner at Huis ten Bosch, December 1969 (Nationaal Archief/Wikimedia Commons)

She also sometimes layered the piece with additional long necklaces. In 1969, during a visit from President Pompidou of France to The Hague, Juliana paired the aquamarine pendant with pearls.

Juliana wears the pendant during her Prinsjesdag speech, September 1977 (Nationaal Archief/Wikimedia Commons)

The aquamarine continued to be one of her favorite pieces of jewelry throughout her reign. In the image above, she wears it for one of her last Prinsjesdag appearances. Three years later, she wore it for the inauguration ceremony of her daughter, Beatrix.

Irene wears the pendant during the Mexican state visit, April 1963 (Nationaal Archief/Wikimedia Commons)

Even though it was a favorite personal piece, Juliana did occasionally loan the aquamarine pendant out to her second daughter, Princess Irene. Here, you’ll spot the aquamarine (worn on a shorter chain) tucked just under the neckline of Irene’s gown.

Irene wears the pendant for the premiere of a film about her mother, April 1979 (Nationaal Archief/Wikimedia Commons)

The aquamarine is also easy to spot on Irene here, worn during the premiere of Juliana in Zeventig Bewogen Jaren in Amsterdam near the end of Juliana’s reign.

Irene wears the pendant for the water pageant following the inauguration of King Willem-Alexander, April 2013 (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

And during the inauguration festivities for her nephew, King Willem-Alexander, Irene took the aquamarine out for another spin, wearing it for the water pageant that followed the official inauguration ceremony.

Beatrix wears the pendant during a state visit to Turkey, June 2012 (ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

After her mother’s death, Princess Beatrix also began occasionally wearing the pendant, which is now part of the family’s jewelry foundation. Here, during a visit to Turkey, she uses the pendant as an enhancer on a classic diamond riviere.

Maxima wears the pendant during a visit to Madrid, September 2013 (CURTO DE LA TORRE/AFP/Getty Images)

And in recent years, Queen Maxima has become the most frequent wearer of the piece, usually suspending it from one of the family’s diamond bow or ribbon brooches. She wore the pendant with this delicate bow brooch in Spain in 2013…

Maxima wears the pendant during an official visit from the President of France, January 2014 (Peter Dejong-Pool/Getty Images)

…and with this substantial diamond bow brooch in The Hague in 2014.

Laurentien wears the pendant for the dinner held the night before King Willem-Alexander’s inauguration, April 2013 (CARL COURT/AFP/Getty Images)

But my favorite appearance of the aquamarine in recent years came in April 2013, when Princess Laurentien wore it for the dinner held the night before her mother-in-law’s abdication (and her brother-in-law’s inauguration). She wore the pendant suspended from a portion of the grand diamond stomacher that belongs to the Stuart Parure. Inventive and gorgeous!

This Week in Royal Jewels: February 8-14

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February 8-14, 2019
We’ve got another jam-packed royal jewel roundup for you this week — don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
20. For a gala performance at the Natural History Museum in London on Tuesday, the Duchess of Sussex wore her teeny diamond-set clover earrings.

PATRICK VAN KATWIJK/AFP/Getty Images
19. Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands wore dark, dramatic beaded earrings on Friday to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Amsterdam Public Library.
KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP/Getty Images
18. Floral statement earrings accompanied Queen Maxima of the Netherlands during a visit to Amman on Monday.
Chris Jackson – WPA Pool/Getty Images
17. The Duchess of Cambridge wore her morganite drops from Kiki McDonough for Wednesday’s Mental Health In Education conference in London.
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16. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom wore her signature pearl earrings and necklace — but no brooch — for her train journey back to London on Monday.
John Phillips – WPA Pool/Getty Images
15. The Duchess of Cornwall, who is President of the Royal Osteoporosis Society, wore pearls and a brooch designed to represent the organization’s logo on Wednesday for the official launch of the Royal Osteoporosis Society at the Science Museum in London.
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
14. To welcome King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain to Rabat on Wednesday, Princess Lalla Khadija of Morocco wore a diamond necklace and earrings — despite the fact that she’s only eleven years old!
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
13. Princess Lalla Meryem of Morocco wore chic black pearl earrings to accompany Queen Letizia to the “Escuela de la Segunda Oportunidad” center in Rabat on Thursday.
Michael Campanella/Getty Images
12. Late last Thursday, Queen Silvia of Sweden wore sparkling gem-set earrings for a dinner celebrating the 20th anniversary of the World Childhood Foundation. (More over here!)
Michael Campanella/Getty Images
11. For the Childhood anniversary dinner in Stockholm, Princess Madeleine of Sweden wore glittering diamond and pearl drop earrings. (More over here!)
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
10. Queen Letizia of Spain wore her bezel-set diamond and pearl drop earrings on Thursday during the second day of her visit to Morocco.
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9. Camilla wore her pearl choker with the amethyst and diamond clasp on Thursday for a reception for The London Taxi Drivers’ Charity for Children at Buckingham Palace.
Chris Jackson – WPA Pool/Getty Images
8. At the Victoria and Albert Museum on Wednesday, Kate wore her large diamond and morganite earrings from Kiki McDonough for a 100 Women in Finance gala dinner. (More over here!)
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7. Maxima chose her statement earrings set with diamonds and pink gems for a meeting with Jordan’s prime minister on Tuesday.
ERIC LALMAND/AFP/Getty Images
6. Queen Mathilde of the Belgians chose diamond and emerald earrings in Brussels on Tuesday at the Belgian Royal Academy of Medicine. (More over here!)
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5. Letizia wore her elaborate diamond drop earrings on Wednesday for her official arrival in Rabat.
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4. On Sunday, Kate wore diamond and pearl earrings from the collection of the late Diana, Princess of Wales for the BAFTAs in London. (Much more over here!)
Yui Mok – WPA Pool / Getty Images
3. For audiences at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, Queen Elizabeth II wore her pink gemstone cluster brooch.
HANNAH MCKAY/AFP/Getty Images
2. Queen Elizabeth II chose Queen Mary’s Russian Brooch to mark the centenary of GCHQ, the UK’s Intelligence, Security and Cyber Agency, at Watergate House in London on Thursday. (More on the brooch here!)
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
1. My top vote of the week goes to the magnificent diamond earrings from the joyas de pasar, worn by Queen Letizia for a gala dinner in Morocco on Wednesday. (More on the joyas over here!)

This Week in Royal Jewels: January 25-31

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January 25-31, 2019
We’ve got a major range of royal jewels to enjoy this week! Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below…
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
20. The Duchess of Sussex wore sleek, modern earrings on Wednesday for a visit to the National Theatre in London. (More over here!) 

Yui Mok – WPA Pool/Getty Images
19. For a visit to the Association of Commonwealth Universities in London on Thursday, Meghan chose her stud earrings from Dean Davidson.
BENOIT DOPPAGNE/AFP/Getty Images
18. On Thursday, Queen Mathilde of the Belgians wore statement earrings for a visit to a school in Esneux to discuss bullying.
HATIM KAGHAT/AFP/Getty Images
17. On Saturday, Mathilde wore major statement earrings for a special concert at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. (More over here!)
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
16. Diamond star stud earrings from Chanel accompanied Queen Letizia of Spain to the Ibedrola Foundation Scholarships in Madrid on Thursday.
PATRICK VAN KATWIJK/AFP/Getty Images
15. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wore dramatic tassel earrings on Tuesday for a visit to the AFAS Software company in Leusden.
PATRICK VAN KATWIJK/AFP/Getty Images
14. On Thursday, Maxima wore a major necklace and matching earrings for a working visit to SchuldHulpMaatje Parkstad in Kerkrade.
HENNING BAGGER/AFP/Getty Images
13. Crown Princess Mary wore sparkling stud earrings and a decorative hair slide for the IHF Men’s World Championship 2019 handball final match between Norway and Denmark in Herning on Sunday.
DIRK WAEM/AFP/Getty Images
12. On Tuesday, Princess Astrid of Belgium wore glittering earrings and her Chanel sautoir necklace for a New Year’s reception organized by the Royal Family for the Belgian Authorities in Brussels.
Michael Campanella/Getty Images
11. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden chose gold and pearl drop earrings from Marianne Dulong and a golden brooch for a memorial for victims of the Holocaust at Stockholm’s Great Synagogue on Sunday.
VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images
10. Princess Charlene of Monaco wore diamond stud earrings for celebrations in Port-Hercule on the eve of Sainte Devote’s Day. (More over here!)
VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images
9. Charlene paired diamond studs with her Cartier Trinity ring on Sainte Devote’s Day in Monaco on Sunday. (More over here!)
Heathcliff O’Malley – WPA Pool/Getty Images
8. The Duchess of Cornwall wore her favorite pearl drop earrings and her pearl choker with the amethyst clasp to tour the new Clore Learning Centre at the Royal Academy of Arts in London on Thursday.
Jane Barlow – WPA Pool/Getty Images
7. The Duchess of Cambridge — or, more correctly, the Countess of Strathearn — wore her sapphire and diamond cluster drop earrings on Tuesday to open Dundee’s new Victoria and Albert Museum. (More over here!)
PATRICK VAN KATWIJK/AFP/Getty Images
6. On Wednesday, Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands wore floral earrings and coordinating brooches to view the “Rembrandt and the Golden Age” exhibition at the Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague.
DIRK WAEM/AFP/Getty Images
5. For the New Year’s reception at the Royal Palace in Brussels on Tuesday, Mathilde wore elegant pearl drop earrings.
Jack Taylor/Getty Images
4. Camilla paired pearls with the Queen Mother’s Rock Crystal Brooch on Thursday for a memorial service for Lord Carrington at Westminster Abbey.

3. For Thursday’s Service of Thanksgiving for Lord Carrington, Princess Alexandra, the Hon. Lady Ogilvy wore her favorite pearl choker necklace with an intriguing geometric brooch.
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2. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom wore a diamond and turquoise brooch from the collection of her grandmother, Queen Mary, for church services near Sandringham on Sunday.
MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images
1. Unusually, my top vote of the week goes to a husband-and-wife team! The newly-elected King and Queen of Malaysia were inaugurated this week at Parliament House in Kuala Lumpur, and both wore major sparkling jewels, including an ornate headdress for him and a tiara for her.