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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

The Dutch Pearl Pin Brooch

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Maxima wears the brooch for the traditional New Year reception at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, January 2017 (EVERT ELZINGA/AFP/Getty Images)

The Dutch collection is stocked with some incredible royal brooches, but in recent years Queen Maxima has tended to favor today’s piece: the Dutch Pearl Pin Brooch.

DIDIER LEBRUN/AFP/Getty Images

The brooch dates to the early years of the reign of Queen Wilhelmina. Set with diamonds and luminous silvery pearls, the brooch is reminiscent of an elaborate stick pin or a hat pin in its design, with a trio of pearls at the top and a ribbon flourish halfway down the “pin” portion.

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Above, you’ll spot the brooch placed prominently on Princess Beatrix’s coat as she rode in a carriage procession through London during her 1982 state visit to Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.

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Queen Maxima didn’t begin wearing the brooch until after her husband ascended to the throne, but it quickly became a favorite piece. Here, she sports it for a meeting with the president of the Italian senate in Rome in January 2014…

Michel Porro/Getty Images

…and again a few months later for another diplomatic event, the beginning of a two-day visit from King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden in April 2014. On both occasions, she paired the brooch with a versatile pair of earrings featuring pearl studs and drops.

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In June 2015, Maxima paired the brooch with diamond earrings for an important event: the official commemoration of the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo.

JERRY LAMPEN/AFP/Getty Images

Maxima often pairs the brooch with outfits in shades of gold and gray, and when she wears a goldenrod color, she usually reconfigures her double pearl earrings so that they feature a golden pearl as well as a silvery gray one. She chose this configuration (with a short diamond connector portion) for the third World Conference of Women’s Shelters in The Hague in November 2015.

Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images

She is also fond of pinning the brooch at her waist, as she did here in November 2016 while hosting King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians in Amsterdam. The brooch’s size and shape means that it still draws the viewer’s eye, even when fastened lower on a garment.

ARIFOTO UG/AFP/Getty Images

Intriguingly, the brooch has also made multiple appearances during official visit to Germany. During an appearance at the Baroque Hall of the State Chancellery in Erfurt in February 2017, she coordinated with a pearl necklace and her double pearl earrings.

Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

And in October 2018, she pinned the brooch at her waist once more during a German visit, this time to Bernkastel-Kues.

Image kindly shared with The Court Jeweller by Kirsten

A lovely reader, Kirsten, got to see Maxima and the brooch up-close during that visit as she greeted the crowds, and she kindly shared this image of the occasion with us. Thanks so much, Kirsten!

The Best Royal Jewels of 2018: #1 (The Stuart Tiara Returns)

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In a year of truly astonishing royal jewelry moments, one stands out as the most sparkling of all…
#1: The Stuart Tiara Returns

Queen Juliana wears the Stuart Tiara and the accompanying necklace and corsage ornament from the parure, 1962 (Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The Stuart Tiara, part of the grandest diamond parure in the Dutch royal vaults, is a century-old sparkler that houses one of the family’s prized possessions: the incredible Stuart Diamond. The gem was once owned by King William III and Queen Mary II. The imposing tiara dates to the turn of the twentieth century, and it was a favorite of the current king’s grandmother, Queen Juliana. (Much more on the tiara’s extensive history over here!)

Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images

But the previous Dutch monarch, Princess Beatrix, didn’t wear the tiara in public, and it hadn’t been seen since the 1970s — until this year! Queen Maxima brought out the historic diadem in stages, starting with an appearance at a state banquet in Luxembourg in May.

Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images

For this occasion, Maxima chose to wear a smaller setting of the grand tiara, demonstrating its versatility. In this form, the largest diamonds (including the Stuart) from the top of the tiara are removed. The large round diamonds were repurposed as a truly astonishing pair of earrings.

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And then, in October, Maxima stunned us all by finally wearing the complete tiara, Stuart Diamond and all, for a grand state banquet at Buckingham Palace. Wearing the full diadem in Britain was a very appropriate choice, as the diamond once resided in the British royal vaults.

Peter Nicholls – WPA Pool/Getty Images

She also wore the complete corsage ornament from the parure for the banquet. We all knew it was only a matter of time before Queen Maxima, one of the best jewel wearers in today’s royal world, would take the biggest diamonds from the vaults out for a spin. Lucky us!

This Week in Royal Jewels: December 14-20

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December 14-20, 2018
It’s our last royal jewel roundup of the year, magpies! Fittingly, there are lots of holiday jewels involved — don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!
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15. The Duchess of Cornwall wore her favorite pearl drop earrings and her engagement and wedding rings on Friday to officially open the Wiltshire Air Ambulance airbase at Outmarsh.

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14. On Sunday, Queen Rania of Jordan wore modern chain earrings in Fuheis, where she participated in a Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
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13. Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway wore a pendant necklace and sparkling bracelets for a visit to the Fathers Pursuit Organization on Monday. (More over here!)
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12. For family Christmas portraits on Friday, Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway wore a sentimental necklace with a heart pendant. (More over here!)
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11. Red jewels and gold bangles were Queen Sonja of Norway’s festive jewels for Friday’s Christmas portraits. (More over here!)
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10. For the annual Christmas concert at the Royal Palace in Brussels on Wednesday, the Duchess of Brabant wore lovely drop earrings with her sparkling dress. 
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9. For a Christmas visit to the Biloba retirement home in Schaerbeek-Schaarbeek on Tuesday, Queen Mathilde of the Belgians wore a pair of her signature gold earrings.
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8. On Wednesday, the Duchess of Cambridge chose her baroque pearl drop earrings from In2Design for the annual Christmas luncheon at Buckingham Palace. (More on the earrings here!)
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7. Diamond and gold earrings from Birks accompanied the Duchess of Sussex on a visit to Brinsworth House on Tuesday. (Much more over here!)
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6. Meghan wore her Cartier diamond wedding earrings for Wednesday’s Christmas luncheon at Buckingham Palace. (More on the earrings here!)
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5. Queen Mathilde wore Queen Fabiola’s diamond and pearl drop earrings for the Christmas concert at the Royal Palace on Wednesday.
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4. Queen Letizia of Spain wore her gorgeous diamond and ruby drop earrings for the National Fashion Awards in Madrid on Wednesday.
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3. For a Christmas gala in Den Bosch on Wednesday, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands brought along show-stopping diamond and turquoise earrings and a major diamond and turquoise cocktail ring.
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2. Princess Alexandra, the Hon. Lady Ogilvy wore festive diamond and ruby earrings for Wednesday’s Christmas luncheon at Buckingham Palace, as well as a stunning cabochon sapphire ring.
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1. For the Christmas luncheon on Wednesday, the Duchess of Gloucester absolutely dazzled in her diamond and emerald drop earrings. (More on the earrings, which originally belonged to Princess Alice, over here!)