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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Dutch State Visit to Britain: Welcome Ceremonies

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CHRISTOPHER FURLONG/AFP/Getty Images

The visitors have officially arrived! Today marks the start of the first Dutch state visit to the United Kingdom since 1982, and King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima were welcomed to Britain with all the usual pomp and circumstance.

TOLGA AKMEN/AFP/Getty Images

The day began at the Dutch Ambassador’s Residence in London, where the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall greeted the royal couple and escorted them to the official welcome ceremony.

TOLGA AKMEN/AFP/Getty Images

The occasion gave us a view of Camilla’s very formal curtsey to Queen Maxima. Although Charles and Camilla are senior to the Dutch royals in terms of age, they still rank below them, hence the deferential greeting.

TOLGA AKMEN/AFP/Getty Images

The two couples took a moment to pose in front of portraits of King William III and Queen Mary II, Britain’s monarchs from the House of Orange. William and Mary were the first owners of the fabulous Stuart Diamond, which I’m hoping comes out to play later this evening!

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

After the official welcome by Charles and Camilla, the four royals traveled to Horse Guards Parade, where Queen Elizabeth II was waiting with representatives of the military and the government.

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Both King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima greeted Queen Elizabeth II warmly, something which required a little maneuvering on the part of the tall Dutch royals.

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

The royals watched a ceremonial welcome presentation before King Willem-Alexander and Prince Charles reviewed the troops.

Peter Nicholls – WPA Pool/Getty Images

And then a carriage procession ferried the royals to Buckingham Palace, where Wax ‘n Max will be staying during their two-day visit.

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

All three of the royal ladies brought along substantial jewels for the start of the state visit. Queen Elizabeth II highlighted the vivid purple color of her outfit by wearing one of her amethyst floral brooches with her usual daytime pearls.

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Here’s another look at the brooch, which is one of a pair of nearly identical floral brooches.

Tolga Akmen – WPA Pool/Getty Images

Queen Maxima wore pieces from her collection of jewels set with pink gems, coordinating with her head-to-toe blush pink ensemble.

Tolga Akmen – WPA Pool/Getty Images

Her jewelry for the morning events includes modern earrings and a classic brooch with a pendant drop.

Tolga Akmen – WPA Pool/Getty Images

We also got a glimpse of the ring that matches the brooch, plus her double floral bangle.

Queen Maxima wears the jewels in 2013 (Bart Maat – Pool/Getty Images)

We recently saw Maxima wear the earrings, brooch, and ring during the Willemsorde ceremony. (We’ve got jewelry close-ups in our post from that event!) But the brooch, bracelet, and ring have even more significance. Maxima wore the three pieces with a different pair of earrings in 2013 during her mother-in-law’s abdication ceremony — the moment that made her Queen of the Netherlands.

Tolga Akmen – WPA Pool/Getty Images

Camilla reached for familiar pieces for the morning’s events, wearing her pearl choker necklace with the round diamond clasp and her usual pearl drop earrings. She sensibly decided not to wear a brooch, which would have distracted from the beautiful embroidery on her coat.

PETER NICHOLLS/AFP/Getty Images

After the official welcome was finished, the royals had lunch at Buckingham Palace and then viewed a selection of historical items from the Royal Collection. Now, we wait for the glitter of tonight’s state banquet!

This Week in Royal Jewels: October 11-18

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October 11-18, 2018
It’s been an amazingly busy week for royal jewelry — we’ve got a super-sized roundup here, and there will be a separate review later this morning just for the jewels from the royal wedding! In the meantime, enjoy these non-wedding jewels, and remember to vote for your favorites in the poll!
Olivier Matthys/Getty Images
20. On Friday, Queen Mathilde of the Belgians wore her signature gold earrings to attend the 25th anniversary celebration of the Belgian Council for Durable Development in Brussels.

KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP/Getty Images
19. For the opening of parliament in Amman on Sunday, Queen Rania of Jordan chose a pair of earrings with pendant drops.
Scott Barbour/Getty Images
18. The Duchess of Sussex paired a gold and diamond bangle from Shaun Leane with a beaded bracelet on South Melbourne Beach on Thursday.
Ernesto S. Ruscio/Getty Images
17. Trendy geometric climber earrings were Queen Letizia of Spain’s choice for the inauguration of the exhibition of the World Food Day at FAO Headquarters in Rome on Tuesday.
KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP/Getty Images
16. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden wore earrings with coral-colored drops on Tuesday during a visit to the Baqa’a Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan.
NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP/Getty Images
15. For the beginning of the royal visit to China on Tuesday, Queen Sonja of Norway wore the orange topaz earrings from her Modern Gold Parure. (More about that suite here!)
Antonio Quilez – Pool/Getty Images
14. For a National Day reception at the Royal Palace in Madrid on Friday, Queen Letizia of Spain chose her diamond feather earrings.
Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images
13. Diamond hoop earrings were Queen Maxima of the Netherlands’s accessory of choice for a visit to Schouwen-Duiveland en Tholen in Zeeland on Tuesday.
FRANK VAN BEEK/AFP/Getty Images
12. Queen Maxima wore glittering earrings and her diamond wedding bracelet on Monday for an audience with the Chinese prime minister in The Hague.
SILAS STEIN/AFP/Getty Images
11. In Trier on October 11, Queen Maxima paired her hoop earrings and her wedding bracelet with her tennis-style sapphire and diamond bracelet and her diamond and ruby ring.
UWE ANSPACH/AFP/Getty Images
10. Statement earrings by Amrapali accompanied Queen Maxima to the Voelklinger Huette World Cultural Heritage Site on Friday. (More on the earrings here!)
Phil Noble – Pool/Getty Images
9. The Duchess of Sussex wore jewels that belonged to her late mother-in-law, Diana, Princess of Wales, for the first day of her visit to Australia. (Much more here!)
FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images
8. Queen Sofia of Spain wore pearls and gold jewels on Sunday at the Vatican for a canonization ceremony for Pope Paul VI and the martyred Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero.
Frank Augstein – WPA Pool/Getty Images
7. To announce the winner of the 2018 Man Booker Prize on Tuesday, the Duchess of Cornwall wore her classic diamond and turquoise earrings.
ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images
6. In New York on Tuesday, Princess Charlene of Monaco wore diamond earrings and a lariat-style necklace to attend the 2018 Princess Grace Awards Gala.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Princess Grace Foundation-USA
5. Pauline Ducruet, daughter of Princess Stephanie of Monaco, also wore diamonds — statement earrings and a large cuff bracelet — to attend the Princess Grace Awards Gala.
ANDERS WIKLUND/AFP/Getty Images
4. Queen Silvia of Sweden wore diamonds, pearls, and gold bangles to the Royal Opera in Stockholm on October 11.
HEATHCLIFF O’MALLEY/AFP/Getty Images
3. The magnificent Flame Lily Brooch helped Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom celebrate the centenary of the RAF Club in London on Wednesday. (More on the brooch here!)
Jonathan Brady- WPA Pool/Getty Images
2. For audiences at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, Queen Elizabeth II chose the Cambridge Emerald Cluster Brooch with its emerald pendant. (More on the brooch here!)
Casa de S.M. el Rey
1. Queen Letizia sparkled in the earrings and bracelets from the joyas de pasar in Oviedo on Thursday for the annual Princess of Asturias Awards. (More on the joyas over here!)

The Dutch Fire Opal Suite

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Michel Porro/Getty Images

Some royals throughout history have been wary of the opal, the birthstone of October babies. But the Dutch royal family apparently doesn’t subscribe to this superstition, as their royal vaults include a set of opal jewels in a very appropriate shade of orange. Today, we’ve got a closer look at the Dutch Fire Opal Suite.

Nationaal Archief/Wikimedia Commons

The suite of jewels, which includes a brooch, earrings, bracelet, and ring, arrived in Princess Beatrix’s jewelry box in the 1960s, when she was still heir to her mother, the late Queen Juliana. Here, the brooch and ring are visible as Beatrix visits a hospital in June 1968.

Hannelore Foerster/Getty Images

But early black-and-white photos don’t do the opals justice. You can see them blazing in all their orange glory in this photo of Queen Maxima wearing all four pieces (earrings, brooch, bracelet, and ring) during a visit to Germany in June 2013.

Hannelore Foerster/Getty Images

Here’s a closer look at one of the earrings. The diamonds here are typical of the set’s mid-century creation date.

Michel Porro/Getty Images

The dangle portion of the earring can be removed, and the stud can be worn with other attached drops, as Beatrix did here in The Hague in October 2004. Beatrix has also been known to affix pearl drops to the stud portion of the earrings.

Mark Renders/Getty Images

For Prinsjesdag in 2003, Princess Laurentien wears the stud portion of the earrings with a large diamond drop — so large, in fact, that the sparkle was a little too much for the camera to handle, causing that red flare.

Hannelore Foerster/Getty Images

Here’s a closer look at the brooch, which features diamonds set in a design that coordinates with the earrings, plus five lovely fire opals.

Ragnar Singsaas/Getty Images

The silver-toned bracelet includes a trio of fire opal clusters.

Hannelore Foerster/Getty Images

And here’s a view of the ring. A large fire opals is surrounded by diamonds, coordinating with the rest of the pieces from the set.

Michel Porro/Getty Images

Beatrix has continued to wear the opal suite throughout her life. This photograph, taken in The Hague in April 2006, shows a little bit of the luminous power of the opals set in the brooch.

Koen van Weel/AFP/Getty Images

And here, you’ll see a glimpse of the opals against Beatrix’s patterned orange jacket as she attends the Apples of Orange awards ceremony at the Noordeinde Palace in 2015.

Sion Touhig/Getty Images

But Beatrix has also been generous in sharing the suite with the other women in her family. Here, Princess Laurentien wears the fire opals at the wedding of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima in February 2002.

Michel Porro/Getty Images

And Queen Maxima, who often wears orange, has been a fan of the fire opals since the early days of her royal marriage. In September 2005, she wore the brooch and earrings with her topaz bracelet for Prinsjesdag.

Koen van Weel/AFP/Getty Images

The brooch and earrings still managed to pop against her orange dress during the Apples of Orange awards ceremony in 2013.

FREDRIK VON ERICHSEN/AFP/Getty Images

And here, she wears the earrings (and the entire suite, visible in a photograph above), for a visit to Wiesbaden in June 2013.