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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Prinsjesdag Jewels 2018

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SANDER KONING/AFP/Getty Images

September always brings a new season for parliaments and governments in Europe, and today, we’ve got the annual Prinsjesdag celebrations in the Netherlands. As King Willem-Alexander addresses the representatives gathered in the Ridderzaal, we also get a bit of glitter from his queen consort.

SANDER KONING/AFP/Getty Images

The dress code for Prinsjesdag is the fascinating daytime formal category, which means Queen Maxima always appears wearing a long gown, a daytime hat, and gala jewels and orders.

ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP/Getty Images

We got a good look at Maxima’s long gown as she descended from the glass carriage that transports the king and queen on their traditional journey through The Hague from the Palace Noordeinde to the Ridderzaal.

SANDER KONING/AFP/Getty Images

With her blush and blue ensemble, Maxima wore a pair of diamond fringe earrings.

SANDER KONING/AFP/Getty Images

These dramatic earrings were notably worn previously for King Willem-Alexander’s 50th birthday celebrations in April 2017, and we’ve got a great close-up available in our post on that event.

ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP/Getty Images

She added even more diamond sparkle with one of the family’s ribbon brooches, using it to secure her order sash.

SANDER KONING/AFP/Getty Images

Maxima also wore diamond bracelets and the dramatic ring from her suite of jewels set with pale pink gemstones. (She recently wore the ring with its matching brooch — you can see the set here!)

ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP/Getty Images

Back at the palace, Wax ‘n Max were joined by Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien for the annual balcony appearance.

ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP/Getty Images

Laurentien also dipped into the family vaults for the occasion, wearing Queen Juliana’s aquamarine earrings (also worn very recently by Queen Maxima) and the family’s diamond crescent brooch.

BART MAAT/AFP/Getty Images

Princess Beatrix hasn’t taken part in all of the pomp and circumstance of Prinsjesdag since her abdication, but she was still present in The Hague for the event, and she took a moment to acknowledge the people with a wave. Unlike her sons and daughters-in-law, she got to wear a more casual ensemble for the occasion, including a set of blue beaded jewels.

ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP/Getty Images

And she wasn’t the only family member present in The Hague. Queen Maxima’s mother, Maria del Carmen Cerruti, and her brother, Juan Zorreguieta, were also at the Palace Noordeinde for the event.

ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP/Getty Images

Here’s a better view of the bright red statement earrings worn by Ms. Cerruti for the occasion — a very Maxima-esque pair! It’s been a tough year for Maxima’s family, and it’s lovely to see them welcomed in for a major event like Prinsjesdag.

Queen Juliana’s Rose Quartz Suite

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Wikimedia Commons

Our Magpie of the Month, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, had numerous suites of glittering royal jewels at her disposal, but her collection also included sets more suited for everyday wear. Today’s collection, her jewels set with rose quartz, fall into the latter category.

Wikimedia Commons

Juliana’s rose quartz set includes a pair of drop earrings, a necklace, and a brooch with a gold ribbon detail. The set appears to be an example of midcentury design, and above, Juliana wears the set in June 1970 in Utrecht.

ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images

This color photograph of the earrings gives you a good idea of the pink color of the jewels, as well as the suite’s gold setting.

Wikimedia Commons
This image, also from the same June 1970 appearance in Utrecht, shows the suite’s necklace in better detail. The intricate design of the brooch gets a bit lost here against Juliana’s printed dress.
ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images

The rose quartz suite is now worn most often by Queen Maxima, including a notable appearance during her visit to Rome in 2017.

ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images

On this occasion, Maxima again showed her innovative approach to jewelry, wrapping the necklace from the suite around her wrist as a bracelet. (The evil eye bracelet is another, separate piece stacked with the rose quartz necklace/bracelet.)

ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images

And we get a good look at the brooch from the suite in these color images, showing the golden ribbon design twisted through the rose quartz stones. As she has often done, Maxima chose to wear the brooch on the belt of her dress during the 2017 Rome visit.

This Week in Royal Jewels: September 7-13

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September 7-13, 2018
Royal visits and royal pilgrimages brought us some lovely jewel sightings this week — don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
10. Queen Letizia of Spain wore her butterfly stud earrings on Saturday for a visit to Covadonga, where the royal family celebrated the centenary of the National Park of Covadonga’s Mountain. 

Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
9. To inaugurate a viewpoint named for her in Covadonga’s national park on Saturday, the Princess of Asturias wore petite square stud earrings.
Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
8. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom wore a brooch to Crathie Kirk on Sunday near Balmoral, but unfortunately the photographs available don’t provide a clear identification of the piece.
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
7. On Wednesday, Queen Letizia wore trendy climber earrings for a visit to the Baudilio Arce School in Oviedo.
Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images
6. For Monday’s G20 Workshop of the Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion in The Hague, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands accessorized with a white beaded bracelet and a large gem-set ring on her right hand. (More on the ring here!)
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
5. Queen Letizia wore her ruby and diamond earrings on Saturday to celebrate the centenary of the Catholic Coronation of the Virgin of Covadonga at Santa Cueva de Covadonga.
John Linton – WPA Pool/Getty Images
4. In Glasgow on Sunday, the Duchess of Cornwall wore delicate bracelets and her dark offset pearl necklace to visit with patients at Maggie’s Centre at Gartnavel Hospital.
PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP/Getty Images
3. Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands layered pearls and a pendant necklace on Thursday as she attended a state funeral in Accra for former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.
ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images
2. Luminous pearls accompanied Japan’ Princess Akiko of Mikasa as she visited the tomb of Ataturk during a visit to Ankara on Monday.
Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images
1. As she opened a theater in Veghel on Monday, Queen Maxima wore Queen Juliana’s aquamarines with stacks of bracelets and her blue gem ring. (Close-ups over here!)