Don’t Miss a Single Sparkling Moment! Sign up for The Court Jeweller Newsletter

The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

New Bejeweled Royal Portraits from Norway

by // Leave a Comment

Portraits taken to mark the 30th anniversary of King Harald V of Norway's accession to the throne
Jørgen Gomnæs/Det kongelige hoff

The Norwegian royal family has had a lot to celebrate lately! Queen Sonja celebrated her birthday on Sunday, and June 23 marked the 30th anniversary of King Harald and Queen Sonja’s consecration. Thirty years on the throne is a major milestone, and the Norwegian royal court has released a new set of bejeweled portraits to mark the occasion.

[Read more…]

The Nightly Necklace: Queen Sonja’s Diamond Rivieres

by // Leave a Comment

Matthew Peyton/Getty Images

Queen Sonja of Norway wears a pair of diamond rivere necklaces (with the base of the Maltese Cross Circlet and her amethyst drop earrings) for the American-Scandinavian Foundation’s annual gala dinner in New York, October 2002; Sonja nearly always wears the two necklaces paired together, though she has sometimes worn them one at a time, and sometimes with a pendant

Floral Tiara Tournament: Queen Josefina vs Poltimore

by // Leave a Comment

Our final contest of the first round kicks off right now!

MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP via Getty Images, Getty Images

Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara vs. The Poltimore Tiara
MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP via Getty Images

One of the grandest and most intricate tiaras in the Norwegian royal vaults, this early nineteenth-century sparkler first belonged to Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway, a granddaughter of Empress Josephine. The tiara took an interesting path to Norway: Queen Josefina left it to her granddaughter, Queen Lovisa of Denmark, who willed it to her son, Prince Gustav. In turn, he bequeathed the tiara to his niece, Crown Princess Martha of Norway. Today, it is worn exclusively by Queen Sonja.
FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images

This towering floral tiara was made by Garrard for Lady Poltimore in the 1870s. Princess Margaret bought it at an auction in 1959, and it became iconic when she wore it the following year at her royal wedding. After her death, her children sold the jewel at Christie’s, where it fetched $1.7 million at auction.