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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Floral Tiara Tournament: Queen Josefina vs Poltimore

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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.

Floral Tiara Tournament: Week Three Results!

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The votes have been tallied in our third week of floral tiara contests!

Albert Nieboer/RPE/DPA Picture Alliance/Alamy, JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images

Daisies and roses met up in this tiara contest! Though the Douglas Floral Tiara was chosen by 29.04% of voters, Princess Dagmar’s Floral Tiara won the day with 70.96% of the vote.
Wikimedia Commons, Chris Ison/PA Images/Alamy

This British aristocratic match-up was a close one! The Strathmore Rose Tiara was the winner with 54.74% of the vote, but the Heathcote Tiara was close on its heels with 45.26%.
PAUL VICENTE/AFP via Getty Images, Wikimedia Commons

Would it be the chrysanthemums or the roses? The Imperial Chrysanthemum Tiara won a commanding victory in this round, bringing in 81.73% of the votes, while the Teck Crescent Tiara trailed with 18.27%.
KELD NAVNTOFT/AFP via Getty Images, Chris Jackson/WireImage

These Scandinavian bandeaux are close jewelry cousins. While 23.2% of voters selected the Turquoise Daisy Bandeau, the Diamond Daisy Bandeau won the round with 76.8% of the vote.
More tiara votes are coming your way this week!

Queen Maud’s Aquamarine Brooch

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JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images

One of the most luminous aquamarines in the Norwegian royal vaults is set in a lovely brooch worn by Crown Princess Mette-Marit. Today, we’ve got a little bit of backstory on the piece.

JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images

The brooch features a beautiful faceted sea-green aquamarine set in an intricate diamond surround. The diamond elements of the brooch seem to date it to the late Victorian era or Edwardian era.
Jørgen Gomnæs, the Royal Court via Getty Images

Here’s another look that gives you a good idea of the brooch’s color, setting, and dimension. The piece reportedly first belonged to Queen Maud of Norway, and it was worn by both Maud and later by Queen Sonja. The design of the setting easily dates it to the early years of Queen Maud’s marriage.
Chris Jackson/WireImage

Today, the jewel is worn exclusively by Crown Princess Mette-Marit. She began wearing the piece in 2012, which makes me wonder if it was an anniversary present. (She and Crown Prince Haakon celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary in August 2011.) In January 2012, she paired the brooch with her Diamond Daisy Bandeau and Crown Princess Martha’s Silver Wedding Earrings for a banquet during the Ruby Jubilee celebrations for Queen Margrethe II of Denmark in Copenhagen.
Jørgen Gomnæs, the Royal Court via Getty Images

Four years later, she wore the same combination of jewels for a set of new official portraits, taken to mark the Silver Jubilee of her parents-in-law, King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway, in January 2016.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Crown Princess Mette-Marit generally reserves this brooch for gala occasions, diplomatic events, and sometimes for more formal daytime events. In April 2013, she wore it for a water pageant in Amsterdam following the inauguration of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.
JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images

And in May 2016, she wore the brooch in Stockholm for the christening of Prince Oscar of Sweden, the son of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel. Mette-Marit is one of the little prince’s godparents.