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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

This Week in Royal Jewels: April 17-23

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April 17-23, 2015
After last week’s glittering extravaganza in Denmark, things were a bit quieter on the jewel front this week, but there’s still plenty of sparkle to marvel at. Be sure to vote for your favorites in the poll!
10. Queen Letizia of Spain debuted a new bob haircut this week, using it to show off new pearl earrings — possibly from Tous? — at a luncheon for the Cervantes Awards honorees on Tuesday.

9. On Friday, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands headed to the United States, where she wore glittering diamond hoop earrings at a meeting of the world’s major financial institutions in Washington, D.C.

8.  After showing off a new brooch on Saturday, Queen Elizabeth II returned to more familiar territory on Sunday, wearing the badge of the Calgary Highlanders during a visit to Canada House in London.

7. Princess Alexandra, the Hon. Lady Ogilvy also attended the reception at Canada House on Sunday, wearing a familiar pearl choker, pearl and diamond earrings, and the badge of the Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary’s), of which she is Colonel-in-Chief.

6. Queen Mathilde of the Belgians wore pearl and diamond stud earrings to visit the European Union in Strasbourg on Tuesday.

5. Queen Letizia wore her earrings with red stones at the Cervantes Awards on Thursday; she also pinned her newly-cut hair back into an updo, courtesy a bit of hairdresser magic:

Fairly good blending, no?

4. Crown Princess Mary of Denmark wore an intriguing pair of earrings — possibly pearls? — on Tuesday for a visit to the Maternity Foundation.

3. Queen Letizia made one more bejeweled appearance this week, and it was a big one: she wore a stunning set of modern earrings and a coordinating bracelet at an awards ceremony on Tuesday.

2. A rare “bejeweled” appearance from a male royal this week! Queen Elizabeth II invested her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, with the Order of Australia.

Philip’s new insignia is made of gold and also features citrines. So shiny!

1. My top vote of the week goes to Queen Sonja of Norway, who attended the American-Scandinavian Foundation Gala in  . She wore a multi-stranded pearl choker necklace, pearl and diamond earrings, and the pearl and diamond brooch that belonged to Queen Maud.

Queen Margrethe’s 75th Birthday: Balcony and Town Hall Reception

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The celebrations for Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, who turned 75 on Thursday, continue! Let’s rundown the jewels worn to the daytime events on Thursday, shall we?

After the traditional “morning wake-up call” to the Queen (at which jewels were largely few and far between), the royals gathered at Amalienborg Palace for a balcony appearance and then traveled to the town hall in Copenhagen for a reception. Margrethe selected one of her most precious pieces of jewelry to wear on her birthday: the diamond daisy brooch that was given to her by her mother, Queen Ingrid. You can read about the brooch’s sentimental history — it honors Margrethe’s grandmother, also called Daisy — over here!

The next Queen of Denmark was crown princess levels of perfection, even if she kept the jewels to a minimum, wearing stud earrings, a simple bracelet, and her brand-new commemorative medal in honor of her mother-in-law’s 75th.

Even the littlest members of the DRF got a fancy new medal. Here’s Princess Josephine wearing hers.

And here’s the entire crown princely clan in theirs, looking extremely color-coordinated and ready for their family photos.

The Prince Joachims were also be-medaled and ready to wave.

Princess Marie wore an intriguing new bird brooch with her outfit for the daytime festivities. She also wore earrings with square green stones — perhaps peridot?

Prince Henrik was still too ill to attend, but Margrethe was flanked by her heir and her spare as she greeted the public.

Princess Benedikte paired pearls with her pink ensemble. It looks to me like her ring and earrings also include red or dark pink stones.

Queen Anne-Marie was wrapped up tightly against the wind, but we can still see that she also has red stones in her earrings and the bracelet on her right wrist. You can also sneak a peek at her gold bracelet, worn by all female descendants of Queen Ingrid, just above her wristwatch.

Queen Silvia of Sweden, who is married to Margrethe’s first cousin, King Carl XVI Gustaf, wore small pearl earrings, her usual stack of rings, and a collection of bracelets.

Here’s a good look at her rings. She also had a small ribbon pinned to her coat — I could be wrong, but I believe this is an Order of the Elephant ribbon.

The Scandinavian crown princely couples attended the Thursday festivities, replacing the Benelux royals, who headed home. Crown Princess Victoria paid a nifty tribute to her cousin with a daisy brooch. I’m not sure if this is a piece of jewelry made by Georg Jensen, or just one in a similar style, but either way, I love this little nod to Margrethe. Crown Princess Mette-Marit wore an interesting headpiece, pairing it with teeny little stud earrings in the shape of a human skull. You can take the princess out of the rock music festival, but…

Stay tuned later today for jewels from the last event of the celebrations: the dinner at Fredensborg!

The Top Ten: Royal Diamond Earrings

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Our April celebration of royal diamonds continues! Today we’re ranking the best of the diamond earrings worn today by royal ladies. Be sure to tell us about your own top ten list in the comments!

10. Princess Charlotte’s Diamond Earrings

When she wears major tiaras and necklaces, Princess Caroline of Monaco often also dons a gorgeous pair of Art Deco-style diamond earrings. Sources say that the earrings, which have stunning square diamond drops, once belonged to her grandmother, Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois.

9. The Greville Chandelier Earrings

Among the treasure trove that is the collection of jewelry the Queen Mum inherited from the Hon. Mrs. Greville, the diamond chandelier earrings are some of my favorite pieces. The earrings were made by Cartier in 1929, and they feature a variety of diamonds in different cuts set in platinum. The current Queen received them as a wedding present from her parents in 1947.

8. The Coronation Earrings

Made by Garrard in 1858, these gorgeous earrings feature twelve-carat pear-shaped pendants. The pendant stones came from the Indian armlet that once housed the Koh-i-Noor Diamond. The earrings have been worn at the past three coronations by Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, and Queen Elizabeth II.

7. The Dutch Diamond Pendant Earrings

Queen Maxima often wears these dramatic diamond pendant earrings, which originally belonged to Queen Juliana. And this pair is not only beautiful but also versatile: other drop stones can be swapped out, including Juliana’s gorgeous briolette-cut aquamarines.

6. The Vasa Earrings

When Princess Madeleine of Sweden was married in 2013, she wore one of the oldest pairs of diamond earrings in the Swedish royal collection: the Vasa earrings, which originally belonged to an eighteenth-century Swedish queen consort, Louisa Ulrika. The earrings feature intricate central diamond motifs surrounded by a delicate frame, which can also be worn separately.

5. Queen Mathilde’s Diamond Fringe Earrings

When she gussies up for a white-tie event, Queen Mathilde of the Belgians often wears this glittering pair of diamond fringe earrings. I’m not sure that we know the provenance of these, but they’re a great complement to either of the diamond tiaras she wears.

4. The Norwegian Diamond Pendant Earrings

This dramatic pair of pendant earrings, worn today by Queen Sonja of Norway, has major historical impact: the pendants were once part of a necklace that belonged to Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom (mother of Norway’s Queen Maud). It’s no surprise that Sonja often wears these with the large heirloom diamond tiara from Josephine of Leuchtenberg’s collection.

3. Queen Ena’s Diamond Earrings

The collection of joyas de pasar pieces in Spain — a group of Queen Ena’s jewels that has been designated to be worn by the Spanish queen — includes this enormous pair of round diamond earrings. Talk about sparkle!

2. The Brazilian Diamond Earrings

Queen Silvia of Sweden wears what must be the largest pair of pear-shaped diamond earrings in any royal collection. The diamonds themselves were inherited by Josephine of Leuchtenberg from her sister, Amelie, who was married to the Emperor of Brazil. It was actually Silvia who had the diamonds set as a pair of earrings in the late 1970s. (Good work, Your Maj!)

1. Diamond Earrings from the Danish Crown Jewels

If you’re a Dane, congratulations: you’re technically part owner of these fabulous earrings! These diamond earrings are a part of the Danish crown jewels, which are owned by the state but at the disposal of the monarch. The earrings were made in 1840 by C.M. Weisshaupt; they also have a coordinating necklace and brooch.