royal brooch – Page 19

The Dutch Emerald Butterfly Brooch

05.12.2019 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

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The Dutch royal jewelry vaults are some of the most impressive in all of Europe, with numerous parures and suites set with precious gems. Today, we’ve got a closer look at one of the family’s lovely butterfly brooches.

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This stunning brooch, set with diamonds and emeralds, dates to the end of the nineteenth century. It was a gift from King Willem III of the Netherlands to his second wife, Queen Emma. The royal couple married in 1879, and Willem died in 1890. Emma needed major jewels for her dual royal roles, first as queen consort, and then as regent for her young daughter, Queen Wilhelmina.

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The brooch is still in the royal vaults today. The piece has been worn by numerous members of the royal family, including Queen Juliana and Princess Beatrix. Today, it’s become a favorite piece of Queen Maxima. Above, she wears the brooch during a visit to Japan in October 2014.

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Appropriately, Maxima likes to pair the brooch with clothing in vibrant shades of green. Above, she wears the brooch on a green jacket for a conference on transgender health care in Amsterdam in June 2016.

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And in October 2018, she pinned the brooch (carefully!) to a modern lace gown in a darker shade of jade. On both occasions, she wore the brooch with her diamond and emerald earrings, which can be worn in various lengths.

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The brooch’s size also makes it a lovely hair ornament. In May 2015, the brooch was fastened in Maxima’s hair for the annual Liberation Day Concert in Amsterdam.

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And she’s not the first member of the family to have experimented with wearing the brooch in her hair. In April 1963, Princess Irene used the brooch as an alternate to a traditional tiara for a return dinner during a state visit from the President of Mexico.

Crown Princess Masako’s Diamond Scroll Brooch

04.30.2019 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

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As the imperial transition begins in Japan today, I thought it was an especially appropriate time to highlight one of my favorite pieces from Crown Princess Masako’s jewelry box. Today, we’re looking at the diamond scroll brooch worn by the woman who soon becomes the Empress of Japan.

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The brooch is a modern piece featuring a mirrored set of scrolling elements, joined together so that they almost mimic a traditional bow or ribbon brooch.

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Here’s another view of the piece that gives you an idea of its scale and sparkle.

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The brooch is part of a larger suite of jewelry, the Japanese Crown Princely Wedding Parure. The set was worn as wedding jewelry by both Empress Michiko (in 1959) and Crown Princess Masako (in 1993). Above, you’ll spot Masako wearing the tiara and necklace from the suite on her wedding day. (Learn more about the set in our previous post here!)

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Masako has been wearing the brooch and its coordinating jewels for more than 25 years. An early appearance for the brooch came in January 1994, when she wore it with a green dress for the annual New Year’s appearance by the family on the balcony of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

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Masako paired the brooch with a vibrant orange dress in January 1998 as she joined the family for the annual New Year’s appearance on the balcony.

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And in December 1998, she pinned the brooch to a dress in a shade of coral pink during a balcony appearance celebrating her father-in-law’s birthday.

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As time went on, Masako’s tastes shifted, and she tended to prefer more neutral colors. The brooch still managed to sparkle on this cream-colored embroidered ensemble, worn for the New Year balcony appearance in January 2006.

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She repeated the same ensemble and jewels in December 2006 as her father-in-law received birthday greetings at the palace.

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She paired the brooch with pale blue and pearls in January 2014 for the New Year appearance…

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…and for the same event a year later, in January 2015.

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My favorite pairing with the brooch, though, is dark navy blue, a combination that really lets the details of the brooch shine. She wore the brooch this way for the Emperor’s birthday in December 2007…

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….and for his milestone 75th birthday the following year, in December 2008.

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One of her most recent appearances in the brooch, for the Emperor’s 85th birthday celebrations in December 2018, also saw her wearing the piece with blue.

The Centenary Rose Brooch

04.28.2019 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

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As April showers begin to give way to May flowers, we’ve got a lovely royal floral brooch to gaze upon today: the Centenary Rose Brooch.

The Queen appears with the Queen Mother on her hundredth birthday, 2000 (GERRY PENNY/AFP/Getty Images)

The brooch was a gift from one Queen to another. Queen Elizabeth II commissioned it as a 100th birthday present for her mother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, in 2000.

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The brooch features a hand-painted rose on a background of rock crystal, surrounded by a frame set with 100 diamonds. It’s not just any random rose, either: it’s a Queen Elizabeth Grandiflora Rose, which was specially bred to mark the Queen’s coronation in 1953. The piece was made by Collins and Sons.

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Here’s another view of the brooch which gives a better idea of its depth, as well as an interesting perspective on the central rose.

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The Queen Mother wore the brooch a few times before her death, most notably for a trip to the ballet in Covent Garden on her 101st birthday in 2001. After she died, the brooch was bequeathed (along with all the rest of her jewelry) to the Queen.

Many of the Queen Mum’s jewels took some time to appear on the Queen in public, and others still haven’t been seen at all. But this brooch was worn by HM for an important moment only a few months after her mother’s death. She chose it for her 2002 Christmas Broadcast, which included a tribute to her late mother and sister.

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Two years later, she wore it for church services on Christmas morning at St. Mary Magdalene near the Sandringham estate. It was also her choice for Easter Sunday services at Windsor in 2007.

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She has chosen the brooch for several prominent occasions. For her lengthy trip to the United States in 2007, the brooch was one of the jewels packed in her luggage. She wore it for a visit to the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

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And in March 2008, she selected the brooch for the annual Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey.

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In recent years, the brooch has been a colorful favorite for spring and summer garden parties. Here, she wears the brooch at Buckingham Palace in May 2013.

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The brooch made a pair of garden party appearances in 2017, with an outing at Buckingham Palace in May…

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…and an appearance at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh that July.

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She also often chooses the brooch for one of her favorite events of the year: Royal Ascot. In 2012, she wore the brooch for the second day of the races, pairing it with a pale pink outfit.