Sixty-one years ago today, Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom married photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones in a glittering ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London. The Queen’s sister’s romances had been major media fodder during the 1950s, and the public final got to see her in a wedding dress on May 6, 1960. Today, we’ve got a closer look at her wedding jewels, including that iconic diamond tiara.

 

 

This afternoon, our Sparkling Spotlight shines on a particularly important moment for Empress Masako of Japan: the day of the imperial enthronement in October 2019. Let’s have a closer look at the jewels she wore for the glittering banquet held after the enthronement ceremonies.

Royal guests from around the world attended the grand banquet in Tokyo, which followed the imperial enthronement of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako on October 22, 2019. Tiaras and gala jewels sparkled on all of the royal guests, including the Japanese imperial ladies.

Empress Masako wore the most important Western-style jewel in the family’s collection: the Meiji Tiara, which was made in the late nineteenth century and which is reserved for the use of the country’s empresses. Western-style dress was introduced at the imperial court in 1887, and the tiara has been used by all empresses when wearing Western gala dress since then. The tiara can be worn with (or without) two sets of toppers: large round diamonds (worn here by Masako) or diamond stars.

Empress Masako added even more diamonds to her ensemble from the banquet. She wore a pair of large diamond floral earrings. The flowers represented are chrysanthemums, which have important symbolic resonance for the imperial family. They’re also incorporated into other pieces of imperial jewelry, including brooches and a diamond tiara.

The empress completed her look with a pair of impressive diamond riviere necklaces, so named because the diamonds flow and meander like rivers, and a gorgeous diamond bracelet. Her gown for the evening had ruffle and rose details at the neck. The design of the dress echoed the style of the gown worn by Masako during her wedding celebrations in 1993.

The Duchess of Cambridge’s first state banquet appearance came four years after her marriage—but it was very much worth the wait. Today, we’re shining a spotlight on the royal jewels that Kate wore for the Chinese state banquet in 2015.

The banquet, held at Buckingham Palace on October 20, 2015, was held in honor of President Xi Jinping of China on the first night of his four-day state visit to Britain. The Queen wore the Belgian Sapphire Tiara with the George VI Sapphires as she hosted the Chinese presidential couple for the dinner.

For the dinner, Kate wore a bespoke red gown by Jenny Packham, accessorized with royal heirloom diamonds and pearls. The Lotus Flower Tiara was the most eye-catching of these royal jewels. The diamond and pearl tiara was made for the Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother) in 1923 by Garrard. The gemstones for the tiara were mined from a necklace that had been given to her by her husband as a wedding present six months earlier. The tiara was loaned to Kate by the Queen. Kate had previously worn the tiara in December 2013 for the annual diplomatic reception at Buckingham Palace.

Kate’s earrings were also loaned by the Queen. These diamond chandelier earrings feature small stones framing a large pear-shaped diamond drop. Kate has worn them often throughout her marriage, starting with an appearance in Los Angeles in 2011.

Kate also wore diamond bracelets with royal provenance on each wrist. On her left wrist, she wore the Edinburgh Wedding Bracelet. The dazzling diamond and platinum bracelet was Prince Philip’s wedding gift to the Queen in 1947, and it was made using diamonds from a tiara that belonged to his mother. On her right wrist, Kate wore a geometric diamond bracelet made from a choker necklace that belonged to Queen Mary. The bracelet was also previously worn by the Queen Mother.