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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

This Week in Royal Jewels: November 28-December 4

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November 28-December 4, 2014
Two state visits, a diplomatic reception, and earrings galore — enjoy this week’s royal glitter!
10. Queen Letizia of Spain has officially joined her Dutch and Belgian counterparts in the Big Earring Brigade. She wore this pair of exaggerated yet elegant pendant earrings from Tous during an introductory visit to Germany on Tuesday.

9. Queen Mathilde of the Belgians has added a pair of bright cobalt bobs to her own big earring collection; she wore these with a coordinating dress in Brussels on Monday.

8. In Amsterdam on Tuesday, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands chose an intriguing pair of dark beaded earrings from her own giant earring collection. Seriously, I think we’re firmly in Trend Territory by now.

7. One royal lady you can count on to stick with the classics is the Duchess of Cornwall, who chose one of her familiar pearl choker necklaces to Fortnum and Mason on Thursday. This one has a large all-diamond clasp with a cross pattern. She’s also worn her workhorse diamond and pearl drop earrings.

6. The Spanish royal family was out in force on Thursday at the National Sports Awards. Infanta Elena, eldest sister of King Felipe, wore a large bejeweled star brooch and pearl earrings for the occasion.

5. At the same awards ceremony, Queen Sofia wore gold hoop earrings and a coordinating necklace.

4. And Queen Letizia chose yet another pair of unusual over-sized earrings for the awards ceremony.

3. King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway are on a state visit to Myanmar this week, and Sonja picked a bold necklace for a visit to the Shwedagon Pagoda on Tuesday.

2. For the annual diplomatic reception at Buckingham Palace, Camilla wore the Shand Tiara, a diamond floral sparkler that belongs to her own family, with diamond earrings and one of her pearl choker necklaces with a diamond clasp. She also wore the sash of the Royal Victorian Order.

1. King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden have been in France this week, and on Tuesday, they attended a state dinner at the Elysee Palace. The French don’t host elaborate state banquets anymore (with the exception of the black-tie dinner for Queen Elizabeth II earlier this year), so no tiaras were worn. But crafty Silvia managed to wear major, significant jewelry anyway by donning pieces from the family’s Napoleon-era Cameo Parure.

She wore the brooch (which actually may not be original to the set) in her hair, as well as the earrings, necklace, and bracelet. She also wore her husband’s family order.

Royal Jewel Rewind: The Belgian Royal Wedding (1999)

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Fifteen years ago today, Belgium hosted its biggest royal wedding of the generation. Prince Philippe, heir to the throne, married speech therapist Mathilde d’Udekem d’Acoz on December 4 in Brussels. Today, they have four children, and they’re King and Queen of the Belgians. Let’s have a look back at the jewelry worn on their wedding day, shall we?

Mathilde borrowed her wedding tiara from her new mother-in-law, Queen Paola. It’s a diamond bandeau that once belonged to Queen Elisabeth of Belgium; Paola owns the piece personally. With her Edouard Vermeulen gown, Mathilde also wore a pair of diamond and pearl earrings. She regularly wears the earrings at major royal events. (At this summer’s Belgian royal wedding, the bandeau tiara was worn by the bride, and Mathilde wore her wedding earrings.)

The mother of the groom, Queen Paola, wore pearl earrings and a diamond and pearl choker, plus a gorgeous floral brooch. King Albert II, who is having a really great time in the back, is wearing Belgium’s highest order of chivalry, the Order of Leopold. You’ll see the distinctive purple sash on lots of the men in the wedding photos.

Pearls were also the jewel of choice for the groom’s aunt, Queen Fabiola, although they’re a bit obscured by her jacket and fur. The hat is enormously glorious, perfect for Fabiola, whose hair has always been a little larger than life.

Princess Astrid, the groom’s sister, kept her jewelry fairly minimalist — it was 1999, after all — but I think I spy a brooch securing her fur wrap. Here’s a better view of her earrings.

Here are a few more ladies from the extended Belgian royal family — that’s King Albert’s sister-in-law, Princess Lea, on the left, and his younger sister, Princess Esmerelda, wearing the fur hat. Esmerelda isReally digging Esmerelda’s gold necklace.

King Albert II and the late Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte of Luxembourg were also siblings, so of course, the family jetted over from the grand duchy for the day. Josephine-Charlotte wore pearls, including the double-drop brooch that’s one of my favorite pieces from the Luxembourg jewel collection.

Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, then the Hereditary Grand Duchess, went with large gold earrings and a major fur stole.

Because King Albert’s mother, Queen Astrid, was born a Swedish princess, the Belgians also have major family ties to the Scandinavian royals. Queen Silvia of Sweden wore pearls…

… and so did Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, although she also added a pair of interesting earrings and a molting bird.

You can sneak a peek of Queen Sofia of Spain here between Albert and Paola; she clearly also got the pearls-and-feathers memo.

Constantine and Anne-Marie of Greece also attended; Anne-Marie added a pearl bracelet to her outfit.

Kardam and Miriam of Bulgaria were there, too. It’s tough to tell, but it looks like Miriam’s wearing delicate gold jewels.

Princess Martha-Louise of Norway is an especially close cousin; her namesake grandmother and the groom’s grandmother were sisters. She’s on the ’90s minimalism train with her jewels, too.

The couple had a huge bridal party, wearing LOTS of red velvet.

Royals and family (and some of both)…

And the traditional giant royal wedding guest photo!

This Week in Royal Jewels: November 21-27

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November 21-27, 2014
We’re officially in the holiday season now, and it’s time to marvel at the lovely jewels worn by royals this week!
10. On Tuesday, the Duchess of Cornwall visited Birmingham University’s School of Jewellery. She kept her own jewels simple — pearl earrings and a few bracelets — but the visit provided a glimpse into the work of Britain’s up-and-coming jewel designers.

9. Queen Letizia of Spain wore her oval pendant earrings, plus a bright red lip, to attend an event on volunteerism in Palma de Mallorca on Thursday.

8. Letizia wore another pair of pendant earrings — this time in gold and rubies — at an event on Monday celebrating the 75th anniversary of the CSIC in Madrid.

7. The Duchess of Cambridge supported one of her patronages, the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices, at the launch of their new charity appeal on Tuesday. She accessorized with her Kiki McDonough green amethyst earrings and Mappin and Webb’s Fortune necklace.

6. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wore dramatic earrings and a diamond bracelet to an event at the orchestra in The Hague on Friday.

5. Wearing simple earrings, a diamond pendant, and a large cuff bracelet, Infanta Elena of Spain represented her brother, King Felipe, at the funeral of the Duchess of Alba in Seville on Friday.

4. Queen Mathilde of the Belgians chose gold jewelry, including earrings, a watch, and a bracelet, for her visit to a retirement home on Friday.

3. Queen Sofia of Spain wore dramatic jewels at an awards ceremony in Valencia on Tuesday.

2. On Tuesday, Queen Silvia of Sweden wore her multicolored pearls, a large brooch, and several bracelets from her charity, the World Childhood Foundation, to accept the Martin Buber Plaque in the Netherlands.

1. The British royal jewel collection got a little bit larger this week! In her role as president of the International Equestrian Foundation, Princess Haya of Jordan presented Queen Elizabeth II with the organization’s inaugural lifetime achievement award. The award included a white gold and diamond brooch designed as a series of interlocking horseshoes:

I have a feeling we’ll see HM debut this one at Epsom or Ascot this year!