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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

This Week in Royal Jewels: January 17-23

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January 17-23, 2020
We got a little bit of everything this week in the world of royal jewelry! Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!
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20. For the International Circus Festival gala in Monte Carlo on Tuesday, Camille Gottlieb wore modern earrings and a simple pendant necklace.

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19. The Duchess of Cambridge wore green onyx earrings from Monica Vinader for Tuesday’s visit to the Birmingham Science Museum.
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18. In Davos on Tuesday, Queen Mathilde of the Belgians wore a pair of her signature gold statement earrings.
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17. Kate chose gold earrings from Accessorize and a custom Daniella Draper necklace, engraved with the initials of her children, to visit the Ely and Careau Children’s Centre in Cardiff on Wednesday.
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16. The Countess of Wessex wore her amber statement necklace and sparkling earrings for a reception at Buckingham Palace on Monday evening honoring African heads of state and government. (More here!)
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15. For the inauguration of the FITUR International Tourism Fair in Madrid on Wednesday, Queen Letizia of Spain wore bezel-set diamond stud earrings.
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14. Queen Mathilde wore her glittering diamond drop earrings at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos on Tuesday.
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13. Last Thursday, Princess Stephanie of Monaco sparkled in diamond earrings and beaded bracelets at the Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival.
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12. Princess Stephanie chose statement earrings and stacked bracelets for the International Circus Festival gala on Wednesday.
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11. Kate debuted new statement earrings from Soru Jewellery for Monday’s reception at Buckingham Palace. (Much more here!)
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10. Pauline Ducruet wore major statement earrings and an edgy pearl necklace for the International Circus Festival gala in Monaco on Wednesday.
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9. Sparkling statement earrings and a modern silver cuff were the jewels of choice for Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands for the National Reading Breakfast on Wednesday.
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8. The Princess Royal wore multicolored pearls and gem-set stud earrings on Monday evening at Buckingham Palace. (More over here!)
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7. Empress Masako of Japan chose pearl and gold button earrings and a simple pearl necklace for a visit to the National Rehabilitation Center for People with Disabilities on Wednesday.
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6. For a charity screening of the film Cats last Thursday, Empress Masako wore a double strand of pearls with lovely pearl drop earrings — and we got a bonus sighting of Princess Aiko, who wore a delicate necklace, too!
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5. On Thursday, Princess Marie of Denmark sparkled in diamond earrings from Christine Hvelplund for the Sidaction Gala Dinner in Paris.
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4. The Duchess of Cornwall wore her fantastic Turquoise Shamrock Brooch for the official opening of Lichfield Street Hub in Walsall on Wednesday. (More on the brooch here!)
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3. The Queen chose the Jewelers and Silversmiths Brooch, one of her wedding gifts, for church near Sandringham on Sunday.
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2. For a glittering new year gala late last Thursday, Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg sparkled in the Chaumet Choker Tiara and other diamond and pearl accessories. (More here!)
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1. Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg gave us a delightful surprise by wearing the tiara setting of the Sapphire Necklace Tiara, plus diamond and sapphire earrings and a grand diamond riviere, for the new year reception last Thursday. (More over here!)

This Fortnight in Royal Jewels: January 3-16

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January 3-16, 2020
From glittering galas to diplomatic receptions, the new year is starting off with a range of royal jewels. Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!
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30. For a visit to Canada House in London on January 7, the Duchess of Sussex wore a pair of golden swallow earrings by Catherine Zoraida.

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29. Classic golden hoops accompanied Princess Margriet of the Netherlands to a new year reception at the palace in Amsterdam on January 14. (More over here!)
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28. Queen Letizia of Spain wore her gold bamboo hoops for audiences at Zarzuela Palace in Madrid on January 14.
PATRICK VAN KATWIJK/ANP/AFP via Getty Images
27. For a visit to a clinic dedicated to addiction treatment and recovery counseling in Ugchelen on January 8, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wore oversized gold hoop earrings.
OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
26. For an official visit to Bradford on January 15, including a stop at the Khidmat Centre, the Duchess of Cambridge wore a pair of beaded earrings from Pakistani brand Zeen. (More on the earrings here!)
VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images
25. Princess Stephanie of Monaco wore a trio of diamond studs in each ear to mark the opening of the Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival on January 14.
VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images
24. For a football match at the Louis II Stadium in Monaco on January 15, Princess Stephanie wore diamond earrings and a patriotic red beaded bracelet.
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23. The Duchess of Rothesay, who is chancellor of the University of Aberdeen, wore her favorite pearl drop earrings as she awarded an honorary degree to her sister-in-law, the Princess Royal, on January 14.
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22. To receive her honorary degree from the University of Aberdeen on January 14, the Princess Royal wore modest pearl, gold, and diamond jewels.
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21. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden chose simple diamond stud earrings for a memorial service on January 15 in Stockholm honoring the victims of Ukrainian Airlines flight that went down in Iran. 
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20. Oversized golden button earrings, plus her golden bracelet with heart-shaped gems, accompanied Queen Mathilde of the Belgians to the J and Joy Fashion Headquarters in Waremme on January 15.
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19. Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands wore a ring and earrings featuring pearls with a black border for a new year reception in Amsterday on January 14. (More here!)
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18. Kate chose her classic diamond and sapphire cluster drop earrings to attend church near Sandringham on January 5. (More on the earrings here!)
BENOIT DOPPAGNE/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images
17. Princess Astrid of Belgium wore a pair of sparkling earrings for the opening of the Brussels Motor Show on January 9.
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16. Queen Mathilde dazzled in diamonds on January 9 for a new year’s reception at the Royal Palace in Brussels.
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15. Princess Tsuguko of Takamado wore jewels that deviated a little from the Japanese imperial uniform — earrings with delicate drops, a necklace with a gold pendant, and a round brooch — for the annual new year lectures at the palace in Tokyo on January 14.
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14. For the new year lectures in Tokyo, Princess Yoko of Mikasa stuck with the traditional family daytime jewels: pearl earrings, a pearl necklace, and a brooch.
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13. Princess Akiko of Mikasa wore a long pearl necklace, pearl drop earrings with an embellished diamond stud, and a delicate, detailed brooch for the new year lectures on January 14.
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12. For the new year lectures in Japan, Princess Tomohito of Mikasa wore long pearl drop earrings, a sautoir-style necklace with a double row of pearls, and an intricate diamond and pearl bar brooch.
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11. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom chose the Bird of Paradise Jubilee Brooch for church near the Sandringham estate on January 12. (More on the brooch here!)
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10. For a new year’s reception at the palace in Amsterdam on January 14, Queen Maxima wore her tanzanite earrings and a matching ring, as well as tennis bracelets set with diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. (More here!)
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9. On January 15, Queen Maxima repeated the same jewels for a reception for the diplomatic corps at the palace, as well as adding another gold and diamond bracelet to the stack.
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8. Princess Takamado glittered at the annual new year lectures in Tokyo in sparkling earrings, a pearl choker necklace, and an elaborate pearl and diamond brooch.
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7. Empress Masako of Japan was radiant in pearl and diamond earrings and a pearl and diamond ribbon brooch for the annual new year lectures on January 14. (As a sidenote: the Akishino family was also in attendance at the lectures, but their location in the room didn’t offer us a good look at their jewels, other than that they all wore the usual pearls and brooches.)
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6. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark wore pieces from her turquoise collection to welcome the premier of Schleswig-Holstein for an audience on January 10. (More over here!)
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5. Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg wore pearls and gold jewelry for a gala concert in Copenhagen on January 10 to celebrate the centennial year of the reunification of southern Denmark.
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4. The Kent Amethyst Brooch accompanied Queen Elizabeth II to church near Sandringham on January 5. (More on the brooch here!)
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3. Queen Letizia traditionally chooses heirloom jewels for Pascua Militar, and for this year’s commemorations, she wore the Countess of Barcelona’s sapphire, diamond, and pearl earrings. (Much more here!)
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2. On January 12, Queen Margrethe II wore her signature Diamond Daisy Brooch with diamond and ruby earrings for a memorial service at Copenhagen Cathedral on the occasion of the centennial year for reunification of southern Denmark. (More on the brooch here!)
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1. My top vote of the week had to go to a rare appearance from the famous Golden Poppies, worn by Queen Margrethe II on January 10 for the gala concert celebrating the centennial year of the reunification of southern Denmark. (More on the unusual jewels here!)

A quick note: the tiaras worn in Luxembourg late Thursday haven’t been left out deliberately — they arrived after the post deadline and will be featured this weekend here on the blog!

In Memoriam: Infanta Pilar of Spain

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Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

Looking for our weekly royal jewel roundup? We’ll have a super-sized fortnightly version here next Friday. In the meantime, we’re devoting our time today to remembering the late Infanta Pilar of Spain, Duchess of Badajoz. Pilar was the granddaughter, sister, and aunt of Spanish kings, and she had a jewelry collection that was definitely suited for a princess.

María del Pilar Alfonsa Juana Victoria Luisa Ignacia y Todos los Santos de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, Infanta of Spain, was born in Cannes in 1936 following the royal family’s exile after the Spanish Civil War. She was the first of four children born to Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona, and Princess María de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Her paternal grandparents were King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Princess Ena of Battenberg, who was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

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Infanta Pilar’s childhood was spent in exile in France, Italy, Switzerland, and Portugal. In January 1967, she posed with her parents in Estoril as she announced her engagement to a Spaniard, Don Luis Gómez-Acebo y Duque de Estrada. Luis was a first cousin of Margarita Gómez-Acebo, the wife of King Simeon II of Bulgaria. Luis and Pilar first met at the home of the former king.

For her wedding, which took place in May 1967 at the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon, Pilar borrowed a diamond and pearl tiara from her mother, the Countess of Barcelona. The Cartier Diamond Loop Tiara, which originally belonged to Pilar’s great-grandmother, Queen Maria Cristina of Spain, has since returned to the main line of the royal family, and is now worn by Queen Letizia. After their wedding, Luis and Pilar were given the titles of Duke and Duchess of Badajoz, by her father, the Count of Barcelona; the titles were subsequently reaffirmed by General Franco and later by her brother, King Juan Carlos.

Pilar’s jewelry box was filled with gorgeous pieces of jewelry, especially those set with pearls, diamonds, and sapphires. Note the magnificent pearl choker necklace she wears in this family portrait, taken in the early 1980s. She poses here with her husband, Luis, and their five children, Simoneta, Juan, Bruno, Beltrán, and Fernando. Pilar was widowed in 1991, when Luis died of cancer at the young age of 56.

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Decades later, Pilar wore another dramatic pearl choker necklace for a gala dinner held the night before the wedding of her nephew, the future King Felipe VI, to Letizia Ortiz in May 2004.

Pilar’s jewelry box also included a diamond and sapphire tiara inherited from her mother, the Countess of Barcelona. Pilar often paired it with other sapphire jewels from her collection for gala occasions, including a banquet during the Portuguese state visit to Spain in 2006.

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Pilar has loaned the sapphire tiara to other members of her family, including two of her daughters-in-law. Barbara Cano, the wife of Pilar’s son Bruno, wore the tiara for their wedding in Madrid in October 2002.

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Another erstwhile daughter-in-law, Laura Ponte, famously wore the tiara upside-down for her wedding to Beltrán Gómez-Acebo in September 2004.

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For the inauguration of King Felipe VI in June 2014, Pilar sparkled in pearl earrings and a pearl necklace with a gorgeous sapphire and diamond pendant.

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She also wore this fantastic rectangular diamond and emerald brooch, with coordinating earrings, for the wedding of her youngest son, Fernando, in November 2004.

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This fantastically intricate diamond and sapphire brooch was Pilar’s jewel of choice for the wedding of the present Count and Countess of Paris in Senlis in May 2009. She paired the brooch with coordinating earrings and classic pearls.

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Pilar’s pearl collection was impressive. She wore a double stranded pearl necklace and pearl earrings in June 2014 during the abdication and inauguration festivities in Madrid.

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Pilar, pictured with her brother, King Juan Carlos, chose a classic single strand of pearls and pearl earrings for King Felipe and Queen Letizia’s royal wedding in Madrid in May 2004.

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Pilar also loved gold jewelry and brooches. She wore both in May 2003 for an open-air papal mass in Madrid, which she attended alongside her sister, Infanta Margarita, and Queen Fabiola of Belgium.

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She wore this delicate feather brooch with golden hoop earrings for the 25th anniversary celebration of Alain Ducasse’s King Louis XV restaurant in Monaco in November 2012.

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She also wore this modern suite of gold and silver jewels, including a necklace with an intriguing pendant, for a tennis match in Madrid in May 2009.

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Infanta Pilar passed away on Wednesday in Madrid after a colon cancer diagnosis in 2019. She was surrounded by members of her family, including King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, in the days before her death. Pilar was 83 years old.