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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

The Spanish Tiarapedia Is Live!

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JULIAN ABRAM WAINWRIGHT/AFP/Getty Images

The Tiarapedia is growing again! Today we’re debuting a section dedicated to the royal tiaras of Spain to the original online encyclopedia of tiaras.

Rogelio Pinate-Pool/Getty Images

Since its debut in 2008, the Tiarapedia has been one of the most popular parts of my royal writing. This new version of the concept features updated entries on tiaras worn by today’s royals, including provenance information, careful tracing of ownership, and links to longer articles that feature images of the diadems discussed.

Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

Thanks to careful inheritance planning, and some strategic reacquisition, Spanish royal family has managed to keep a surprisingly robust collection of tiaras intact, even following two centuries punctuated by upheaval and exile. In our newest section of the Tiarapedia, you can learn more about the tiaras worn by Queen Letizia and the rest of the royal ladies of Spain.

Jose Luis Cuesta – Pool/Getty Images

I’m continuing to build the updated and improved Tiarapedia, and new sections are being debuted every week! In the meantime, make sure you dig in to the glitter of royal Spain!

If you could add a new tiara to the Spanish royal collection, what would it look like?

This Fortnight in Royal Jewels: August 10-23

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August 10-23, 2018
Summer means that most royal ladies are on holiday, but we’ve still got a selection of jewels from the past two weeks to enjoy. Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!


Michael Campanella/Getty Images

10. Princess Sofia of Sweden wore slender hoop earrings and delicate bracelets on August 23 for the inauguration of Prince Alexander’s viewpoint at the Nynas Nature Reserve in Gisesjon.

JESSICA GOW/AFP/Getty Images
9. Classic hoop earrings were also Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden’s choice for Princess Estelle’s first day of school in Stockholm on August 21.
ANDREU DALMAU/AFP/Getty Images
8. To honor the memory of the victims of last year’s terror attack in Barcelona on August 17, Queen Letizia of Spain wore simple, low-key jewels: her Chanel star stud earrings.
MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN/AFP/Getty Images
7. On August 23, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark wisely selected simple stud earrings to accessorize the lovely traditional local attire during an official visit to the Faroe Islands.
6. On August 23, Empress Michiko of Japan wore a striking pendant necklace as she visited the Ohinata settlement in Karuizawa.
Takashi Aoyama/Getty Images
5. On August 10, the Princess Takamado wore golden jewels as she visited the ZOZO Marine Stadium in Chiba during the women’s softball world championships. (More over here!)
PASCAL PAVANI/AFP/Getty Images
4. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark wore daisy pieces and personal jewels during her annual photocall at the Chateau de Cayx on August 16. (Much more here!)
3. Crown Princess Masako of Japan wore a coordinating earring and necklace suite to walk on Mitsuihama Beach in Shimoda on August 16.
ARUN SANKAR/AFP/Getty Images
2. Ashi Dorji Wangmo, the Royal Queen Mother of Bhutan, wore gorgeous beaded jewelry for the inauguration of the Mountain Echos festival at the Royal University of Bhutan in Thimbhu on August 23.
1. Empress Michiko wore pearls and a gorgeous gold and pearl brooch to attend a reception for the International Academy for Production Engineering General Assembly at the University of Tokyo on August 20.

Jewels in Motion: The Upcoming Bourbon-Parma Auction

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A model wears Maria Teresa of Savoy’s diamond girandole earrings and Marie Antoinette’s diamond and pearl pendant in London, 12 June 2018 (Michael Bowles/Getty Images for Sotheby’s)
This spring, we learned that Sotheby’s will offer an important collection of royal jewels from the Bourbon-Parma family at auction this November. Today, I’ve got a treat for you — a look at some of these historical pieces glittering in motion!

The suite of diamond jewels was made for Princess Louise, Duchess of Parma. The auction press notes claim that five of the diamonds set in the jewels belonged to Marie Antoinette (Louise was a niece of Marie Antoinette’s daughter, the Duchess of Angoulême). The suite includes three pieces: a necklace, a pair of earrings, and a floral brooch, and Sotheby’s estimates that it will fetch between $300,000-500,000 USD.
This nineteenth-century pair of diamond girandole earrings belonged to Princess Maria Teresa of Savoy, the Italian-born mother-in-law of Princess Louise, Duchess of Parma. They were inherited by Princess Louise’s son (and Princess Maria Teresa’s grandson), Prince Robert, Duke of Parma; Sotheby’s expects them to sell for between $150,000-250,000 USD.
This triple-stranded pearl necklace with an elaborate diamond clasp is advertised as having a connection to Marie Antoinette, but I’m hoping that Sotheby’s will provide more information clarifying that link. The press information currently available notes that the “fabulous” necklace is a “testament to the splendour and opulence of the French court,” noting that it features “331 natural pearls.” (The diamond clasp features a millegrain technique that was developed long after Marie Antoinette’s death.) Sotheby’s expects the piece to sell for between $200,000-300,000 USD.
Sotheby’s also states that this diamond and pearl pendant belonged to Marie Antoinette, calling it one of “the star lots of the collection.” They expect the pendant, which features a natural pearl, to fetch between $1-2 million USD.
This large diamond and ruby bow brooch was a gift from Archduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen to his daughter, Archduchess Maria Anna (the wife of Prince Elias, Duke of Parma). Sotheby’s expects this jewel to bring between $200,000-300,000 USD.
Multiple preview exhibitions are planned ahead of the November auction, including stops in Milan, Munich, Cologne, London, Hong Kong, and New York. The auction itself will take place in Geneva on November 12, 2018.
A model wears a necklace strung with natural pearls from the collection of Marie Antoinette in London, 12 June 2018 (Michael Bowles/Getty Images for Sotheby’s)
I’ve got much more on the sale, including more photographs and information about additional pieces, in my article on the initial sale announcement, which you can read here!