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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Queen Maxima Visits the Emerald Isle

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King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands embarked on a state visit to Ireland on Wednesday, and Maxima wore jewels that honored both nations.

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Wax ‘n Max arrived at the Presidential Mansion in Dublin on Wednesday, where they were greeted by President Higgins and his wife, Sabina. The king and queen immediately began getting down to the business of royal visits by planting a tree.

PAUL FAITH/AFP/Getty Images

Maxima also visited Dublin’s CoderDojo, which is part of a global movement of free, volunteer-led, community-based computer programming clubs for young people. The engagement gave us a good look at her diamond earrings, which feature orange gemstone drops. (The royal family of the Netherlands is part of the House of Orange, so Maxima has a lot of orange-themed jewels.) She also wore her fantastic padparadscha sapphire ring.

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For Wednesday evening’s state banquet, Maxima appropriately chose pieces from the family’s emerald parure.

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The tiara from the suite features a trio of emerald toppers, plus a large central emerald cluster. (Originally the tiara had five emerald toppers, but two of them were repurposed as a pair of earrings.) The tiara, which was made in 1899, can also be worn with pearl toppers or in a petite all-diamond setting. (Learn more about it over here!)

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Maxima wore the tiara with her own convertible emerald earrings. (Learn more about them here!)

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She also wore one of my favorite emerald pieces from the Dutch vaults: the brooch from the emerald parure. For this occasion, Maxima wore it as a pendant on a diamond necklace.

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She also attached the family’s large cabochon emerald pendant, which is roughly the size of a small egg. The emerald was a favorite of Queen Juliana’s, but it has been with the family at least since the reign of Queen Wilhelmina. Many speculate that the pendant is one of the Russian jewels that made its way into the Dutch royal vaults.

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Maxima finished off the look with a diamond and emerald bangle.

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Here’s a look at Maxima’s complete ensemble for the banquet.

State Banquet Jewels at Buckingham Palace

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The Queen hosted a state banquet at Buckingham Palace tonight in honor of the American President and First Lady, and the royal ladies wore stunning tiaras for the occasion.

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The Queen donned the Burmese Ruby Tiara, which was made in the 1970s. (More on the tiara’s creation here!) She paired it with a much older suite of jewels: the Crown Rubies, which were originally set with opals but transformed to ruby jewels by Queen Alexandra. (More on the set here!)

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She secured the sash of the Order of the Garter with a diamond bar brooch that belonged to Queen Victoria. She’s also wearing the family orders of her father and grandfather.

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The Duchess of Cornwall wore familiar jewels, including the grand Greville Tiara. (More on the tiara here!) She paired it with her pearl choker necklace with the imposing pink topaz clasp.

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She also wore diamond floral earrings from her family collection.

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A diamond bracelet was also visible on Camilla’s left wrist. On her gown, she wore the sash and star of the Royal Victorian Order, plus the Queen’s family order.

Victoria Jones- WPA Pool/Getty Images

The Duchess of Cambridge paired Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara with diamond and sapphire fringe earrings that belonged to the Queen Mother. (More on the tiara over here, and the earrings over here!) She secured her brand-new Royal Victorian Order sash with her Oak Leaf Brooch. (More on the brooch here!)

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Kate also wore the Queen’s family order and a four-stranded pearl bracelet.

Victoria Jones- WPA Pool/Getty Images

The Princess Royal wore diamonds and aquamarines, including the Aquamarine Pineflower Tiara. (More on the tiara here!) The diamond and aquamarine brooch that secured her Garter sash was once the central element of the tiara. She’s also wearing her mother’s family order.

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A thrilling tiara moment came courtesy of the Countess of Wessex, who debuted a remodeled version of her wedding tiara at the banquet. The tiara’s elements have been reconfigured, and the base has been completely redesigned. (See the previous version of the tiara here!) She’s also wearing a diamond demi-parure we’ve seen before (but for which we have no known provenance), as well as the sash and star of the Royal Victorian Order and the Queen’s family order.

Victoria Jones- WPA Pool/Getty Images

The Duchess of Gloucester wore the lovely all-diamond setting of Queen Mary’s Honeysuckle Tiara for the banquet. (More on the tiara here!) Her additional diamond pieces (earrings, necklace, buckle brooch, clips) all come from the collection of her mother-in-law, the late Princess Alice. The sash and star of the Royal Victorian Order and the Queen’s family order complete the look.

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Princess Alexandra chose her only personally-owned sparkler, the Ogilvy Tiara, in its pearl setting for the banquet. (More on the tiara here!) She also wore one of her diamond choker necklaces, a pearl bracelet, pearl earrings, and an astonishing pearl and diamond brooch. That jewels secured her Garter sash. She’s also wearing the Queen’s family order, as well as the family order of King George VI. (Alexandra and the Queen are the only surviving recipients of the George VI family order; the Queen is the only living recipient of the George V order.)

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Princess Michael of Kent wore diamonds and pearls for the banquet, including the grand Kent Pearl Festoon Tiara. (More on the tiara here!)

Please note: As always, this website is not a place for discussion of contemporary American politics. Please respect my wishes and restrict your comments only to the jewels pictured in this post. Thank you for your cooperation.

State Visit Jewels: UK-US Welcome Ceremony

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As the American President and First Lady arrived on Monday for the start of a state visit to Britain, the Queen and the royals hosted a series of welcome ceremonies for the couple. Here’s a look at the jewels worn by the royal ladies during these events.

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The Queen chose a classic heirloom brooch for the official arrival of her guests: the Cambridge Emerald Cluster Brooch, with its glossy emerald pendant drop. (Learn more about the brooch here!)

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For the arrival ceremonies, the Duchess of Cornwall wore pearl earrings with one of her signature pearl choker necklaces. This necklace features a large, shield-shaped diamond clasp.

TOBY MELVILLE/AFP/Getty Images

Camila also wore several bracelets on her left wrist, including a distinctive silver-toned bangle.

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Inside the palace, the Queen sported another brooch — the delicate Cullinan VI and VIII Brooch —  for the usual viewing of relevant items from the Royal Collection. (More on the brooch here!)

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The Duchess of Gloucester was also present to enjoy the Royal Collection display. It’s tough to see, but it looks like she wore jewels from her collection of sapphire pieces.

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Camilla changed into a second ensemble to host the presidential couple for tea at Clarence House. She wore another of her pearl choker necklaces (this time with the round diamond clasp). She’ll change again shortly for the banquet at Buckingham Palace, and we’ll have a post featuring the royal jewels from that event up later this evening.

Please note: As always, this website is not a place for discussion of contemporary American politics. Please respect my wishes and restrict your comments only to the jewels pictured in this post. Thank you for your cooperation.