The Top Ten – Page 14

The Best Royal Jewels of 2016: #8 (Astrid’s Art Deco Debut)

12.27.2016 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

(DOMINIC LIPINSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

We’re up to number eight in our year-end countdown! Catch up on numbers 9-10 over here!

#8: Astrid’s Art Deco Debut

(Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Until this March, Princess Astrid of Belgium had really only worn one major tiara in public: the Savoy-Aosta Tiara that comes from the collection of her mother-in-law. (More on that one here!) But for a state banquet for the President of Germany in March, Astrid wore a new tiara in public for the first time: her mother’s Art Deco Bandeau.

The diamond tiara has a lengthy history in the Belgian royal family, dating back to Queen Elisabeth. (You can read its full history over here!) Astrid’s mother, Queen Paola, was given the tiara by her father-in-law, King Leopold III. Since then, it’s been worn by two Belgian royal brides: Queen Mathilde and Astrid’s daughter-in-law, Elisabetta. But we’d not seen it on Astrid until this year. I love a good historical tiara debut!

The Best Royal Jewels of 2016: #9 (Sofia’s New Tiaras)

12.26.2016 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

(DOMINIC LIPINSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

Our countdown of the best royal jewels of 2016 continues…

#9: Sofia’s New Tiaras

(Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

During her first year as a member of Sweden’s royal family, Princess Sofia only wore one tiara in public: the Emerald Palmette Tiara that she received as a wedding gift from her new parents-in-law. (More on the background of that tiara here!) But this December, she brought out not one but two new tiaras!

(SOREN ANDERSSON/AFP/Getty Images)

For the Nobel Prize ceremony and banquet on December 10, Sofia wore the smaller cut-steel tiara, giving us an excellent look at the piece. Previously, this tiara had only been worn in public by her sister-in-law, Crown Princess Victoria. (You can see many more images of this tiara appearance in our post here!)

(Kungahuset.se)

The next night, she made another tiara debut for the King’s Dinner, given to honor the Nobel winners. She wore the Diamond Four-Button Tiara, which was made using antique diamond buttons from the family collection, for the reception. (More on this tiara appearance over here!)

The Best Royal Jewels of 2016: #10 (Albania’s Royal Bride)

12.26.2016 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

(DOMINIC LIPINSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

It’s officially the last week of 2016, which means it’s time for a countdown of the best royal jewel appearances of the year! I’ve chosen ten of my favorite bejeweled royal appearances from this year, and we’ll be featuring two of them every day until we reach #1 on Friday. Enjoy — and, of course, weigh in on your own favorites in the comments!

#10: Albania’s Royal Bride

(STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)

When royal pretenders have big weddings, we often get to see pieces of jewelry that have remained hidden from public view for years. And when Prince Leka, the pretender to Albania’s throne, married Elia Zaharia in October, we got to see a very unusual bridal tiara on display.

(STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)

Elia’s bridal diadem was a diamond and sapphire heirloom tiara from her new husband’s family. The center of the tiara features a unique element: a diamond-set version of the Ram of Skanderbeg, one of Albania’s most important national symbols.

(STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)

We discussed the symbolism of the ram at length in our post on the wedding (which you can read over here!). Lots of Albania’s royal jewelry featured this unique image. Because of its rather different design motif, the tiara is not exactly universally liked. Even so, this bejeweled appearance makes my top ten simply because it’s an extremely unusual piece that is rarely seen. (And I thought the bride wore it well, too!)