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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Royal Jewel News: Princesses, Tiaras, and More

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We’re still on hiatus from our normal weekly roundup of royal jewel news — events are due to slowly start ramping up again next week, so fingers crossed that we’ll have lots of sparkle and glitter to discuss then! In the meantime, I thought you’d all enjoy a collection of stories about royal jewels that have been making the rounds this week. Happy reading!

New Info on Máxima’s Tiara

Dutch writer Eric Schoonhoven has posted new information about the magnificent sapphire and diamond tiara worn by Queen Máxima at her husband’s inauguration in 2013. Although the piece was often attributed to Mellerio, maker of one of the family’s ruby sets, Schoonhoven writes that gemologist George Hamel believes it was actually made by the Dutch jeweler Maison van der Stichel.

Modern Jewels from a German Princess

The Huffington Post ran a profile of Cécile of Hohenlohe-Langenburg this week. Cécile is a descendant of numerous royal families; her ancestors include Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark (pictured above; one of the Duke of Edinburgh’s sisters) and Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria and of Tsar Alexander II. In the interview, Cécile reminisces about her family’s ancestral jewels and her own new collection of modern rings.

A Bulgarian Wedding Tiara

Over at Luxarazzi, Sydney recently posted about the wedding tiara of one of Liechtenstein’s royal brides. She’s managed to trace the small diamond fringe tiara worn by Princess Marie on her wedding day in 1989 back to its previous royal owner: Princess Maria Luisa, a Parmese princess who married a Bulgarian tsar.

Duchess of Braganza Talks Jewels

While in Brazil for the wedding of Princess Amélia of Orléans-Braganza, the Duchess of Braganza (wife of the pretender to the Portuguese throne) gave an interview in which she discusses her use of the family’s heirloom jewels. Isabel wore a grand diamond tiara from the collection of the last queen of Portugal, Amélie of Orléans, on her wedding day in 1995 and in a few official portraits; she reveals that she hasn’t worn it more often because of its size and historical importance. She also hints that some of her mother-in-law’s jewels (possibly including the diamond bandeau worn by Isabel in the picture above) will eventually be inherited by her daughter, Maria Francisca.

A TNT Bridal Diadem?

Posters at the Royal Jewels of the World Message Board have been speculating about the tiara that might be worn by Maria Theresia of Thurn and Taxis (pictured above with her mother, Gloria) at her wedding in September. The thread includes great pictures of the tiaras that the family still owns, along with images of the sparklers that have been sold at auction.

This Week in Royal Jewels: August 1-7

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August 1-7, 2014
This week, we’re surveying the jewels worn by royal ladies during the events held to remember the beginning of World War I. A little sparkle was worn, but much of it was either subdued or connected to the events themselves.


5. On Monday, the Duchess of Cambridge traveled to Belgium to take part in events to mark the centenary of the start of the war. For the day’s commemorations, Kate wore a familiar pair of drop pearl earrings. Pearls and other “white” jewels are fairly commonly worn for events that have a somber or mournful element to them, like this week’s services, which remembered the sacrifice and loss of the war while underscoring the importance of peace and cooperation.

4. Kate, William, and Harry also took part in the World War I remembrance at the Tower of London, arriving on Tuesday to place ceramic poppies to mark the number of Britons who died during the war. Kate wore blue (as did both of the princes), which made for dramatic photographs against the sea of red poppies:

Kate wore a familiar pair of sapphire and diamond earrings (likely made from earrings once owned by her late mother-in-law, Diana, Princess of Wales) as well as her wedding and engagement rings, her Cartier watch, and a diamond pendant necklace by Mappin and Webb.

3. Monday’s services were held on the date that troops invaded Belgium, and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians was present with her husband, King Philippe, to remember. Her jewelry was sparkling but understated, with a pair of diamond and pearl earrings and a delicate diamond bracelet paired with her dove-gray ensemble.

2. Queen Elizabeth II has already retreated to Balmoral for the rest of the summer, but she still observed the World War I centenary, albeit more quietly. She attended a service at Craithie Kirk, the church near the Balmoral estate. The church is the same one that Queen Victoria attended (and there’s a bust of Victoria in the sanctuary), and the Queen’s brooch is also a Victorian heirloom: one of her diamond bow brooches.

1. The member of the British royal family who had perhaps the most significant public role during this week’s commemorations was the Duchess of Cornwall, who extinguished the oil lamp at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior during Westminster Abbey’s vigil service on Monday.

At the vigil, Camilla wore her pearl choker with the diamond clasp, pearl earrings, and her engagement and wedding rings. Instead of a brooch, she wore an item with significant military and personal meaning: the badge of the 12th Lancers, the regiment with which her late father, Major Bruce Shand, fought in World War II.

Be sure to catch up with the rest of this week’s royal jewel posts!

This Week in Royal Jewels: July 25-31

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July 25-31, 2014
As we begin the month of August, the royals have slowed down and started their summer holidays. This month, we’ll be looking at the top five jewel stories of the week — but we’ve still got some sparkle close at hand!


5. With most of the Windsors gathered in Glasgow, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall have been heading out to other parts of the UK. On Wednesday, they visited the Sandringham Flower Show, and Camilla added a bit of glitter to her outfit courtesy her sparkling butterfly brooch. She’s been wearing the brooch since at least 2006; it appears to be made of diamonds and sapphires.

4. The butterfly wasn’t Camilla’s only brooch outing of the week; she wore a stylized floral brooch to have a pint in Rutland. (This picture was maybe my favorite of the entire week. FYI: Camilla is on my list of “top five royals to have a pint with.” Who are yours?)

3. In Scotland, the Countess of Strathearn kept her jewelry simple while watching the athletics competition at the Commonwealth Games: citrine earrings by Kiki McDonough, a necklace with a set of Asprey pendant charms, her famous engagement ring, plus her wedding ring and her diamond eternity band, and what looks to be yet another of the rainbow bracelets that children often give to royals during walkabouts these days.

2. Princess Charlene of Monaco added a new foreign order to her small (but growing) collection this week, when she was officially made a Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Italy.

1. She may not be the reigning queen consort any longer, but Queen Sofia of Spain is still very much the matriarch of the family. In Palma de Mallorca this week, she wore delicate jewelry while taking her grandchildren to sailing school.