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The Dutch Diamond Bandeau

11.19.2016 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

The Dutch Diamond Bandeau (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

It’s one of the most stunning bandeaux in a royal collection today, but the diamond bandeau belonging to the Dutch royals wasn’t always a tiara. Let’s delve into the history of this major diamond piece, shall we?

Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

The giant diamonds that make up this bandeau were originally a part of a necklace. (The diamonds are often mistakenly identified as rose-cut stones, but that’s apparently not the case.) In 1879, the necklace was given by the Dutch people to Princess Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont on the occasion of her marriage to King William III of the Netherlands. And she deserved major diamonds for marrying the old king; he was apparently quite the bon vivant. Several other princesses, including Emma’s sister Pauline, had turned him down, and he’d even tried to marry a French opera singer before settling down with Emma.

Emma’s daughter, Queen Wilhelmina, had her mother’s diamond necklace remade into this stunning bandeau tiara in 1937. She only wore the tiara in public once, and after her death, it was inherited by her daughter, Queen Juliana.

Photo: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Juliana loved a good diamond, and this tiara was right in her wheelhouse. The enormous diamonds that cascade across the bandeau weigh, in total, more than a hundred carats. And Juliana was one smart cookie when it came to royal jewels. She started a family trust, which ensured that the pieces left to the collection would not leave the family. Above, Juliana wears the tiara at the end of her reign, during a state visit from King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain.

Photo: ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP/Getty Images

The bandeau is a part of the family collection today, and it’s worn regularly by both Princess Beatrix (whose hairstyle hides the piece a bit) and Queen Maxima. Above, Beatrix wears the tiara during a state visit from the Italian president in 2012, the year before her abdication.

Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

It’s been a particular favorite of Maxima’s, who even wore it on the night before she became queen consort. And I can see why: its profile makes it easy to wear with lots of different hairstyles, but it’s still got enough wattage to take anyone’s breath away.

This Week in Royal Jewels: November 11-17

11.18.2016 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

November 11-17, 2016

Earrings and brooches are the focus in this week’s jewel roundup. Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!

Photo: VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images

10. Princess Charlene of Monaco wore her Dior Tribales earrings on two occasions this week: Thursday’s visit to the Red Cross in Monaco, and Saturday’s trip to see South Africa’s rugby team play in England.

Photo: FADEL SENNA/AFP/Getty Images

9. Princess Lalla Hasna, sister of the King of Morocco, wore statement cluster earrings for a climate change conference in Marrakesh on Monday.

Photo: Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

8. For a meeting in Madrid on Monday, Queen Letizia of Spain wore her freshwater pearl drop earrings by Tous.

Photo: Eduardo Parra/Getty Images

7. On Thursday, Letizia wore another pair of Tous earrings, this time set with rubies and emeralds, to attend the opening of parliament with King Felipe and their two daughters, Leonor and Sofia.

Photo: VICTORIA JONES/AFP/Getty Images

6. The Princess Royal brought out some gorgeous jewelry for Saturday’s Festival of Remembrance in London, wearing pearl drop earrings, a multi-stranded pearl necklace, and her diamond star brooch. (See more jewels from this event here!)

Photo: VICTORIA JONES/AFP/Getty Images

5. Princess Alexandra, the Hon. Lady Ogilvy was also the picture of glittering elegance at the Festival of Remembrance; she wore diamond daisy earrings, a diamond floral brooch, and her pearl choker necklace with the geometric clasp. (See more jewels from this event here!)

Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images

4. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom wore an heirloom of the crown — one of Queen Victoria’s Bow Brooches — to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph in Whitehall on Remembrance Sunday. (More photos from this observance over here.)

Photo: VICTORIA JONES/AFP/Getty Images

3. The Queen selected the lovely Bronte Porcelain Brooch to secure her poppies for Saturday’s Festival of Remembrance. (More jewels from this event over here!)

Photo: Yui Mok – WPA Pool/Getty Images

2. The Flower Basket Brooch (which we’ve been discussing in recent recaps of The Crown) was the Queen’s choice for an audience with the Prime Minister of Grenada at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday.

Photo: Yui Mok – WPA Pool/Getty Images

1. My top vote of the week goes to one of the Queen’s very best brooches: the Cullinan V Brooch, which she wore at a reception for the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.