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| The Queen Mother wears the Oriental Circlet (Photo: Terry Disney/Express/Getty Images) |
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother wears the Oriental Circlet to celebrate the diamond jubilee of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, November 1964
Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara
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| Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara (Photo: MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP/Getty Images) |
When you first dig into the history of the Scandinavian royal families, one of the first things you notice is the plethora of empresses, queens, and princesses named “Josephine” in the family tree. Because of that, there are many opportunities to confuse the royal Josephines with their various tiaras. But the Josephine associated with this lovely diamond tiara is clear: it comes from Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway (née Princess Joséphine of Leuchtenberg), the wife of King Oscar I and the granddaughter of another famous Josephine (that would be Napoleon’s Empress Joséphine). So many Josephines!
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| Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway wears the tiara |
Although some have suggested that this tiara first belonged to Queen Désirée of Sweden, most seem to agree that Queen Josefina was actually its first wearer. Some think it may have been a wedding present to Josefina, though no one knows precisely who the giver might have been; historian Trond Noren Isaksen proposes that it may even have been worn by her on her wedding day. The maker is also uncertain, but the design is beautiful and typical of the first half of the nineteenth century, with its intricate diamond floral and laurel wreath elements.
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| Queen Lovisa of Denmark wears the tiara |
When Josefina died, the tiara was inherited by her granddaughter, Lovisa, who married King Frederik VIII of Denmark. After Queen Lovisa’s death in 1926, the tiara passed to her unmarried son, Prince Gustav. When he died, he left the tiara to his niece, Princess Märtha of Sweden, who had married Crown Prince Olav of Norway in 1929.
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| Queen Sonja wears the tiara (Photo: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) |
Märtha died before she could become queen of Norway. After her death, her daughter, Princess Astrid, frequently wore the tiara while serving as Norway’s de facto first lady. Today, it’s Märtha’s daughter-in-law, Queen Sonja, who wears Josefina’s tiara.
Note: this is an updated version of an earlier post, with new text and images.
Elizabeth Taylor’s Bulgari Jewels on Show
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| Elizabeth Taylor wears a Bulgari brooch, ca. 1959 (Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images) |
If you’re in London this weekend, you owe it to yourself to drop in at Bulgari’s flagship in New Bond Street, where the firm is displaying several pieces of jewelry owned by the late Elizabeth Taylor.
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| Photo: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images |
Bulgari is touting the display as comprising some of Taylor’s most personal jewels. Indeed, the mini exhibition includes a diamond and emerald engagement given to her by Richard Burton. Also on display: the diamond and emerald necklace given to Taylor by Burton as a wedding present. She often wore it with a diamond and emerald pendant stone, which had also been presented to her by Burton.
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| Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Bulgari |
The elaborate diamond and sugar-loaf sapphire necklace given by Burton to Taylor as a 40th birthday present is also included in the presentation. It’s accompanied by a sugar-loaf sapphire ring purchased by Taylor herself to coordinate with the necklace.
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| Photo: Rob Stothard/Getty Images |
And there’s even a gift from another of Taylor’s husbands: the diamond and emerald floral brooch from Eddie Fisher.
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| Taylor wears the Bulgari emerald necklace, ca. 1967 (Photo: Larry Ellis/Express/Getty Images) |
An article in the Telegraph offers more photos of the jewels, plus commentary from the display’s curator, Lucia Boscaini. If you want to see the jewels in person, however, you’d better hurry — the exhibition ends on Saturday!