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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

This Week in Royal Jewels: March 27-April 2

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March 27-April 2, 2015
It’s a battle of the royal earrings this week! Be sure to register a vote for your favorites in the poll below!
10. We got a good look at the Duchess of Cambridge’s new Kiki McDonough morganite and diamond drop earrings on Friday when William and Kate visited XLP in London.

9. Last Thursday, the Countess of Wessex attended the reburial service for King Richard III in Leicester. She wore her lemon topaz earrings by Heavenly Necklaces.
8. When you’re attending the horse trials at Gatcombe Park, the teensiest golden stud earrings, like the ones worn on Saturday by Princess Anne, are perfectly appropriate.
7. A regally-bejeweled Queen Sofia of Spain, wearing pearls, golden earrings, a floral brooch, and stacks of bracelets, attended the Real Foundation Awards in Toledo on Friday.
6. The Duchess of Cornwall’s pearl earrings just peeked out from under her hat at the races on Sunday, which benefitted the Prince’s Countryside Fund.
5. The Danish crown princely couple visited Japan this week; Crown Princess Mary paired pearl earrings with her floral dress to open an exhibit about Greenland on Friday.
4. On Saturday, Mary wore glittering floral earrings in Tokyo.
3. Queen Elizabeth II brought out some major glitter to launch the George III Project on Wednesday: the Cullinan V Brooch.
2. The Queen distributed Maundy money for the sixtieth time on Thursday, this time while wearing the Mappin and Webb Orchid Brooch at Sheffield Cathedral.
1. No one out-glittered Princess Caroline this week; she attended the annual Rose Ball in Monaco wearing a pair of gorgeous Art Deco earrings, which may have belonged to her grandmother, Princess Charlotte, and her diamond fringe necklace. More sparkle from the Rose Ball here!

The Top Ten: Royal Diamond Tiaras

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Since April’s birthstone is the king of all gemstones, the diamond, it’s pretty impossible for me to make one list of my top ten diamond pieces. So instead, let’s break it down item by item, shall we? Today, I’ve made a quick list of my favorite all-diamond tiaras worn by royal women. There are about a million stunning pieces that didn’t make the cut, so be sure to add your list in the comments below!

10. The Dutch Diamond Bandeau

This tiara started out as a necklace, given in 1879 to Queen Emma of the Netherlands. The setting may be simple, but the glitter of these impressive diamonds more than makes up for it.

9. The Luxembourg Empire Tiara

One of the very largest tiaras still worn today by a royal lady, this nineteenth-century piece can be seen gracing the head of Grand Duchess Maria Teresa at major events.

8. The Spanish Floral Tiara

Bought in 1879 for Queen Maria Cristina, this piece left the Spanish royal collection during their exile in the twentieth century. Franco reacquired it for Queen Sofia as a wedding gift, and the Spanish royal ladies have been donning it regularly ever since.

7. Princess Sibilla’s Art Deco Tiara

Princess Sibilla acquired this versatile diamond tiara (probably as a gift from her family) after becoming a member of Luxembourg’s grand ducal family; its gorgeous Art Deco design also allows it to be worn in two distinct versions.

6. The Baden Fringe Tiara

This piece, which originally belonged to Queen Victoria of Sweden, is everything you’d want a sunburst tiara to be: uniform, striking, and oh-so-sparkly.

5. Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara

One of the many treasures of the Leuchtenberg family, this all-diamond tiara is now worn by the Queen of Norway.

4. The Khedive of Egypt Tiara

Made by Cartier in 1905 as a wedding gift for Princess Margaret of Connaught, this lovely tiara has become a sentimental wedding diadem for the descendants of Queen Ingrid of Denmark.

3. The Braganza Tiara

From 1820s imperial Brazil to present-day royal Sweden, this intricate and enormous diamond tiara makes a serious statement. It’s also the perfect tiara for Queen Silvia, whose mother was born in Brazil.

2. The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara

Classic and balanced, this fairytale nineteenth-century tiara from Queen Mary’s collection has become the favorite sparkler of her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II.

1. Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara

Can you beat a wall of diamonds? I don’t think you can — and the fact that it’s been an important part of Queen Elizabeth II’s tiara arsenal for more than half a century says it all!

Fabulous Fakes for April Fool’s Day

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Happy April Fool’s Day, everyone! No tricks to be found here at The Court Jeweller today — except of the jewel variety. Here’s a selection of some of the clever fakes that the Windsor women have worn through the years. Which of these pieces of fashion jewelry would you happily wear, even though they’re not set with genuine stones?

Diana, Princess of Wales selected paste earrings from Butler and Wilson for the America’s Cup Ball in 1986

Queen Alexandra was reportedly notorious for tucking paste pieces and fake pearls amid her real jewels; one story says that when a strand of her faux pearls broke, she ordered that each “pearl” must be retrieved, even though they weren’t genuine!

The Duchess of Cambridge wore an inexpensive costume necklace from Zara to the premiere of Nelson Mandela’s biopic in 2013

The same Zara necklace had previously been worn by Princess Beatrice of York

The enormous star brooch worn by Princess Diana to a 1988 fashion show was also a fashion piece by Butler and Wilson

The Countess of Wessex often wears fashion jewelry by Heavenly Necklaces, including these pendant earrings

The Duchess of Cambridge has also been spotted in Heavenly Necklaces’s “fab fakes,” including these cubic zirconia and resin pearl earrings