Can you identify the jewels worn by the Duchess of Kent at a Guildhall banquet in May 1995?
Jewel Detective: The Duchess of Kent
Holiday Wishlists 2014: Kate Spade
Holiday Wishlist: Kate Spade
If the Duchess of Cambridge were an American princess, I have no doubt that we’d be seeing her in pieces from Kate Spade, a retailer that features fun twists on classic shapes and designs for the young and the young at heart. While they’re perhaps best known for their handbags, the company also makes jewelry. Here are five of my favorite pieces currently for sale…
Love the modern fringe necklaces worn by the Swedish royal ladies? The Meteor Shower Statement Necklace is an equally fun take on the classic fringe design. ($498)
The company’s collections are always stocked with simple bangle bracelets featuring cheeky secret messages — the enamel and gold-plated Heart of Gold Idiom Bangle is a reminder to be beautiful both inside and out. ($32)
The Small Square Stud Earrings come in nine different colors, but because they’re costume, you can afford to own as many pairs as you like. The navy blue pair, with their luminous sapphire hue, are really speaking to me. ($38)
‘Tis the season to wear a watch with a band so glittery and so sparkly that you won’t be able to stop staring at your own wrist! Even better, the Pave Interchangeable Strap Metro Watch also comes with a navy band for slightly less effervescent occasions. ($225)
If you’re a loveable four-eyes like me, you might want to honor your nearsightedness with the Goreski Glasses Ring — it’s almost too cute. ($48)
Are any of Kate Spade’s jewelry pieces calling your name this holiday season?
Disclaimer: I was not compensated for writing this post in any way, and Kate Spade did not sponsor it. The opinions expressed here are solely mine.
Saturday Sparkler: Princess Grace’s Diamond Tiara
If you’ve been paying attention to your royal news this week, you’ll already know that the Monegasque princely family has added two brand-new members. Princess Charlene gave birth on Wednesday to Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques. Although he is younger by two minutes, Jacques becomes Monaco’s hereditary prince. As a consolation prize, I’m hopeful that his sister will get to wear some of the family’s glamorous jewels — perhaps today’s tiara, which belonged to her grandmother?
Although Princess Grace wore a number of tiaras during her lifetime, most of them were actually loans. Her personal collection seems to have consisted of precisely two pieces: the convertible diamond and ruby tiara given to her by the Société des Bains de Mer, and today’s tiara, which the family apparently refers to simply as her “diamond tiara.”
The name advertises the piece well. Although I don’t believe the name of the tiara’s maker has ever been released, various museum exhibitions (like this one from 2007) have given us a clear picture of the sheer wattage of the thing. The sparkler may be small, but it has more than two hundred diamonds in its platinum setting: 214 “modern-cut diamonds” and 42 diamond baguettes. The gems are set in elements that resemble swags or festoons.
Grace began wearing this tiara in the early years of her marriage, and she selected it for some significant events, including a state visit to Ireland in 1961. (You can see it above in the picture of Rainier and Grace with President and Mrs. de Valera.) Some also believe that this is the tiara worn by Princess Caroline to the ball held before her wedding to Philippe Junot, and I tend to agree, though the photographs of the event aren’t particularly clear.
The tiara is apparently still a part of the princely collection in Monaco, and I can’t figure out why none of the princesses have taken it out for a spin. Maybe the Grimaldi women are wary of donning pieces that have such strong associations with Princess Grace? (Or maybe Caroline hasn’t wanted to wear a piece with clear associations to a previous wedding again?) Whatever the case, this might be the perfect tiara one day for Gabriella, who will surely want to honor her grandmother but will be less burdened by the pressures of her legacy.
