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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

The Habsburg Peridot Parure

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Archduchess Isabella wears the peridot parure (source)

Our focus today is a true royal rarity: a diamond parure that also includes a generous helping of peridot, the birthstone of all of you August babies. What could make it better? Why, a provenance that connects it with the Habsburgs, surely!

The set in question is a complete parure of peridot jewels: a tiara, a necklace, earrings, and a substantial brooch. The parure dates to about 1825 and has been attributed to Köchert, who would later become the imperial court jewelers to the Habsburgs. The tiara features large diamond scrolls, the center of which are studded with absolutely enormous peridots. Moreover, the tiara can also be supplemented with seven of the pendants from the necklace, which can be set upright atop the piece. A delicate floral motif runs through all of the pieces in the parure, including the pair of pendant earrings and the large devant de corsage.

Archduchess Isabella wearing the parure (source)

It’s said that the first owner of the tiara was Archduchess Henriette of Austria, who was born a princess of Nassau-Weilburg (and was a great-great-granddaughter of George II of Great Britain). Her much older husband, Archduke Charles, was a field marshal who fought against Napoleon. Ironic that Napoleon’s enemies were quickly adopting the fashion for jewelry parures that he had begun in France!

From Charles and Henriette, the peridot set eventually passed to their grandson, Archduke Friedrich, and his wife, Princess Isabella of of Croÿ. Isabella became the wearer most associated with the tiara. She was photographed in the suite at one of the last great Habsburg celebrations: the coronation of Emperor Charles I of Austria-Hungary, which took place in December 1916 (seen below, as well as in the portrait above).

Archduchess Isabella wears the peridot set at the coronation of Charles I (source)

Isabella’s husband died in 1936, many years after the Habsburgs had lost their imperial throne. The peridot jewels were auctioned off around the time of his death. Stripped of their titles, and without occasions for pomp and prestige, it’s not surprising that the jewels were sold. The buyers were members of the Coudenhove-Kalergi family, a clan of nobles from the present-day Czech Republic. They owned the parure for two generations, and then it was sold again in 2001.

Joan Rivers wears the peridot necklace and earrings, 2004

This time, Fred Leighton, the jewelry company that deals largely in vintage pieces, was the buyer. They often loan jewels to celebrities for public appearances, and the peridot parure was no exception. Above, you can see Joan Rivers wearing the necklace and earrings from the set at the Golden Globes in 2004. Fred Leighton sold either some or all of the parure to Lily Safra, a wealthy philanthropist; in turn, she sold the earrings and the brooch at Christie’s in 2012. Those two pieces alone fetched more than $170,000.

I only wish more royal families today experimented a bit more with semi-precious gems in their jewelry. Wouldn’t a peridot parure look magnificent today on Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Queen Letizia of Spain, or even the Duchess of Cambridge?

American Jewels: Lauren Bacall

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With many of the royals of Europe are on vacation, I’ve decided to take a minute to remember the remarkable jewels and style of Lauren Bacall, who died yesterday at the age of 89. Bacall was one of my favorite actresses — if you haven’t seen How to Marry a Millionaire, drop everything right this minute and put it in your Netflix queue!

Like many of the Hollywood icons of her era, Bacall also wore jewels in a truly elegant way. She so loved jewels that she even helped to produce her own jewelry line, Bacall, in the 2000s. Here are a few of my favorite photos of a bejeweled Bacall — and then, seriously, go watch one of her films!

During the filming of Young Man With a Horn, 1949

With husband Humphrey Bogart, 1946

With her son, Stephen Bogart, in 1948

At the Academy Awards, 1952

Bacall in beads, 1955

A gorgeous necklace for the Oscars, 1955

Pearl pendant earrings, 1966

Chic pendant necklace in Paris, 1979

Tony Awards, 1997

At the Prince’s Foundation Gala in London, 2000

Venice Film Festival, 2004

With Bill Nighy at the Notes on a Scandal premiere, 2006

The Order of Saint-Charles

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Although the principality of Monaco is one of the smallest nations in the world, it has royal traditions that are just as rich as those of much larger monarchies. Today, we’re chatting about the highest order of chivalry in the country: the Order of Saint-Charles, which was established more than 150 years ago.

Charles III of Monaco

The order was founded on 15 March 1858, during the first years of the reign of Charles III of Monaco. The new order wasn’t Charles’s most lasting legacy — that would be the casino at Monte Carlo. But while the casino is named after Charles III, the order is named after a different Charles: St. Charles Borromeo.

Charles III of Monaco wearing the Order of Saint-Charles

Borromeo was a sixteenth-century archbishop of Milan. He was a member of both the Borromeo family and the Milan branch of the Medici family; his uncle was Pope Pius IV. The ruling family of Monaco, the Grimaldis, can trace part of their ancestry back to Italy, and they have connections with the Borromeos (links currently bolstered, of course, by the relationship between Pierre Casiraghi and Beatrice Borromeo). Charles III selected Carlo Borromeo as his personal patron saint, and he dedicated one of the country’s churches and the highest chivalric order in the nation to him as well.

Charlene wearing the sash of the order in public for the first time, 2012

The sovereign prince of Monaco — currently Charles III’s great-great-great grandson, Albert II — is the Grand Master of the order, and it is awarded at his discretion. Both Monegasque citizens and foreign nationals are eligible to receive the order, which recognizes service to the Monegasque prince and state. The order has five ranks: knight, officer, commander, grand officer, and grand cross. Regular citizens of Monaco have to start off as knights; they can move up to a new stage after a certain number of years has elapsed. Members of the princely family and foreign nationals, though, can join the order as higher-ranking members. For example, Princess Charlene joined the order as a Dame Grand Cross in 2012.

The star and badge of the Order of Saint-Charles (source)

When Princess Charlene attends white-tie events, therefore, she’s now entitled to wear the insignia of the order. The two main parts of the insignia are the badge and the star. The badge consists of a red and white Maltese cross backed by a wreath of laurel leaves; the center of the cross features a pair of interlocking Cs surmounted by a golden crown (the monogram of Prince Charles III), surrounded by the motto of the order, “Princeps et Patria” (Latin for “prince and country”).

Rainier III and Albert II wearing the Order of Saint-Charles, 2003

The badge can be worn either on the order’s sash, which features the red and white colors of Monaco’s flag, or suspended from a collar. The golden collar features two alternating elements: Charles III’s monogram and the lozenge-patterned shield from the Grimaldi coat of arms. Above, you can see Rainier III wearing the badge on the collar, while his son, Albert II, wears the badge on the red-and-white striped sash. The star of the order, which features the same symbolic imagery from the badge placed atop a silver eight-pointed star.

Princess Charlene and Princess Caroline wearing the sash, badge, and star of the order, 2012

Monaco doesn’t host as many official state events as other nations, so there are fewer opportunities for the princely family to exchange orders with other heads of state. But since becoming the sovereign prince in 2005, Albert II has awarded the Order of Saint-Charles to a number of foreign presidents, including both Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande of France.

Princess Grace wears the sash and star of the order during a state visit to France, 1959; in the background, French President Charles de Gaulle is also wearing the order

Very few foreign royals are members of the order: Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy, one of the pretenders to the Italian throne, and King Albert II of Belgium are among them. Another consequence of few state visits is that the Grimaldis also have fewer opportunities to wear their orders, although sometimes you will see orders worn during the National Day gala.

Princess Caroline wears the sash of the order in Stockholm, 1996

Three of the members of the princely family — Albert, Charlene, and Caroline — are knights and dames grand cross of the order. The only member of the family who does not have the order is Albert’s youngest sister, Princess Stéphanie; instead, she is a Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Grimaldi, which rewards members for personal service to the sovereign prince.