Can you identify the jewels worn by Marie José of Belgium, pictured here in 1939 as Crown Princess of Italy?
This Week in Royal Jewels: July 4-10
July 4-10, 2014
Happy Friday, everyone! Enjoy a week’s worth of bling from Europe’s sparkliest royals!
10. During the men’s final at Wimbledon on Sunday, the exciting play between Federer and Djokovic provided the Duchess of Cambridge with lots of opportunities to show off her engagement ring and her Cartier watch.
9. The day before, Kate joined Princes William and Harry at Harewood House in Yorkshire to help kick off this year’s Tour de France. With her green coat, she wore a pair of diamond and emerald earrings that she has worn on various occasions. The glint of gold beneath her hair appears to be a badge associated with the Tour; the princes and other officials wore them on their jackets as well.
8. Following a visit to Geneva to see her beleaguered daughter, Queen Sofia of Spain was back on duty this week, wearing layered necklaces to an awards ceremony in Valencia on Sunday.
7. The always-lovely Countess of Wessex wore a pair of geometric earrings during a visit to the Riverhill Regeneration Project in Cobham on Wednesday.
6. Queen Mathilde of the Belgians brought out a pair of dangling earrings with green stones for the christening of a ship on Thursday at the naval base in Zeebrugge.
Last night Princess Eugenie joined @thernohcharity & @RNOHnhs – HRH is Patron of #RNOHAppeal to fund a new building pic.twitter.com/vdA4vF6jVU
— The Duke of York (@TheDukeOfYork) July 1, 2014
5. Princess Eugenie of York has a new bejeweled role: she’s collaborating with jewelry designer Daisy London on a line of bracelets. The sale of each bracelet will help benefit the redevelopment appeal of the Royal National Orthopedic Hospital. Princess Eugenie, who underwent surgery to correct scoliosis at the RNOH in 2002, is the patron of the appeal. She’s wearing one of the bracelets in the photo above.
4. On Monday, King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain made their first official visit to their Portuguese neighbors. For an event in Lisbon, Letizia chose a lovely pair of hoop earrings.
Princess Estelle is so adorable as she heads to the zoo with her mum and grandfather: http://t.co/TvljnHjFfC pic.twitter.com/R31ZH0Jb41
— HELLO! (@hellomag) July 7, 2014
3. Crown Princess Victoria wore simple stud earrings and a silver watch for a three-generation visit to the zoo with her father, King Carl XVI Gustaf, and her daughter, Princess Estelle.
2. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands made a visit to Turkey on Thursday, wearing pearl earrings and a pearl bracelet while meeting with government officials in Ankara.
1. While on a visit to Derbyshire on Thursday, Queen Elizabeth II continued her recent trend of exciting jewel watchers by wearing unfamiliar pieces. This time it was a turquoise and diamond brooch, which many are speculating may be an antique piece.
Queen Sonja’s Emeralds
We’ve talked quite a bit about the magnificent nineteenth-century parure of emerald and diamond jewels owned today by the Norwegian royal family. That set, which includes a striking tiara with a geometric design, is worn quite often by Queen Sonja of Norway at gala events. But that’s not the only set of emerald jewelry that our Magpie of the Month wears. She also has a smaller demi-parure of emerald and diamond jewelry.
The first public appearance of this modern jewelry set seems to have been at the gala event held in Trondheim on the night before Princess Martha Louise’s wedding in 2002. Sonja paired the necklace and earrings with a mint green gown with bright pink accents.
The set apparently includes only earrings and a necklace, as Sonja wore diamond bracelets with the demi-parure for that gala event. Unlike some of Sonja’s other modern jewelry, the source of the set has never been made clear.
However, the design of the set has led some to speculate that it may have been a gift from Middle Eastern royals, who are renowned for lavishing precious gems on royals during state and official visits. The necklace includes several strands of emerald beads interspersed with diamond elements reminiscient of sets of diamond clips from the first half of the twentieth century. The earrings also feature emerald beads, dangling in three strands from a diamond element.
In De Kongelige Juveler, the wonderful documentary on royal jewelry, Queen Silvia of Sweden remarked that emerald jewelry “fits [Queen Sonja] very well, because it’s her colors.” Indeed, Sonja has three major sets of green jewels to choose from for various events: the magnificent historic emerald parure, the modern gold set with the green tourmalines, and this demi-parure. Which set of Sonja’s green gems is your favorite?