Tiara Sunday: Aquamarine Parure

We haven't discussed tiaras in a long time and with the inauguration coming up. Why not have a Dutch tiara?

The parure started with an Art Deco styled tiara, which was made by Dutch Jewellers: Kempen, Begeer & Vos. It was made with Diamonds and Brazilian Aquamarine.



Queen Juliana

The tiara was an eighteenth birthday present for Princess Juliana from her parents in 1927. Juliana also received a Belle Epoque/Edwardian style diamond and aquamarine demi-parure set in platinum from her grandmother, Queen Dowager Emma.



Queen Beatrix (2); Princess Irene (2); Princess Margriet (2)

It wasn't until after the Second World War that Queen Juliana started to wear the parure together in public. Queen Juliana's daughters wore the jewels many times when they were younger. Beatrix hasn't worn the parure together since the 1980's.

Princess Maxima

Since then, only Princess Margriet and Princess Maxima has worn the whole parure.

The Parure

The necklace contains 6 large square aquamarines and has a single rectangular aquamarine pendant. The necklace can be shortened and can even be turned into a necklace. The earrings are made out of briolette cut Aquamarines and were a present from (then) Princess Juliana's mother-in-law, Princess Armgard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. The large brooch in the set is made up of a large rectangular Aquamarine set with small baguette cut Aquamarines. They were a wedding present from Prince Bernhard in 1937.
Photos: dutchroyaljewels.nl
Information: dutchroyaljewels.nl

Tiara Tuesday: Rose Cut Diamond Bandeau Tiara

The Diamond Bandeau consists of twenty-seven very large old mine diamonds which are set as a single graduating row on a light platinum wire frame. The large diamonds were taken from the rivière of 34 large old mine diamonds, which was part of the National Wedding Gift presented to Queen Emma in 1879. The bandeau contains in total more than 100 carat weight in diamonds. The Diamond Bandeau was first seen on Princess Juliana in 1937.

Queen Juliana has worn the bandeau of diamond many times and in most cases with a matching set of earrings made from large old cut diamonds.

Princess Margaret began to wear it before and after her marriage. She usually doesn’t wear this tiara now a days.

Queen Beatrix began to wear this tiara only in recent years although her sisters Princess Margriet and Princess Christina had worn it in the past.

But it is Princess Maxima who wears this simple but stunning diamond tiara to its maximum effect. This is the tiara that she usually wears.

Tiara Tuesday: Emerald Parure Tiara *

The Emerald Parure was created in 1898/1899 by Jeweller Eduard Schürmann & Co. in Frankfurt. It was a gift from Queen Regent Emma to her daughter, Queen Wilhelmina in 1899. The emeralds used in this parure are said to have been brought to Holland by Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia, wife of Prince Willem V of Orange-Nassau, in the 18th century. 

Late-Queen Juliana, Queen Beatrix, Princess Margriet

The tiara has a figure eight and scroll motifs, has round emeralds set in diamonds to the side and is topped with three oval diamond and emerald clusters. The tiara is mounted in silver and gold.

The tiara was originally topped with three oval diamond and emerald clusters. Two oval emerald clusters were removed in the 1950's to make earrings for Queen Juliana. The now somewhat bland tiara has been worn upside down in an oriental style by Queen Juliana and her daughters in the 50's and 60's.

Princess Maxima, Princess Laurentien, Princess Mabel

The necklace has a very intricate design of diamond elements enterspersed with small emeralds. The pendant which can be attached in various ways has a figure eight and floral motif. The versatile brooch has been seen in many variations through the years, most recently on Princess Maxima and Princess Laurentien.There are different brooches, pairs of earrings and bracelets with diamonds and emeralds in the parure. 

The Parure

From 2007 onwards Princess Maxima has been seen wearing a newly acquired (versatile) pair of diamond and emerald earrings.


Pearl Setting (Duchess of Palma)

In recent years the Emerald tiara was altered again. This time the two round emeralds which were originally set on the base of the tiara were remounted on top of the tiara. The tiara has also been changed to an all diamond setting. Since 2003 the tiara of this parure has also been seen in a setting with diamonds and pearls.

Jewel Tuesday: Pearl Button Tiara

In honour of Princess Maxima & Prince Willem-Alexander’s 10th year wedding anniversary.

This tiara which consists of a thin band adorned with delicate diamond garlands topped with (detachable) diamond and pearl Flowers is also known as the Pearl Button Tiara.

(Detailing)

The Flowers consist of large Bouton or button pearls (dome shaped pearls with a flat back) surrounded by petals set with diamonds.

Queen Sophie brought a diamond leaf (Fleurons) coronet with her when she married the Prince of Orange, the future King Willem III, in 1839. It is often mentioned that the base of that particular tiara was used to create the Pearl Button Tiara but the design is completely different from the current Pearl Button Tiara and it is safe to say that Queen Sophie's coronet was painted quite accurately as there were several portraits made of Queen Sophie through the years in which she was wearing the same tiara and in all of them the base was exactly the same. If the current tiara is indeed a remnant of a 19th century coronet, it has been altered beyond recognition.

The Pearl Buttons were brooches that had belonged to Queen Sophie. Some also had pearl drop pendants. There are quite a number of these brooches in different sizes in the collection.

Queen Wilhelmina attached several of these on the bodice of her dresses at the turn of the 19th century to fasten numerous strands of pearls.

(Juliana)

The tiara with the Pearl Buttons was first seen in 1966 during a pre-wedding gala for Princess Beatrix. It was worn by Princess Armgard, mother in law of Queen Juliana. A year later, princess Margriet choose this tiara with a floral motif as her wedding tiara.

(Margriet)

Queen Juliana wore this tiara on a few occasions and so did Queen Beatrix before she choose to wear this tiara for her investiture in 1980.

(Beatrix)

She has since worn it very frequently. It does suit her wonderfully well.

In 2001 the base of this tiara was used to create a wedding tiara for Princess Maxima. The base was topped with five of Queen Emma's Diamond Stars.

Queen Emma’s Stars

Since this is Princess Maxima’s Wedding Tiara and she didn’t have pearls she had Queen Emma’s Stars.

(Up-Close)

There are two sets of diamond star brooches in the collection. One set contains 5 ten-pointed graduated stars and the other contains 5 twelve-pointed graduated stars. Then there's yet another diamond star brooch with 12 points which was used by both Queen Wilhelmina and Princess Maxima to fasten their sash . Both sets of five stars have belonged to Queen Emma. She received them as wedding presents from her new relatives the Von Wieds and Von Sachsen-Eisenachs in 1879.

Diamond stars were quite in fashion then. Empress Elisabeth (Sissi) of Austria-Hungary had started wearing diamond stars (made by her Viennese Court Jeweller) in her hair a few years earlier and that had sparked quite a rage among royal ladies to wear diamond star jewellery. It's likely that the stars were purchased in Vienna.

The diamond stars are very versatile and can be worn as brooches, hair ornaments, pendants and earrings.

In 1890 King Willem III ordered a new tiara for Queen Emma. The Jeweller was requested to design the tiara so that it would fit five diamonds stars from one set. They were mounted on top of what I now refer to as Queen Emma's Diamond Tiara.

Queen Juliana has worn all stars (from both sets) together on her sash during the British State Visit in the 1950's

(Queen Juliana, Princess Margriet)

(Queen Beatrix)

In 2001 the Dutch Court Jeweller created a wedding tiara with five stars for Maxima Zorreguita who would marry the Prince of Orange the following year. They used the base of the Pearl Button Tiara and mounted it with five 10 pointed stars.

Princess Maxima has worn diamond stars on several other occasions although in recent years they were no loner set on a tiara

My Top 15 Tiaras: #2: The Antique Pearl Tiara

The Antique Pearl or Poiré Pearl Tiara is often described as a remnant of a diamond and pearl coronet or Kokoshnik style tiara that has belonged to Queen Anna Paulowna, born a Grand Duchess of Russia. Queen Anna's pearl tiara was made around 1840 by Russian Court Jeweller Duval for the investiture of  King Willem II.

Queen Anne

It is unknown what exactly happened to this tiara although it's very likely that it passed on to her daughter, Grand Duchess Sophie who inherited most of her jewels and/or that it was broken up to create new jewels (as was often done).

Grand Duchess Sophie (with the pearls for the tiara)

The present day tiara, although perhaps inspired by Queen Anna's tiara, was made around 1900 for Queen Wilhelmina. The diamond base of the tiara consists of a pattern of fine diamond set garlands topped with single set brilliant cut diamonds and fleurs de lils made from marquis and brilliant cut diamonds.

Queen Wilhelmina

Queen Juliana did not wear it often, perhaps because her daughter, Beatrix had been wearing it ever since her 21 birthday. Princess Margriet has also worn the tiara on several occasions

In 2001, Princess Maxima wore the tiara with just the base and no pearls.

Since then, Maxima has worn the tiara with pearls.