Swedish Royal Jewels: Queen Desideria’s Malachite Parure

Time to cover one of the most under-appreciated parures of all times - Queen Desideria’s Malachite Parure.

The malachite parure consists of a tiara, necklace, brooch, two bracelets, and a pair of earrings, all set with carved malachite. The cameos carved on the stones represent classical scenes. For instance, the cameos in the necklace depict Asclepius (god of medicine) and Hygeia (his daughter, goddess of health), Hercules (the Ancient Greek hero) and Hebe (daughter of Zeus and Hera who becomes Hercules’s wife). The central cameo of the tiara symbolises day, while the central stone of the brooch depicts the night, and so on.

British Nobility Jewels: Edwina Mountbatten's Tutti Frutti Bandeau

Since we are discussing tutti frutti jewellery (namely, Princess Maxima’s set) another magnificent jewel in a similar style must be mentioned. I am talking about Edwina Mountbatten’s Tutti-Frutti Bandeau.

Countess Mountbatten of Burma's Tutti Frutti Bandeau 

Edwina, the Countess Mountbatten of Burma was described as one of the “six best dressed women in the world” and was a fashion icon between the two World Wars. Her jewellery collection was appropriately impressive.

Dutch Royal Jewels: Princess Maxima's "Tutti Frutti" Set

One of the more unusual jewels in Princess Maxima’s collection is her Tutti Frutti set.

Maxima's Tutti Frutti Necklace

The name derives from the famous and very similar looking Cartier necklace created for Daisy Fellowes (a picture and brief description of that jewel is at the end of the article). 

Although the provenance of this necklace is unknown, it is almost certainly not Cartier: similar Cartier creations usually have a far higher price tag, and are generally very well-known.

British Royal Jewels: The Duchess of Windsor's Ruby Set

My opinion on the Duchess of Windsor’s jewellery collection is divided; some of them are just too modern for my taste and most lack the most important aspect of royal jewels (for me anyway): rich history. This ruby set from Van Cleef & Arpels is an exception though: I absolutely love it.

Duchess of Windsor's Ruby Set

The union of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor lasted for 35 years until the Duke’s death in 1972. During the period, the former King lavished his wife with many exquisite gifts of jewellery which the Duchess wore to great effect. Pieces in this set were given at various times but each has a special meaning.

British Royal Jewels: The Queen's County of Cornwal Ruby Bracelet

This bracelet is one of the many jewels the Queen has inherited from her grandmother, Queen Mary.

The County of Cornwall Ruby and Diamond Bracelet

It is made of diamond and ruby leaf bands with a diamond and ruby rose centre; the rose is detachable and can be worn separately as a brooch or a pendant. Although popularly known as the Country of Cornwall Bracelet, there is some confusion about its provenance.

British Royal Jewels: Queen's Brazilian Aquamarine Parure and Tiara

The Brazilian Aquamarine Parure consists of one of the most modern jewels in the Queen’s collection. The first pieces of the parure are the earrings and the necklace; in 1953, the President and People of Brazil presented them to Elizabeth II on the occasion of her coronation.

Brazilian Aquamarine and Diamond Parure (without the tiara)

It had reportedly taken the jewellers a whole year to find the perfectly matched aquamarines but it was worth the effort: the Queen liked the set so much she commissioned a matching tiara in 1957. A year later, the Brazilian Government presented Queen Elizabeth with the final elements of the parure – the bracelet and the brooch. 

The Queen has worn the parure, as well as separate elements of it, quite often. It’s not among her most worn pieces but the parure has made quite a respectable number of appearances. 

Dutch Royal Jewels: Queen Juliana’s Aquamarine Tiara and Parure

The Dutch Royal House has, in my opinion, one of the most stunning aquamarine jewellery collections. And since I happen to be a huge fan of the stone, I just couldn’t possibly miss the opportunity to cover the wonderful gems. Since most (if not all) of those jewels come from Queen Juliana’s collection, I count them all as one giant parure.

Queen Juliana's Aquamarine Tiara

The collection started nearly 90 years ago, in 1927; Princess Juliana received from her parents an art deco tiara made of Brazilian aquamarines and diamonds in a platinum frame. The base of the tiara is set with square-cut aquamarines with seven larger aquamarine briolette drops on the top. The tiara was created by the Kempen, Begeer & Vos.