Requests Sunday: Josephine of Leuchtenberg's Amethyst Parure

The third and final article on this week’s Sunday Requests is dedicated to Josephine of Leuchtenberg’s Amethyst Tiara and Parure. Several people requested an entry on this suite, and I also had a request for amethysts separately, so here we go. 

The Amethyst Tiara

This parure has many names and I suppose it’s a matter of choice which names to use; “Queen Josephine’s Amethyst Parure” is just my preference. Others call this set “The Napoleonic Amethyst Parure” or simply “The Swedish Amethyst Parure”. 

The Amethyst Demi-Parure dates back to the first French Empire. Originally, it belonged to Empress Josephine who gave the set as a wedding gift to Princess Augusta Amalia of Bavaria upon her marriage to Eugene de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg (Empress Josephine’s son).

Swedish Royal Jewels: Queen Josephine's Pearl and Ruby Brooch

Just as with the Bernadotte Diamond Rose Brooch, this jewel is nowadays most often worn as a hair ornament as well.

Queen Josephine's Pearl and Ruby Brooch

As the name suggests, this pearl and ruby brooch originally belonged to Josephine of Leuchtenberg, wife of King Oscar I of Sweden. It is in a form of a flower; five pearls nest in a frame of rubies, while the rest of the jewel is encrusted with diamonds.

King Oscar presented this brooch to his wife in 1830s. It was a symbolic present since the five pearls in the brooch represented the couple's five children - Carl (future Carl XV), Gustaf, Oscar (future Oscar II), Eugenie, and August.

Swedish Royal Jewels: Bernadotte Diamodn Rose Brooch

The Swedish Royal ladies are known for their inventive ways of incorporating jewels into their hairstyles. Not content with the huge number of tiaras and hairpieces, they adapt other jewels for the purpose.

Bernadotte Rose Brooch

Among such jewels is the Bernadotte Diamond Rose Brooch. It is the form of a beautiful rose on a short stem, surrounded by leaves and rosebuds, all encrusted with diamonds.

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.