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: The Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure

This neo-classical sapphire and diamond parure has to be one of the most beautiful works of jewellery craftsmanship ever. From the design to the rich colour of the sapphires – it is quite simply perfection. Not to mention, it is also one of the most complete parures out there.

The Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure

The original parure consisted of a tiara, necklace, earrings, brooch and four hairpins. At some point, the original earrings were separated from the set, and so Queen Louise had two of the earrings converted into a pair of earrings. 

To learn about each individual element of the parure, as well as its history and provenance, read on.