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).

Requests Sunday: Crown Princess Margaret's Egyptian Necklace

I missed the last two Requests Sunday (sorry for that) so, as promised, today we have three entries. The first article is dedicated to Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden's Egyptian Necklace - a piece that has been requested several times since Princess Lilian's death on 10 March.

Crown Princess Margaret's Egyptian Necklace

This interesting an unusual necklace is adorned with rubies, emeralds, diamonds and a sapphire, and decorated with scarabs. It was made by Jeweller Koch of Frankfurt in 1905. 

The necklace was a wedding gift to Margaret of Connaught from King Gustaf V of Sweden and Victoria of Baden on the occasion of Margaret’s marriage to their son, Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf (future Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden).

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.

Swedish Royal Jewels: Crown Princess Victoria's Epaulette Earrings

One of the most beautiful pieces of jewellery Crown Princess Victoria owns (other than tiaras of course - nothing beats tiaras) are her Epaulette Earrings.

Victoria's Epaulette Earrings

Victoria first wore this pair for her pre-wedding gala, sparkling a bit of a debate. Since they had never been seen before, most people assuming that they are a new acquisition. The Court, however, confirmed the earrings were in fact diamond epaulettes. Victoria subsequently wore this pair of earrings to the 2011 banquet for the Nobel Laureates.

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.