Dutch Royal Jewels: Queen Wilhelmina's Diamond Haircomb

When old jewels that had been accumulating dust in royal vaults see the light of the day, it just warms my heart. And this one had a very long wait: it had been locked away for nearly a century.

Queen Wilhelmina's Diamond Haircomb

The diamond hair ornament or hair comb is in a fringe-like design. The top row diamonds are detachable and other pendants or jewels can be attached.

The piece originally belonged to Queen Wilhelmina and was presented to the Queen by her husband, Prince Hendrik, in late 1910s, along with several other pieces of jewellery.

Queen Wilhelmina wearing the diamond haircomb

Queen Wilhelmina wore it only on handful of (known) occasions on its own, as well as with pearl drops instead of top-row diamonds. This piece hadn't been seen since 1920s and some assumed it was either sold, or broken apart to create new jewels.

Princess Maxima wearing the hair piece during Crown Princess Victoria's pre-wedding celebrations

And then the hairpiece graced Princess Maxima’s head in June of 2010, during the pre-wedding celebrations of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel. It was pretty hard to spot too because Maxima wore it as a hair ornament on the back of her head.

The next appearance was almost two years later, during state visit to Singapore on January 24, 2013; this time, Maxima wore it as a tiara so we were able to get a much better look. 

Princess Maxima wearing the hair piece as a tiara during state visit to Singapore 

This hair piece isn't one I would normally cover because there are far more impressive pieces in Dutch collection; it’s way too small and when it comes to headpieces, I normally accept tiaras-only (well, crowns are OK too). Nevertheless, it’s nice to see surprise appearances from time to time.

Credit: dutchroyaljewels.nl, Royal-Magazine