We've chosen the ten best royal jewel moments of 2016 -- here's our complete list!
Bringing you sparkling heirloom jewels of royal and noble families from across the globe
31 December 2016
The Top Ten: The Best Royal Jewels of 2016
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The Dutch Star Tiara
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Queen (then Princess) Maxima of the Netherlands wears the star tiara (Sion Touhig/Getty Images) |
30 December 2016
The Best Royal Jewels of 2016: #1 (Madeleine's Tea Party)
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(DOMINIC LIPINSKI/AFP/Getty Images) |
We've made it, everyone: this is the top spot on our Best Jewels of 2016 countdown! (If you've missed any of the list, catch up over here!) Who will be the big winner...?
#1: Madeleine's Tea Party
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(screencap) |
The Best Royal Jewels of 2016: #2 (Mary's Edwardian Tiara)
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(DOMINIC LIPINSKI/AFP/Getty Images) |
We're in the homestretch of our year-in-review countdown, everybody! If you missed any previous posts, catch up over here...
#2: Mary's Edwardian Tiara
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(Henning Bagger/AFP/Getty Images) |
29 December 2016
The Best Royal Jewels of 2016: #3 (Victoria's Nobel Splendor)
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(DOMINIC LIPINSKI/AFP/Getty Images) |
We're getting close to the top of our year in review countdown! Catch up on any posts you missed over here...
#3: Victoria's Nobel Splendor
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(SOREN ANDERSSON/AFP/Getty Images) |
The annual Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm is always one of the most exciting events of the year for royal jewel lovers, and this year, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden gave us a tour-de-force jewel performance.
The Best Royal Jewels of 2016: #4 (Silvia's German Jewels)
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(DOMINIC LIPINSKI/AFP/Getty Images) |
We're getting in to some really amazing jewels now! Our countdown continues with the fourth best bejeweled appearance of the year ... if you missed any of the previous posts, catch up here!
#4: Silvia's German Jewels
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(Clemens Bilan/Getty Images) |
For a dinner at Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin this October, Queen Silvia of Sweden wore two major pieces of royal jewelry with German roots. (Here's our post on the event.)
28 December 2016
The Best Royal Jewels of 2016: #5 (Maxima's Wellington Sparkle)
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(DOMINIC LIPINSKI/AFP/Getty Images) |
Our countdown of the best royal jewels of 2016 is at the halfway mark! Catch up on previous posts in the series over here!
#5: Maxima's Wellington Sparkle
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(Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images) |
The Best Royal Jewels of 2016: #6 (Kate's Royal Loans)
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(DOMINIC LIPINSKI/AFP/Getty Images) |
Our countdown of the best royal jewels of 2016 continues with spot #6. (Catch up on the previous posts in our top ten over here!)
#6: Kate's Royal Loans
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(Stephen Pond/Getty Images) |
27 December 2016
The Best Royal Jewels of 2016: #7 (Beatrice's Rose Ball Glitter)
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(DOMINIC LIPINSKI/AFP/Getty Images) |
We're up to number 7 in our countdown of the best royal jewels of 2016! (Catch up on previous entries on the list over here!)
#7: Beatrice's Rose Ball Glitter
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(VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images) |
When I make "best of" lists like this one, I often find myself drawn to pieces and appearances that were unexpected and surprising. Beatrice Borromeo's jewels from this year's Rose Ball definitely fit that bill. While so many members of Monaco's princely family stick with minimalist, modern jewels, Beatrice went in a completely different (and sparkling) direction this year.
The Best Royal Jewels of 2016: #8 (Astrid's Art Deco Debut)
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(DOMINIC LIPINSKI/AFP/Getty Images) |
We're up to number eight in our year-end countdown! Catch up on numbers 9-10 over here!
#8: Astrid's Art Deco Debut
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(Sean Gallup/Getty Images) |
Until this March, Princess Astrid of Belgium had really only worn one major tiara in public: the Savoy-Aosta Tiara that comes from the collection of her mother-in-law. (More on that one here!) But for a state banquet for the President of Germany in March, Astrid wore a new tiara in public for the first time: her mother's Art Deco Bandeau.
26 December 2016
British Royal Christmas Jewels 2016
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The Windsors walk to church on Christmas (Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images) |
The Best Royal Jewels of 2016: #9 (Sofia's New Tiaras)
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(DOMINIC LIPINSKI/AFP/Getty Images) |
Our countdown of the best royal jewels of 2016 continues...
#9: Sofia's New Tiaras
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(Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images) |
During her first year as a member of Sweden's royal family, Princess Sofia only wore one tiara in public: the Emerald Palmette Tiara that she received as a wedding gift from her new parents-in-law. (More on the background of that tiara here!) But this December, she brought out not one but two new tiaras!
The Best Royal Jewels of 2016: #10 (Albania's Royal Bride)
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(DOMINIC LIPINSKI/AFP/Getty Images) |
#10: Albania's Royal Bride
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(STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images) |
25 December 2016
The Daily Diadem: The Luxembourg Amethyst Tiara
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The Luxembourg Amethyst Tiara (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images) |
Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg wears the Luxembourg Amethyst Tiara during the 2005 National Day celebrations, pairing it with pieces from the family's oval amethyst parure
Merry Christmas!
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Photo: JURE MAKOVEC/AFP/Getty Images |
Happy Holidays, everyone! I celebrate Christmas, so I'm taking today off. I've scheduled a Daily Diadem post for those looking for a little bling today, and then we'll be back tomorrow with our first yearly wrap-up posts. If we get good bling from Sandringham today, it will be up tomorrow as well!
Hope that the day is a wonderful one for all of you!
24 December 2016
The Daily Diadem: The Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara
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The Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) |
Grand Duchess Augusta of Mecklenburg-Strelitz wears the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara (borrowed, perhaps, from her granddaughter, Jutta) for the coronation of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, August 1902
Queen Sofia's Tiara
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Queen Silvia wears Queen Sofia's Tiara at the 2011 Nobel Prize Banquet [Photo: JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images] |
23 December 2016
The Daily Diadem: Grand Duchess Alexandra's Honeysuckle Tiara
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Grand Duchess Alexandra's Honeysuckle Tiara (Photo: Grand Ladies Site) |
Grand Duchess Alexandra of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (born Princess Alexandra of Hanover) wears a tiara made of honeysuckle/anthemion designs in a portrait
This Week in Royal Jewels: December 16-22
December 16-22, 2016
Can you believe it, everyone? It's time for our last regular weekly roundup of the year! We'll be delving into year-in-review posts next week -- but in the meantime, don't forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!
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Photo: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images |
10. Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden visited Italy this week. On Friday, she wore a pair of dark hoop earrings with a small round dangle for a party in Milan.
22 December 2016
The Daily Diadem: Grand Duchess Feodora's Tiara
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Grand Duchess Feodora's Tiara (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) |
Grand Duchess Feodora of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach wears an elaborate tiara and court dress in an early twentieth-century portrait
Book Review: Victoria: The Queen
I'm gearing up to write about the new miniseries about Queen Victoria when it airs here on PBS in January (all of you in Britain have already seen it, lucky ducks!). I've been doing my homework, and one of the books I've been enjoying most while brushing up is Julia Baird's new biography of Queen Victoria.
21 December 2016
Statement Earrings for Letizia in Madrid
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Queen Letizia attends a Foundation Against Drug Addiction meeting (Photo: Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images) |
The Daily Diadem: Grand Duchess Caroline's Tiara
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Grand Duchess Caroline's Tiara (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) |
Grand Duchess Caroline of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (nee Princess Caroline Reuss of Greiz) wears an elaborate tiara in a portrait, ca. 1903
Jewels We Didn't See on The Crown
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Replicas of the Vladimir Tiara and Queen Alexandra's Wedding Necklace on display at Liberty [Photo courtesy of The Lady and the Rose] |
We've spent a lot of time analyzing and assessing the jewelry shown on screen in Netflix's The Crown. (If you missed any of our recaps, head over here to catch up!) But -- as it turns out -- there were jewels made for or rented by the production that never showed up on screen!
A good friend of mine, the blogger behind The Lady and the Rose, recently visited the exhibition of costumes from the series at Liberty of London, and she's graciously allowed me to share a few photos with you. Get ready for a couple of jewelry head-scratchers!
20 December 2016
The Daily Diadem: The Baden Seed Pearl Tiara
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The Baden Seed Pearl Tiara (Image: Wikimedia Commons) |
Grand Duchess Stéphanie of Baden (born Stéphanie de Beauharnais) wears her seed pearl tiara in an engraving
Jewel History: Three Royal Widows at Christmas (1922)
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Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom and Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia [Photo: Wikimedia Commons] |
"Three Royal Widows at Christmas"
(originally appeared in the Indianapolis Star, 18 December 1922)
Two dowager queens and one dowager empress of Europe, the widows of the former kings of England and Denmark and an emperor of Russia, are to spend the Christmas holidays together in England.
19 December 2016
Catherine Zoraida for Kate's Christmas Party
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The Duchess of Cambridge attends a Christmas gathering at The Mix (Photo: ALASTAIR GRANT/AFP/Getty Images) |
The Daily Diadem: Grand Duchess Hilda's Diamond Tiara
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Grand Duchess Hilda's Diamond Tiara (Image: Grand Ladies Site) |
Grand Duchess Hilda of Baden wears her diamond tiara, which today is on display at the museum at Karlsruhe Palace
Bejeweled Close-Ups: The Cameo Parure
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Crown Princess Victoria wears the cameos on her wedding day (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images) |
Today, the cameos belong to the Bernadottes of Sweden, who inherited them via the Duke of Leuchtenberg. The tiara has become something of an unofficial bridal diadem for the Swedish royal women. (You can read a more complete timeline of the set's history here.) The central cameo in the tiara depicts a scene from the myth of Cupid and Psyche, but each cameo is unique. Here's a series of images that give us a close-up look at the set, which is made of cameos, gold, diamonds, and pearls.
18 December 2016
The Daily Diadem: Queen Victoria's Pearl and Diamond Tiara
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Queen Victoria's Pearl and Diamond Tiara (Photo: Grand Ladies Site) |
Princess Louise, Duchess of Connaught wears Queen Victoria's Pearl and Diamond Tiara in an 1883 portrait. The tiara was a gift to Victoria from the Aga Khan; its current whereabouts are apparently unknown
The Marie Curie Daffodil Ring
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The Marie Curie Daffodil Ring (Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) |
17 December 2016
The Daily Diadem: The Fife Tiara
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The Fife Tiara (Photo: Grand Ladies Site) |
Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife wears the Fife Tiara in a portrait
The Napoleonic Cut-Steel Tiara
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Crown Princess Victoria wears the Napoleonic Cut-Steel Tiara at the 2016 Nobel Banquet [Photo: SOREN ANDERSSON/AFP/Getty Images] |
16 December 2016
The Daily Diadem: Lady Warwick's Diamond Aigrette
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Lady Warwick's Diamond Aigrette (Photo: Grand Ladies Site) |
Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick wears a diamond aigrette in a portrait, ca. 1897
This Week in Royal Jewels: December 9-15
December 9-15, 2016
Here's our roundup of the best royal jewels that weren't worn for Nobel gala events this week! Be sure to vote for your favorites in the poll below!
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Photo: LEX VAN LIESHOUT/AFP/Getty Images |
10. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wore earrings by Natan to coordinate with her dress on Thursday for the awarding of the Prince Claus Prize in Amsterdam; she also accessorized with her diamond initial bracelet and her diamond and citrine ring.
This Week in Nobel Gala Jewels: December 10-11
December 10-11, 2016
It's really massively unfair to make any other jewelry compete with the royal glitter in Scandinavia during the Nobel gala celebrations, so we've got a separate roundup just for them this week! (The regular jewelry roundup will be up in a few hours, so stay tuned.) Don't forget to vote in our special poll!
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Photo: LISE AASERUD/NTB SCANPIX/AFP/Getty Images |
10. Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway wore a headband of baroque pearls and a pair of coordinating earrings at the Nobel Peace Prize Banquet in Oslo. (See more images, including pearl close-ups, here!)
15 December 2016
Presents and Pearls for Princess Charlene
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Princess Charlene distributes gifts at the annual palace Christmas celebration (Photo: VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images) |