![The Princess of Orange leaves her hotel in Amman on the way to a wedding reception for Crown Prince Hussein and Princess Rajwa of Jordan on June 1, 2023 (Albert Nieboer/DPA Picture Alliance/Alamy)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-0412-01-tiaras01.jpg?resize=1200%2C814&ssl=1)
As we wrap up a July filled with the month’s sparkling birthstone, the regal ruby, it’s time to gaze at one more ruby tiara from a reigning royal family: the unusual and striking Ruby Peacock Tiara from the Dutch royal vaults.
![The Queen of the Netherlands attends a gala dinner for the diplomatic corps at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam on June 5, 2024 (Albert Nieboer/DPA Picture Alliance/Alamy)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024-0612-01-maxima06.jpg?resize=1200%2C1816&ssl=1)
The tiara itself was made in 1897 by Schürmann during the reign of Queen Wilhelmina, though the rubies in the piece were apparently owned by Queen Sophie, who died in 1877. The central peacock element is detachable and can be worn separately.
![Portrait of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, taken after her inauguration in Amsterdam on September 9, 1948 (Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024-0613-03-peacock02.jpg?resize=1200%2C1482&ssl=1)
The suite also includes a large brooch and a necklace, which was worn by Queen Juliana at her investiture in September 1948.
![Princess Irene attends Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard's 30th wedding anniversary celebrations, 1967 (Eric Koch/Anefo/Nationaal Archief/Wikimedia Commons)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2022-0805-01-irene07.jpg?resize=1200%2C1747&ssl=1)
Most of the Dutch tiaras are a part of a family foundation designed to keep the royal collection intact. However, this piece has floated around within the family a bit. Wilhelmina gave the tiara to one of her granddaughters, Princess Irene (sister of Princess Beatrix), even though she’d scandalized the family with her marriage to Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Parma. Irene wore the tiara for years, and then it disappeared from public view for some time.
![Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands attends a gala dinner celebrating the 70th birthday of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark on April 16, 2010 (Albert Nieboer/DPA Picture Alliance/Alamy)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024-0613-03-peacock03.jpg?resize=1200%2C1546&ssl=1)
But it’s quite possible that the tiara has finally found its way into the family foundation, because it has found its way back onto Dutch royal heads. Queen Maxima, Princess Amalia, and Princess Beatrix have all worn the tiara several times.
![Princess Maxima of the Netherlands attends a state dinner in Oman on January 10, 2012 (ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP/Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024-0613-03-peacock04.jpg?resize=1200%2C1561&ssl=1)
One of Maxima’s first major appearances in the tiara came during a state banquet in Oman in 2012.
![Queen Maxima of the Netherlands attends a dinner with the Governor General of Canada at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on May 27, 2015 (DAVE CHAN/AFP/Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024-0613-03-peacock01.jpg?resize=1200%2C1818&ssl=1)
She’s worn it for multiple state dinners since, including banquets in Poland and Canada. And she’s also worn the brooch and the necklace from the suite.
![The Queen of the Netherlands attends a gala dinner for the diplomatic corps at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam on June 5, 2024 (Albert Nieboer/DPA Picture Alliance/Alamy)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024-0612-01-maxima04.jpg?resize=1200%2C1791&ssl=1)
The necklace and the tiara are very similar in design, and some have expressed that it’s difficult to tell them apart. Here’s the easiest way: in the “peacock tail” portion of the design of the tiara, the top stones are diamonds; in the necklace, the end of the “tail” (which faces toward the wearer’s toes) is set with rubies.
![The Princess of Orange is pictured ahead of a state banquet in honor of the King and Queen of Spain at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam on April 17, 2024 (Albert Nieboer/DPA Picture Alliance/Alamy)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-0417-01-netherlands09.jpg?resize=1200%2C1878&ssl=1)
Happily, it seems this rogue tiara has found its way back to the palace rather than taking the usual path, which often leads straight to the auction block.
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