
We recently marveled at some red carpet-worthy opals, and today I’ve got a recent example of a royal opal brooch outing. Queen Maxima opted for a special heirloom opal brooch as she celebrated an award-winning Dutch business in Dinteloord.

The Queen of the Netherlands headed to the village of Dinteloord in North Brabant last week to make a visit to Royal Cosun, an agricultural cooperative owned by more than 8,000 sugar beet growers. The company operates the largest sugar factory in Europe.

Queen Máxima learned all about sugar beets during her visit to the company’s headquarters. In May 2024, the firm was honored with the King Willem I Award, described as the “most prestigious accolade for courageous, resilient, and sustainable entrepreneurship” in the Netherlands. Máxima is the honorary chair of the prize.

For her visit to the beet factory, Máxima appropriately wore an ensemble in bright, rich red tones. (Anyway, when I think of beets, I think about the color red—but I think sugar beets are actually white? You all know by now that I’m not particularly well-versed in flora and fauna!) Per UFO No More, she paired a Natan top and skirt with a Max Mara coat and coordinating accessories.

Máxima accessorized with special jewelry pieces from the royal vaults and her personal collection. She wore a pair of heirloom diamond cluster earrings, which we recently saw Princess Amalia wear with diamond drops. Máxima’s brooch, pinned near her left shoulder, is also an antique piece from the royal vaults: a diamond, ruby, and opal brooch in the shape of a spray of leaves.

The floral brooch has been in the family for five generations. It was made at the end of the nineteenth century for Queen Emma, who was the wife of King Willem III and the mother of Queen Wilhelmina. Later, the brooch was a particular favorite of Wilhelmina’s daughter, Queen Juliana. She wears it above on Prinsjesdag in 1975.

The brooch was worn occasionally by Juliana’s daughter, Princess Beatrix, during her tenure as Queen of the Netherlands. Above, she wears it in Brunei during one of the last major trips of her reign.

Queen Máxima took her time bringing this brooch out of the vaults. She didn’t wear the piece in public until June 2023, when she brought it with her during the Dutch state visit to Belgium. The Royal Cosun visit is, I believe, Máxima’s second public appearance in the brooch.

Though we often see Máxima pile on the bracelets and rings, she kept the rest of her jewelry rather simple for her visit to the beet factory. She wore a diamond-tipped gold bangle on her right wrist and her watch and a gold charm bracelet on her left. Here, you also get a glimpse of a ring on her right hand. I believe this is the ruby and diamond ring that King Willem-Alexander gave to her to celebrate the birth of Princess Amalia in December 2003.
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