The Queen of Denmark Wears Antique Diamonds at the Glyptoteket

There was another big antique jewelry moment during last week’s Vietnamese state visit to Denmark, when Queen Mary brought out heirloom diamond earrings for the return dinner in Copenhagen.

On the second evening of last week’s state visit to Denmark, President To Lam of Vietnam and his wife, Ngo Phuong Ly, hosted a return dinner for their royal hosts at the Glyptoteket in Copenhagen. The museum has a major, renowned collection of antique sculptures from ancient cultures, as well as a notable collection of French art. It’s been a popular venue for return dinners during Danish state visits in recent years.

For the dinner, Queen Mary wore, per UFO No More, a deep purple midi dress with a matching clutch bag and an interesting pair of lace shoes. She covered up in a dark coat, worn cape-style, in the autumn evening.

The event didn’t call for grand gala jewels, but delightfully, Queen Mary took the opportunity to wear heirloom diamonds anyway. She added a shorter setting of Hereditary Princess Caroline’s diamond floral earrings to the ensemble.

The nineteenth-century earrings are part of the Danish Royal Property Trust. They were sold at auction after the death of Caroline, who was the daughter of King Frederik VI of Denmark, in 1881. The buyer, though, was Crown Princess Lovisa of Denmark, who wore the earrings both before and after she became Queen of Denmark in 1906. They’ve been part of the property trust for years, and Queen Margrethe II wore them often for gala occasions.

Queen Mary made her first appearance in the diamond floral earrings during one of the New Year receptions at Christiansborg Palace in January 2025. She also wore a shorter setting of the earrings on that occasion.

Eagle-eyed viewers will have noted that there’s more sparkle peeking out from the edge of Mary’s coat—though when I explain further, you probably won’t be devastated that the accessory wasn’t more visible.

Mary’s dress came straight from the designer with a brooch-style accessory already attached to the garment. The official Roland Mouret website notes, “A removable flower brooch and self-fabric belt add a refined flourish to the sleek silhouette.”

Here’s a closer look at the flower brooch itself. The website doesn’t explain what the pin is made of, but I think it’s fair to guess that crystals and plated metal are involved.

We did get a better look at a few more jewelry pieces worn by Mary for the Glyptoteket dinner: a bracelet set with pale lavender amethysts, stacked diamond rings on her left hand, and a diamond and amethyst cocktail ring on her right.

Here’s another view of the amethyst bracelet and amethyst ring, worn by Mary during a gala dinner in Houston in March 2019.

There’s more sparkle on the horizon in just a few hours, when the free mid-week edition of Hidden Gems arrives in your inboxes. It’s a glittering one, featuring a very interesting royal tiara that will soon be sold by Sotheby’s. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss it!