WEDDING FLOWERS: Sapphires for September
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Showing posts with label Sapphires for September. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sapphires for September. Show all posts

Sapphires for September: the Queen's brooches



Sapphires are the birth stone of September. Their brilliant blue hue has been prized by royalty for centuries and the sparkling stones remain a favourite with modern ruling houses today. The Queen, who marked her Sapphire Anniversary as monarch earlier this year, has a particular fondness for the stones which feature in some of her favourite brooches. Here's a look at some of the best as Sapphires for September continues.


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From granny's jewellery box

Grannies share all kinds of exciting things with their granddaughters and this very exciting brooch is a sparkling reminder to the Queen of her beloved grandmama, Queen Mary. Little Lillibet grew up very close to her grandparents and Queen Mary, usually so severe in many photos, is always seen smiling with real joy in the presence of the granddaughter who would grow up to wear the Crown. This beautiful, and unusual, brooch was given to Mary as a wedding present in 1893 by the then Tsarina of Russia - also her new husband's maternal aunt - and it was left to the Queen when her grandmother died in 1953. A real piece of royal history - straight from the heart.


A present for a princess

One of the most unusual pieces of sapphire jewellery in the Queen's collection is her Chrysanthemum Brooch, given to her when she was still Princess Elizabeth. It was a gift for launching an oil tanker in 1946. It's been a favourite piece for the Queen ever since, chosen for her official engagements photos and touchingly reworn in portraits to mark her Diamond Wedding Anniversary in 2007. 

A feather in the collar

Quirky sapphire brooches were clearly on the royal wish list in the 1940s because this rather unusual piece hails from then as well. The diamond feather set with a single sapphire was given to Princess Elizabeth on her wedding day by the jewellers, Carrington. Reminiscent of a peacock feather, that accessory so beloved of the first queen called Elizabeth, it has an elegance all of its own. A favourite of Elizabeth II and it's easy to see why, this is a real feather in the royal collar.




The brooch of two great queens

This sapphire and diamond sparkler isn't just gorgeous, it's a gift straight from the love story that founded the modern monarchy. This huge sapphire surrounded by stunning diamonds was given to Queen Victoria by her handsome groom, Prince Albert, on the eve of their marriage. It's belonged to the Royal Family ever since and came into the Queen's possession on her accession in 1952. Two women with record breaking reigns to their credit, two queens who have shaped and reshaped the Monarchy to face changing times linked by so much including this sapphire.  



From great granny - via an Imperial Court

This pretty brooch began life as a wedding present from the Queen's great grandmother, Alexandra, then Princess of Wales, to her sister, Dagmar of Denmark, when she wed the future Tsar of Russia in 1866. It was worn by Dagmar (known by her real first name of Marie during her time as Tsarina) throughout her life at the Russian court. When she died, in 1928, that marvellous magpie, Queen Mary, snapped this brooch up and added it to her impressive jewellery collection. It came to the Queen in 1953. 



Double diamonds

Another piece of Russian jewellery to end up with the Queen is this rather impressive sapphire brooch with a double row of diamonds to set it off. It's reported to have ended up with Queen Mary in the 1930s after she bought it from the family of Maria, Tsarina of Russia following her death - probably some time after she acquired the pearl and sapphire brooch above. This is a serious set of jewels - truly fit for a Queen.



A link with the past and the future

King George VI showered his precious Lillibet with jewels and among them is a brooch of sapphires, rubies and diamonds given to her by her papa when she secured the succession with the birth of a son. The sparkling basket of flowers was a gift from George VI to the future Elizabeth II on the arrival of Charles, a baby prince, a king in waiting, the longest serving heir in British history. For the Sapphire Queen, it is a jewel in a million.  

Photo credit:: Wiki Commons

Sapphires for September: the UK


Sapphires are the birth stone of September and have a place in royal history all of their own. Used by kings and queens for centuries, they are a sparkling symbol of regal power recognisable the world over. This month, we're having a look at some of the stunning sapphires currently glittering in the jewellery boxes of Europe's reigning houses. Today it's the sapphires belonging to the Sapphire Queen - Elizabeth II marked the 65th or Sapphire anniversary of her reign earlier this year. And as you'd expect, these are very regal stones indeed.



The Queen inherited some of the most famous jewels in the world when she ascended the throne but all monarchs throughout history have added their own touches to the royal gem collection. This tiara is one of the creations of the reign of Elizabeth II. The Queen commissioned this stunning sapphire and diamond diadem in the early 1960s. It's made from a necklace originally belonging to Princess Louise of Belgium.

Louise veered from racy to tragic in her life. The eldest daughter of King Leopold II of the Belgians, she married very regally and sensibly but that was about as far as following the form went. Louise had an affair and left her husband, causing all kinds of scandals in late 19th century Europe. Her new love forged her sister's signature to try and help the pair out of financial difficulties and Louise ended up in an asylum as a result. She left but had to sell her jewels at some point to pay her way out of trouble. And that's how the sapphires ended up with a for sale ticket and in the jewellery box of Elizabeth II. She acquired them in the middle of the 20th century and this very recognisable tiara was completed in 1963.





The Queen commissioned the tiara to match the set of sapphires given to her in 1947 as a wedding present by her father, King George VI.  The necklace features emerald cut sapphires and they were presented to the bride by her proud papa with a matching set of earrings. The Queen usually wears the tiara and necklace together - there is also a bracelet of sapphires and diamonds added to the set by the Queen. These jewels show the continuity of the House of Windsor, one reign passing to another, as well as the never ending bond between daughter and father. They are famous and fabulous sapphires, real sparklers to celebrate September.

Sapphires for September: the Netherlands


Queen Maxima of the Netherlands in the sapphire tiara of her royal house on the day her husband ascended the throne
(photo koninklijkhuis.nl)


Sapphires are stunning and the regal blue of the deepest stone has made them a favourite for royals for centuries. The modern royal families of Europe possess some pretty cracking tiaras set with sapphires and among the most striking is the one that belongs to Dutch ruling house. The sapphire tiara of the Netherlands is among the most photographed of recent times after Queen Maxima chose to wear it on the day her husband became monarch. But that historic appearance was just the latest chapter in the tale of this diadem. Here are more sapphires for September.


  



The sapphire tiara worn on April 30th 2013 by Maxima as her husband became the first King of the Netherlands in over a century had made its way into the royal jewellery box via the last woman to hold the title of queen consort in the country, King Willem III bought this sapphire selection for his second wife, Queen Emma, two years into their marriage and not long after they had welcomed their only child together, Wilhelmina.

  


It began life in 1881 as an arc of diamonds (over 650 of them in total) rising above a neat row of huge sapphires and ending with a sparkling three pronged spray reminiscent of a fleur de lys. When Maxima wore it for her husband's accession she had the top altered leaving a more modern design that arcs more gently with the round stones building to a much more gradual point.






This is a tiara fit for a queen with Beatrix using it for some of the biggest events in her reign as well as for state visits. It's been seen on Maxima, Beatrix and her mother Juliana keeping up the queenly beginnings of a tiara bought for a young consort at the end of the 19th century.



It's become a popular piece for Queen Maxima who wore it in its traditional setting for a State Banquest in Copenhagen in 2015. And given that the Dutch Royal House also owns a stunning set of sapphire jewels to complement it, this tiara has a regal air and then some every time it's worn. Let's be glad Maxima loves it so much - these sapphires for September are worth a second glance over and over again.

Sapphires for September: Luxembourg



Spot the sapphire - the sparkling Nassau tiara as worn by Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg in an official portrait
(photo Grand Cour Ducale)

Sapphires have sparkled in regal jewel collections for centuries and their deep blue colour is as much associated with royalty as any other. The birthstone for September can be found in stunning settings in the jewel boxes of many of the current ruling houses of Europe. Here's Luxembourg's dazzling diadem in sapphires for September.






The sapphire and diamond tiara used by the royal ladies of Luxembourg traces its history back to the middle of the 19th century. The Nassau tiara was first owned by Adelheid-Marie, the second wife of Adolphe of Nassau who became Grand Duke of Luxembourg in 1890 at the age of 73. By then his Grand Duchess had owned her sapphire tiara for well over two decades.





She would pass it on to her granddaughter, Marie-Adelaide, who became the first woman to take the throne of Luxembourg in its modern form on her accession in 1919. Her reign wasn't a huge success and her perceived support for Germany in World War One led to her abdication in 1919 in favour of her sister, Charlotte, the grandmother of the present Grand Duke, Henri. Grand Duchess Charlotte wore the tiara and it flowed silently and without fuss into the family collection where it's become a favourite in more modern times.




It features one solitary sapphire in the centre of a diamond filled frame. The sparklers are set in a leaf design with a row of diamonds at the top and they climb to a subtle arch above the round sapphire. And because this is a royal tiara there's an extra row of diamonds that can be added at the bottom, for when a bit more regal sparkle is required.

  


Grand Duchess Maria Teresa is fond of this tiara but she's also lent it out to several younger members of Luxembourg's Royal Family with Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie wearing it for an official portrait as well as for part of the accession celebrations for King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands in 2013.  It's a pretty and rather delicate tiara which gets added regal punch from the stunning blue stone at its centre. A delight of a diadem and all because of its sapphire for September.

Sapphires for September: Sweden


Queen Silvia of Sweden wears blue sapphires for the marriage of her only son in June 2015
(photo kungahuset.se)

September's birthstone is the beautiful blue sapphire. This stunning stone has been a staple in royal jewellery for centuries and in the modern era, it's found in some of the most sparkling tiaras owned by European ruling houses. Sweden owns a stunning set of sapphires and, let's face it, blue for a boy is quite appropriate there now as the country's royals are awash with princes. As we find out the name of the latest little man to join the House of Bernadotte later, let's celebrate his arrival with some sparkling blue stones. Welcome to sapphires for September.





The super sapphires of Sweden got a starring role at a big royal wedding when Silvia chose this tiara for the marriage of her only son, Carl Philip, to Sofia Hellqvist. Not only did they tick the blue for a boy box (remember, on his wedding day, Carl Philip was the only chap in the Swedish line of succession) but they also meant the Queen of Sweden attended the marriage of the country's former Crown Prince in a set of gems with real royal history.





The sapphires began their royal story at the start of the 19th century when they were given to Augusta of Bavaria when she married Eugene de Beauharnais. He was the son of the Empress Josephine by her first husband but just before he got married, Napoleon adopted him and it's thought that the stunning sapphires were a wedding gift from his new dad to his new wife.





Their daughter, Josephine, married the future King Oscar I of Sweden in 1823 and when Augusta died in 1851, the sapphires came to Stockholm. They were worn by Queen Josefina (she did that old royal thing of changing her name to suit her new country) but remained a personal possession. They eventually ended up with the woman who would become Queen Louise of Sweden and on her death she gave them to the royal family trust which means they now belong to the ruling house - there's no giving this one away as a present any more.






This is a tiara fit for a queen. It's huge to start off with, made up of a sprawling panel of diamonds set as floral and leaf motifs and even if there were no other stones in this diadem, it would still be impressive. But at the very top are eleven sapphires and you wouldn't describe them as modest. The square cut gems are surrounded by more diamonds and it makes a stand out piece of sapphire jewellery.





Queen Silvia is very fond of it - you can't blame her for that, it's a cracker. It's been seen as State Banquets, at the Nobel Prize ceremony and at her son's wedding. The only way to describe this tiara is royal. It has an air of majesty and grandness about it that never fails to impress.  But it's also very pretty and delicate in its own way. It's a terrific tiara all round.





It's got another big plus point - it's part of a parure. Yes, there are more sapphires to go with this tiara and they're all terrific as well. To match, Silvia has a necklace, hairpins, earrings and a brooch and the sapphires dominate these smaller pieces where they still have diamond surrounds but no sparklers to sit on.






The tiara may well have been the inspiration, in part at least, for the new diadem worn by Princess Sofia for her marriage which follows the same basic design of a wall of diamonds topped by coloured stones, in her case emeralds. And if it was, it's no wonder. These sapphires are stunning and the tiara design still looks fabulous, two centuries after it was first created. These take some beating as sapphires for September.

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