Gold for August: Queen Sonja's modern tiara

Gold for August: Queen Sonja's modern tiara

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Queen Sonja of Norway in her golden tiara during a State Visit to Poland in 2012

(photo kongehuset.no)

August is a chance to look at some of the gems that don't fit the calendar of jewels and golden pieces are right at the top of this sparkling list. Given that it's been associated with royalty for centuries. gold plays little part in the tiara collection of many royal houses but the ruling houses in Scandinavia are changing all that right now. Queen Sonja was a bit of a trailblazer in that regard - meet her golden tiara, you won't forget it in a hurry.

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This very modern and very unusual piece was a present to Sonja from her husband when she turned 60 in 1997. It came with a necklace and earrings and quickly became one of her favourite pieces.

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It's made of gold which has been flattened into sleek strips and turned into a tiara. Between those slats of gold are tiny diamonds to add some sparkle. It's got the air of a kokoshnik tiara about it, a shape not found elsewhere in the Norwegian collection, but while other versions of that design mostly use precious stones to make the frame of the diadem, this is pure gold.

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In the middle is space for a stunner of a sparkler and Sonja has really made the most of this gem opportunity by mixing it up and keeping it fresh. We've seen different shapes of orange topaz artfully arranged in the middle gap to make this piece even more modern (as if that were possible). Sonja has also added a row of small, round diamonds to the centre but perhaps its most distinctive appearance has been with a large green tourmaline at the heart of the headpiece.

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The square cut tourmaline also underlines one of the big issues with this tiara - its tendency to look just a little bit space age. Its shape is so modern and the gold so dominant that its hard not to look at this and think of the final frontier. But Sonja has definitely got the style to make this one work and while it might not be a look that would carry too well, it suits her and then some.

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All in all, this is a modern and very personal take on the tradition of the tiara and one that has made Sonja's mark on the jewellery collection she now commands as Queen of Norway. And it gives us a perfect tiara to add to the mix with its gold for August.

Gold for August: Queen Margrethe's gilded flowers

Gold for August: Queen Margrethe's gilded flowers

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No one else is ever going to be wearing the same headpiece when Margrethe chooses her poppies

They sound as if they should be one of the prettiest modern additions to a royal jewellery box but this set of gem encrusted flowers is controversial and then some. The Golden Poppies belonging to Queen Margrethe of Denmark are a modern take on the traditional head wear of royal ladies but these are a real love them or hate them set of jewels. Here is the most talked about of all the sets made of gold for August.

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The poppies were designed in 1976 for the then relatively new Queen of Denmark - Margrethe had ascended her country's throne four years earlier. The new set of royal jewels were designed by Arje Griegst, a well known Danish designer, and this work has certainly got plenty of attention since.

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The headpiece is made up of eight  poppies, made from flattened 21 carat yellow gold shaped into flowers. Inside are diamonds and pearls to represent the stamens while there are also moonstones and aquamarines as well as crystals and more diamonds and pearls shaped into insects on the flowers. Yes, insects. Because a royal jewellery set needs insects made of gems.

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All of the flowers are detachable and Margrethe has sometimes worn just a couple as an adornment. But once they are altogether there is nothing that can be done to get away from the, shall we say, rather unusual look of this headpiece. It tends to cover the whole crown and it's so bright that it dominates everything in a rather jaggedy way - there's no central point to focus on so the eye is drawn to all the different flowers spreading over Margrethe's hair complete with their insects.

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Tiaras off to this one for trying - it's modern and certainly in a class of its own. But it's certainly not the most attractive or popular piece of royal jewellery out there - we'll put it in the quirky category of gold for August.

Gold for August: Queen Margrethe's sparkling tiara

Gold for August: Queen Margrethe's sparkling tiara

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Golden flowers for a queen - the unusual tiara belonging to Margrethe of Denmark

The birthstones of August, peridot and spinel, are rarely used in royal jewellery but that doesn't mean the calendar of regal gems can just take a month off. The long, hot days of summer are perfect for mopping up some of the sparklers that don't fit anywhere else and where better to start than with a metal that is closely associated with royalty but rarely dominates tiaras - gold. And if you want to find a gold tiara where else would you look than in the Danish royal jewellery box. Queen Margrethe never lets us down.

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This very unusual tiara is a modern addition to the royal jewel vault of Denmark. The golden diadem, studded with diamonds that have to work hard to be noticed against the deep colour of the metal, was presented to Margrethe II in 2012 by the people of Greenland to mark her 40th anniversary as queen.

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It is very modern in design but as its official name suggests, it is based on a very traditional theme for tiaras - flowers. It is part of a set called Naasut which means flowers from Greenland and close up the piles of golden blooms can be seen weaving in and out of one another, all but hiding sparkling diamonds at their centres.

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It was designed by Nicolai Appel and made using melted down golden coins which were struck from metal mined in Greenland itself. There is no doubt where this tiara comes from and no doubt that Margrethe holds it in high esteem - one of her biggest appearances every year comes at the New Year Levees and this tiara took pride of place there in 2013 when the Queen of Denmark wore it at this prestigious and prominent event.

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The Naasut tiara is very beautiful and the intricacy of its design means that you get something new from it with every look. But there's no doubting that this tiara is made of yellow gold - the colour is so dominant it almost overshadows the subtlety of the flowers that make it up. That aside, this really is a modern take on the traditional tiara and sums up its royal owner's flair and style to perfection. Margrethe really makes her mark in this tiara.