Rubies for July: Denmark

Rubies for July: Denmark

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The fiery red birthstone of July has been a favourite for royals over centuries and this month's look at their modern use ends with one of the best known ruby tiaras around right now. The Danish Ruby Tiara, part of a stunning parure, is now used by Crown Princess Mary and it's such a favourite we get to see it at least once a year. But it has a long and romantic history so to end our look at this month's birthstone, here are rubies for July from Denmark.

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Given that these rubies sit merrily alongside a whole load of diamonds it seems as if they were made for Danish royals with their clever echoing of the country's flag colours. In fact, these sparklers started their royal path with a French woman who became Queen of Sweden. The rubies in this parure first belonged to Desiree Clary.

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Desiree's rubies were bought for the coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte as Emperor of France on December 2nd 1804. By then she was married to Jean Bernadotte, Marshal of France and he, like other important members of Napoleon's circle, received cash from the boss to buy his wife enough jewellery to make the whole event sparkle like none before. Desiree may have had another reason for wanting the best gems she could find - she had been engaged to Napoleon herself but he had left her for Josephine, the woman about to be crowned Empress.

Desiree, Queen of Sweden, was the first owner of Denmark's famous rubies

Desiree got a crown of her own in the end. Her husband was elected as heir to the throne of Sweden in 1810 and succeeded in 1818. His wife was something of a reluctant queen but she returned to the Swedish court and even changed her name to Desideria. Her rubies and diamonds came with her and that's where they stayed for decades.

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But they weren't destined to stay in Sweden. They ended up in Denmark when Desiree's great granddaughter, Louisa, married that country's Crown Prince, Frederik, in 1869.  They were handed over to her as she left for Copenhagen as they matched the colours of her new country's flag. And Denmark is where they have stayed ever since.

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Another Swedish princess turned Queen of Denmark loved them so much they became a signature piece. Ingrid, mother of Queen Margrethe, wore the rubies constantly and had a big hand in giving the set its modern appearance. The jewels are very pretty and very unusual with the small rubies set among diamond leaves to form floral settings. Ingrid really changed the shape of the tiara, adding more gems to it, to create the diadem we know today. She loved these rubies and diamonds and gave them a big royal profile. When she died she ensured they gained another layer of history.

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Queen Ingrid stipulated in her will that the rubies and diamonds of Desiree would pass to her beloved grandson, Crown Prince Frederik, ensuring they gained another hold on the Danish crown. When Ingrid passed away in November 2000 the gems came to Fred who had by then met a certain Mary Donaldson. The new Crown Princess of Denmark made these her go to piece immediately, famously wearing them at her pre wedding gala in May 2004. Mary has loved them as much as Ingrid ever since. The red and white of Denmark's flag continues to sparkle in jewel form in the 21st century. Romantic, dramatic and very regal - a perfect way to end rubies for July.

Rubies for July: the Netherlands

Rubies for July: the Netherlands

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Queen Maxima of the Netherlands in one of the ruby tiaras belonging to her royal house

Rubies have been used by royalty for centuries. In fact, it's one of the most regal gem stones there is. It's bright colour and deep hues make it a stand out stone for royalty but while the huge rubies of history sat happily in crowns, orbs and sceptres, the smaller settings used in modern gems made it less popular for designs in the 19th and 20th centuries when many tiaras were being designed. The Dutch Royal House has a very famous ruby tiara in its jewellery box from the late 19th century which showcases this fiery gem against a sea of sparkle. Here are Rubies for July from the Netherlands.

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Perhaps the most striking of the trio of ruby settings is the diamond and ruby tiara made for Queen Emma in 1889.  It is very grand and features six huge rubies set in three pairs amidst a huge amount of very huge diamonds.

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This tiara is based around  a large scroll in the middle and two smaller matching scrolls on either side. They are each composed of diamonds with a ruby at the centre of all three scrolls and another sitting on top of all of them. The scrolls are linked by rows of huge, round diamonds with more sparklers set in lines tapering the tiara round to almost the back of the head.

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It was made by the famous jewellery house, Mellerio, also responsible for some very famous pieces in other royal collections (the pearl shell tiara in Spain is among the best known) and it was a present for Queen Emma from her husband, King Wilhelm III, the last man to rule the Netherlands until the accession of his great, great grandson Willem-Alexander in 2013. And the present king's wife, Queen Maxima, is rather fond of this piece using it for one of her state portraits as well as for big events including royal weddings.

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It's a grand tiara, fit for a queen, and while the rubies stand out they have to fight for supremacy with all those stunning sparklers sitting round them. It's very pretty and rather delicate and like many ruby tiaras, it looks very much of the time in which it was made (see the Burmese ruby tiara for another example). Maxima loves it but what do you think of these rubies for July?

Photo credit: koninklijkhuis.nl