Housekeeping Note: We’ll pick up Designer Diaries again in 2022! Also, the Christmas Greetings post has been updated with entries from Monaco and Spain.
Ah, the Nobel ceremonies. How we miss you in your grand tiara-ful form! Someday you will return in all your glory. In the meantime, we’ll soothe our souls by focusing on the jewel journeys of some of the historic Swedish royal gems. Many of them crop up at the Nobel ceremonies, so if we can’t see them, we can at least talk about them.
They call this the Bernadotte Emerald demi-parure because it only (!) contains a necklace, earrings, and a pair of brooches, one large and one small (relatively speaking). But what emeralds. And what a journey! They are the jewel equivalent of that extended family member who re-invents themselves every time you see them.
The parure was originally designed as a belt for the first Bernadotte King, Carl XIV Johan. He wore them as part of his military uniform, a swashbuckling style that I can only dream will return someday. The belt buckle became the centerpiece for the large brooch and the rest were converted by Queen Sophia in the 1880s into a necklace and a small brooch. At some point, the current Bernadottes had the necklace shortened from 16 emeralds to 14 emeralds. Just last September, the two emeralds that had been removed popped up as earrings, worn by Queen Silvia during the German State visit.
Princess Sibylla 1963 Nobel Ceremonies
King Carl Gustaf’s mother, Princess Sibylla, was fond of the emeralds, frequently pairing them with the Connaught tiara. Note the longer length of the necklace during this era. The large brooch was used to secure her sash.
Princess Christina 1970
One of our favorite Haga Princesses, Christina, wore the long version of the necklace to a 1970 event. (Hat tip to the Royal Watcher for finding this gem of a photo – you should read their post on the emeralds, too!)
Crown Princess Victoria 2012 Nobel Ceremonies
Crown Princess Victoria wore the shortened version of the necklace and used the brooches to secure her sash and to adorn her elaborate hairstyle.
Queen Silvia 2021 German State Visit
Queen Silvia secured our attention when she debuted the emerald earrings with the shortened necklace and the Nine Prong Tiara during the recent German State Visit.
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