Queen Mathilde Jewellery 1: Ending 2021


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Well done Hannelore - congratulations !

I never knew how was the Reaction at that time from the Belgians who give the tiara or from Queen Elisabeth seeing their present completely changed because the new Princess did not like it.

I think Astrid changed the tiara bedore 1934 , she wore it for Princess Marie-Josée Wedding in Rome in 1930.

The same is for her Stockholm tiara. She wore it once and then only the pear as brooch.

Who paid the Arches ?? Where is the base of the Stockholm tiara ??
 
The arches maybe are a "left over" from a broken-up collier or bracelet and added to the diadem. Princess Astrid was right to dislike the diadem. What were the designers thinking? A beautiful band with eleven ugly bare sticks topped with a diamond?
 
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I've never noticed the round diamonds inside the losenges before,they look a little bit lost inside and would make a lovely necklace for Queen Mathilde.
 
What surprises me is that the eleven big diamonds in the Nine Provinces Diadem are not top class. Together they are 100 carat, which is nice but... in a white diamond, the presence of a yellow tint will significantly lower the price of a diamond. The less body color in a white diamond, the more true color it will reflect, and thus the greater its value.... Think about the four C's: Carat, Cut, Colour and Clarity.

The eleven big diamonds all have a clear yellow tint. See this picture. The colour difference is clear. The surprise is that a country like Belgium, with diamonds from (then) Belgian Congo, and with worldfamous diamond industries in Antwerp actually gave their new Queen (Princess Astrid of Sweden) eleven eye-catching diamonds which are not superior. Not that they are less lovely but it significantly drops the value and isn't a Queen worth the best of the best to represent her great country?

:flowers:
 
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I actually think the yellow diamonds in the tiara are quite a lovely contrast. Maybe the idea was not especially to go for the highest value but for a different "look". As you said they certainly could have provided the clear diamonds. Maybe they went for a distinctive look instead.
 
Here's a few close-ups of the tiara. Click on the magnifying mirror to see the image in the original size.
 
Princess of Durham said:
I actually think the yellow diamonds in the tiara are quite a lovely contrast. Maybe the idea was not especially to go for the highest value but for a different "look". As you said they certainly could have provided the clear diamonds. Maybe they went for a distinctive look instead.
Click to expand...

According the book Koninklijke Juwelen by Christophe Vachaudez this diadem (the geometric bandeau with eleven spikes topped with large diamonds, to be worn low on the forehead à la the mode of those days) was a national gift to Princess Astrid of Sweden and it was by Nationale Intekening / Souscription Nationale (National Inscription). This means: anyone was free to contribute to the gift by inscription on the post office or town hall.

The eleven bigger diamonds came from the Belgian Congo and were cut by craftsmen from the Antwerp diamond industry. It is not clear to me if Belgian Congo was able to provide purest diamonds of the highest quality or that it was a matter of the prize tag attached to it. (Were the funds from the Nationale Intekening enough?) The diadem (in the original design) was designed by Jeweller De Bever and completely set in platinum.

About the arches, Christophe Vachaudez wrote: "Before Princess Astrid became Queen, she requested a change of the diadem. Around each of the eleven diamonds, lozenge-shaped arches were added. On base of a portrait from Queen Joséphine of Sweden, wearing a hairband with a similar motif, one can think about a far inheritance, but nothing is mentioned in the lists with presents received by the Princess. When one would have the chance to have a closer look to the setting, then it will reveal if older pieces were used for the change, or not."

:flowers:
 
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Humera said:
Here's a few close-ups of the tiara. Click on the magnifying mirror to see the image in the original size.
Click to expand...

Thank you. The close up definitely shows irregular gaps which look something like black (needle) wires indeed, which are not visible on older pictures.
 
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:previous:

you are right about the wires. I see them too. Less disturbing than one of these ugly bases that some other tiaras have to attach it to the hair though.

Interesting that a jewel Josephine of Leuchtenberg served as an inspiration for the new design.

Humera said:
Here's a few close-ups of the tiara. Click on the magnifying mirror to see the image in the original size.
Click to expand...

Thanks Humera! Those close ups are great! Lovely to see the details of the tiara up close.
 
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I hope reading one day something more positive about our best jewels (100 carats !, if they were that bad, the Anwerp's craftsmen should have complain), the surroundings of the schools of our royal princes etc... from a very clever Dutch Gentleman living in France ?
May I add that the Elephant Order it to be seen on its side and not on its front...
 
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Do not complain, Queen Mathilde was -finally- amongst the best bejewelled ladies of the night. But as this is about discussing royal jewels, we can discuss why there were visible wires wrapped around the base, where the arches come from (according Vachaudez still unknown) and why the eleven large diamonds have a yellowish tint which is surprising given the reputation of Antwerp as "diamond capital". Exactly because of thát reputation one would expect the Queen of the Belgians having the purest diamonds in her best diadem. That is all.
 
There are no "visible wires", Henri.The gaps in the bandeau are there to allow flexability. As you must know, the tiara can be worn as choker and as a pair of bracelets, so it has to be flexible. The gaps are where the hinges are, which allow the curving of the jewel.
As for the yellowish tint in the solitaires... Yellow diamonds have been among the highest priced stones at auctions for years and they help for a more interesting design. :)
 
:previous:I am so glad that I am not alone in thinking that those lines in the tiara base are gaps and not wires. If they were wires, wouldn't they go streight over the jewel? But instead they curve around the stones, the stones never seem to be covered by them, imo.

I don’t think that looking at old photos can help solving this question. It is only recently that these amazing high resolution pics are possible due to advanced technology. Old pics wouldn’t show the details good enough, imho.
 
:previous:That's a good point. I've had a careful look at the closeups and if those were wires, they wouldn't be so meticulously placed, they'd inevitably cover a stone or two. Plus they'd have a slightly raised texture. Instead those gaps sort of fit together like a puzzle so they must be there for flexibility.
 
It are wires because the intervals are irregular in the very regular design.

When you concentrate on the S-motifs, then you see most of the S are not 'covered' by a wire but some have a bit in the bottom 'tail' of the S . The S-motif under the third arch clearly suddenly has two of these wires. Under the central arch you see a meander "cut" in half by a black line, this is not repeated by the other meanders. Under the second arch (at the left) you see a straight wire from top to bottom of the bandeau. Yes, of course the bandeau is flexible but as this is no floral design or one with an irregular scroll motif, but a very geometric design with repeating patterns: meander motifs with S-motifs as intervals, these irregular black lines must be wires.

We will see when more pictures pop up.

math1.jpg Photo by trfh | Photobucket
 
The meander under the second arch (L-R) is halved in two because this is just where the bandeau breaks to form a bracelet. There is the same line from top to bottom of the exact same place on the other side. I have seen such close-ups from 2004, when it was worn as choker and there was not base to fix with wires.
I'll try to explain the gaps in another way - the meanders of the bandeau are fixed to one another and form a solid construction. They are not connected by hoops and the meanders are placed at an angle (unlike the Swedish sapphire tiara). So, the jeweller had to come with some solution for the bending of the jewel when it was in use as choker or bracelet. The solution was to 'break' the meanders in places convinient for the bending/curving of the jewel around the neck/wrist and place the hinges there. If you look closely, you'll notice that there is a kind of patterrn in the gaps, so it follows the shape of the bandeau.
Why the hinges were placed exactly where they are I can not tell. I know for sure, though, that the jeweller did not expect some people from all over the world to muse over his decision and to wonder why he did what he did. HD photos were not known then and you have to be very close to the royal head to see gaps... So it was a non-issue at the time of Leopold and Astrid's wedding.
BTW, I also agree that this is not the most pleasing efect to the eye in HD photos, but I still like the bandeau :)
 
It's two different necklaces, I have made a comparison:
right: pre-wedding in Luxembourg, left: wedding in Monaco
View image: be ma comp

I wonder if these necklaces were loans, because I can't remember that she has repeated them.
 
Thanks Tilla for its comparison.
I think also they are loans.
We have to wait wich one we will see again. Mathilde did not wear necklaces since she is Queen. But she may wear her Princess tiara as necklace with the Nine Province tiara.
 
Stefan said:
She also wore a great necklace in 2007 for the 40th birthday of then Priince Willem-Alexander. i believe this one was also not worn again.
Click to expand...
Yes, I don't think this one was repeated.
Crown Princess Mathilde Of Begium Attends A Festive Reception At Het... Nachrichtenfoto | Getty Images

I think the only diamond necklace she has repeated was her laurel tiara-necklace.

In the future she could also wear the base of the 9 provinces tiara as a choker. And if we are very lucky, maybe some necklace of Queen Fabiola?
 
Tilia C. said:
It's two different necklaces, I have made a comparison:
right: pre-wedding in Luxembourg, left: wedding in Monaco
View image: be ma comp

I wonder if these necklaces were loans, because I can't remember that she has repeated them.
Click to expand...
I guess the necklace on the right (Monaco) belongs to Mathilde's family. The matching earrings were also worn by Mathilde's sister Hélène on the day of her civil wedding in 2011.
Hélène D'Udekem D'Acoz, la soeur de la Princesse Mathilde de Belgique, se marie avec le Baron Nicolas Janssen | ImageBuzz
I somehow doubt that Hélène who was marrying into one of Belgium's richest families and isn’t a pauper herself would wear jewellery which was given to her as a loan by a jeweller on such an important day. I assume these are jewels that belong to one of the d'Udekem sisters, perhaps they were designed by Mathilde's sister Elisabeth Pallavicini.
 
Tilia C. said:
Two more necklace that to my knowledge have not been worn again, from the 60 birthday of King Carl Gustaf and from the wedding of Victoria & Daniel:
View image: be ma 2006
View image: be ma 2010
Click to expand...
The first necklace is hers. Mathilde wears it as bracelet most of the time, e.g. on the day her husband took the oath in 2013.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Belgian_Queen_Mathilde.jpg
And as necklace in Stockholm in 2012.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/Royal_Wedding_Stockholm_2010-Konserthuset-392.jpg


The second necklace probably was loaned to her by court jeweller Leysen. IIRC it was on display at Leysens homepage.
 
I can wait to see her to wore some jewells of Queen Fabiola.

Yes that tiara is very beautiful.
 
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I also love to see the laurel tiara as a necklace and hope to see it more often worn as such. Now that the Queen has the nine-provinces-tiara to wear as well and she doesn't have to wear the laurel as a tiara all the time.
 
It was boring to see Mathilde ten years with the same tiara.

Queen Paola keeps her own tiaras , deco and small necklaces/tiaras.
 
Do they know if Mathilde take the Fabiola tiara?

What about jewels has Fabiola? The floral tiara i know and i love her.
 
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