Queen Mary of Denmark Jewels 1: 14 Jan 2024 -March 2025

[Mbruno]

I love how she is resurrecting long sleeping jewels from the museums and makes them come alive again !

The set is not particularly nice though. I can't make what kind of gems were used, but they don't seem to be of high quality.

 

[Tilia C.]

I overcame my initial shock and read the article.
It says that the tiara was created around 1820 for Caoline Amalie, wife of Christian VIII. The 11 gems have been collected by the husband during their trip to Italy in 1819-1921. And according to kungehuset website both tiara and bracelet haven't been worn for more than 140 years, and both are part of the king's collection and exhibited in Rosenborg Castle.

I don't think I have seen pictures of the tiara on display. But there is a picture in the link posted by Blog Real above.

 

[The Royal Watcher]

Here are some images and the text from the royal collection sites:




Queen Mary is wearing Queen Caroline Amalie's 200 year-old Gold Tiara with Princess Vilhelmine Marie's Bracelet and the Earrings and Brooch from Countess Danne’s Parure from the Danish Crown Jewels.

The tiara was created around 1820 for Caroline Amalie, who was married to Christian VIII, the regent of Denmark from 1839 to 1848. The 11 set gems were collected by her husband during the couple's trip to Italy in 1819-1821, where they visited Rome and the ancient excavations in Pompeii, among other places. The jewelry reflects the classicist taste of the time and was intended for everyday use rather than the more showy diamond jewelry.

Princess Vilhelmine Marie's bracelet was acquired by the later Frederik VII during a trip in 1828, shortly before his wedding to the Princess. The bracelet, made of gold and decorated with semi-precious stones from the Vesuvius area, was presented in a box with the romantic French inscription: “C'est du sommet du Vésuve enflammé que mon cœur vole à toi. Le 24 Avril 1828.” (“It is from the summit of the flaming Vesuvius that my heart flies to you. April 24, 1828”).
After the divorce in 1837, Vilhelmine Marie kept the bracelet, and it later became part of the Royal Collection. It is customary for the royals to use jewelry from the Royal Collection. And the Queen's choice of these historic pieces marks a rare display of the Royal House's cultural heritage. Both pieces of jewelry have become part of the Royal Collection through inheritance and gift, where they are part of the museum's distinguished collection. The bracelet is normally exhibited in the Treasury under Rosenborg Castle, where the diadem will also be on display once the state visit to Finland has concluded.

Jewellery set of gold with citrines, amethysts, pearls and diamonds. Belonged to Countess Danner, possibly a birthday present from Frederik VII, 1860. Made by court jeweller J. Diderichsen.

 

[Villager90]

I hope Camilla is getting inspiration to go digging !

 

[Stefan]

Interesting that it was not worn gor so long. Not the most beautiful piece. It resembles Princess Astrids golden bandeau

 

[Izzie]

HOLY CRAP!!! (Sorry for the caps) - Queen Mary is resurrecting such gorgeous pieces! I love that she is bringing these pieces out and allowing the public to see them and enjoy them.

I love how impeccably the pieces go with the gown. I adore this gown and it fits her perfectly. It is a regal look from head to toe! She also brought out pieces from the Countess Danner collection. Again stunning.

Also, not every tiara/diadem has to be huge or have ott bling to make an impact. This piece is beautiful for its historical signifcance and the fact it has been keep out of the public eye for so long. I adore she's going into those vaults! This is what royal jewel watching is all about - seeing pieces not seen for decades or centuries and discovering their story and relation to members of the DRF.

Like QMII said in a documentary about the Danish and Swedish jewels: "We don't count the karats, we count the centuries."

 

[polyesco]

Agree!. Very nice that she has brought out some treats from the vaults. It sounds to me she has an interest, learns about the history and brings them out again.
Well done Mary!

 

[Archduchess Zelia]

I overcame my initial shock and read the article.
It says that the tiara was created around 1820 for Caoline Amalie, wife of Christian VIII. The 11 gems have been collected by the husband during their trip to Italy in 1819-1921. And according to kungehuset website both tiara and bracelet haven't been worn for more than 140 years, and both are part of the king's collection and exhibited in Rosenborg Castle.

I don't think I have seen pictures of the tiara on display. But there is a picture in the link posted by Blog Real above.

As far as I can tell, the tiara has never actually been on display – only the bracelet has been displayed at Rosenborg Castle up until now. For some reason, Kongernes Samling have gatekept the tiara.

 

[Emmily]

What a treat to see Mary wear these very old pieces.

 

[JR76]

As far as I can tell, the tiara has never actually been on display – only the bracelet has been displayed at Rosenborg Castle up until now. For some reason, Kongernes Samling have gatekept the tiara.

A friend reminded me of that we'd seen the tiara at the Amalienborg museum a few years ago.

 

[llj]

As far as I can tell, the tiara has never actually been on display – only the bracelet has been displayed at Rosenborg Castle up until now. For some reason, Kongernes Samling have gatekept the tiara.

I found a picture of the tiara on display at Rosenborg back in 2012, but it is not currently described in the Rosenborg treasury list. I suppose that will change soon!

Treasure Gawking at Rosenborg Castle - Denmark

Denmark's Rosenborg Castle was full of priceless treasures of art, furniture, artifacts and jewelry. Do not miss the crown jewels here

www.theworldisabook.com

 

[carlota]

The set is not particularly nice though. I can't make what kind of gems were used, but they don't seem to be of high quality.

i wouldn't say they are particularly appealing, but i get so excited when i see an old piece being worn that it is a winner in my books!

 

[polyesco]

Her "F" pin to hold her slash

https://imgix.billedbladet.dk/2025-03-04/_HAN0880_0.jpg

 

[lookupdown]

Her "F" pin to hold her slash

https://imgix.billedbladet.dk/2025-03-04/_HAN0880_0.jpg

Where did that come from? I only noticed it after she became queen. Is it another family jewelry find?

 

[polyesco]

Where did that come from? I only noticed it after she became queen. Is it another family jewelry find?

She has worn it before as Crown Princess , so she has used it for awhile. I believe some info is in this forum before
2015, https://i.pinimg.com/736x/1b/13/e0/1b13e01f3dbb2056ef88997110999264.jpg

 

[Alisa]

Wait what?!?!!?

My mouth dropped when I read about the historical origins of the pieces.

Yaaaasss. Queen Mary! I like the pieces! They pair perfectly with her dress and her hair coloring.

I'm sooo excited to see what other historic pieces she brings back from the vaults!

 

[duke of poliganc]

Would love to see her wear the bracelet as a choker with this tiara!

It’s really weird that QMII didn’t wear any of those pieces knowing the history of it and choosing to wear modern pieces imitating old style!

I was wondering if those were part of the Rosenberg collection weren’t they supposed to be part of the crowning jewels and not supposed to leave the country or they are just on a loan to the museum and not part of the Crown Jewels?

 

[doro]

I found a picture of the tiara on display at Rosenborg back in 2012, but it is not currently described in the Rosenborg treasury list. I suppose that will change soon!

Treasure Gawking at Rosenborg Castle - Denmark

Denmark's Rosenborg Castle was full of priceless treasures of art, furniture, artifacts and jewelry. Do not miss the crown jewels here

www.theworldisabook.com

Here the picture, at bottom left!
Pic

 

[maria-olivia]

Princess Mary changed Queen Ingrid ruby tiara.
Princess Mary bought a tiara and jewels at Bruun Rasmussen Auction House
Queen Mary changed an antik rose cut necklace to a modern tiara
Queen Mary is wearing jewels never seen since a long time. Perhaps they needed restauration and cleaning.
What next ?

 

[Opals]

It looks like some of the stones might be carved. If they are intaglios the stones could be even older.

 

[Somebody]

Would love to see her wear the bracelet as a choker with this tiara!

It’s really weird that QMII didn’t wear any of those pieces knowing the history of it and choosing to wear modern pieces imitating old style!

I was wondering if those were part of the Rosenberg collection weren’t they supposed to be part of the crowning jewels and not supposed to leave the country or they are just on a loan to the museum and not part of the Crown Jewels?

My understanding that is that the four crown jewel sets (the emerald set, the pearl-ruby set, the brilliant set and the rose-cut diamond set) cannot leave the country. It doesn't mean that everything else on display has to stay in Denmark. And not all the crown jewels are on display at Rosenberg. According to the Rosenberg website, the later additions to the crown jewels by queen Lovisa are on display at the Amalienborg Museum.

See: The Danish Crown Jewels - The Royal Danish Collection

 

[PrincessofEurope]

Wow what a surprise - Mary obviously loves the history and jewellery and is determined to showcase these at events.

Whilst not to everyone's taste this tiara world perfectly for this visit - and what a stunning match for her dress.

I love the earrings they are very beautiful

 

[An Ard Ri]

What a treat to see Mary wear these very old pieces.

Queen Mary is really treating all us Royal Jewel watchers and is so creative with her choices and finds.

 

[W.Y.CII]

It doesn't look that old as it actually is, ngl I thought Mary is adding another new gold tiara into their vault. The gown works so well with it. I hope someday we will see it and Norway's gold tiaras (either Sonja's modern one or Astrid's one) in same occasion... I quite enjoy some gold bandeaus

 

[An Ard Ri]

The Danish gold bandeau looks far nicer than the Norwegian ones ,I wonder when is the last time it was worn?

 

[llj]

I've been to Rosenborg twice and the treasury is awe-inducing with the amount of jewelry and objets d'art displayed. In fact, it's such an overwhelming amount that eventually my eyes stop seeing the individual pieces. I am sure I am not the only one.
By experimenting with lesser known pieces in the collection, Mary is drawing attention to the other areas of the treasury that aren't the crown jewels or the crowns of the absolute monarchs. I am sure that when this lovely gold tiara is on display at Rosenborg, it will not be an after thought in the corner of a case, but will be prominently positioned. And this, coupled with the new tiara made out of the rose cut diamonds, will mean people have more reasons to go back to the treasury and take a fresh look at the collection.
To quote my teenager upon seeing Mary's tiara and bracelet yesterday: "That's top tier queening."

 

[An Ard Ri]

I've been to Rosenborg twice and the treasury is awe-inducing with the amount of jewelry and objets d'art displayed. In fact, it's such an overwhelming amount that eventually my eyes stop seeing the individual pieces. I am sure I am not the only one.
By experimenting with lesser known pieces in the collection, Mary is drawing attention to the other areas of the treasury that aren't the crown jewels or the crowns of the absolute monarchs. I am sure that when this lovely gold tiara is on display at Rosenborg, it will not be an after thought in the corner of a case, but will be prominently positioned. And this, coupled with the new tiara made out of the rose cut diamonds, will mean people have more reasons to go back to the treasury and take a fresh look at the collection.
To quote my teenager upon seeing Mary's tiara and bracelet yesterday: "That's top tier queening."

I wonder if someone is helping Mary with her selections of long forgotten pieces from the Vaults?
Mary has been one of the best dressed royal ladies with few rivals and is not the queen of reinvention with old forgotten jewels.

 

[Archduchess Zelia]

Mary has consciously reworked her gowns for years. We should've known she would have a field day bringing the DRF's jewellery collection to life!

Also makes me quite confident in my suspicion that the DRF were behind the purchase of Queen Alexandrine’s Sapphire Tiara from the Rosenborg sisters in 2018. Both QMII and Mary are deeply conscious of the significance the return of a piece like that would have for the family.

The set is not particularly nice though. I can't make what kind of gems were used, but they don't seem to be of high quality.

That's in the eye of the beholder. The tiara wasn't meant to be some illustrious statement piece. It was made for everyday use (which in and of itself is amazing – from a time when tiaras on royals were an everyday thing! Seems almost unbelievable today ) and it's classicist style was the highest fashion at the time of its creation.

Christian VIII and Caroline Amalie spent more than 2 years in total travelling Italy and were deeply inspired by their travels. Caroline Amalie's private chamber at Christian IX's Palace at Amalienborg is called "The Pompeiian Chamber" because the couple had it redecorated in the style they had seen during their travels. IIRC their lengthy travels abroad were both a mean to convalesce away from the court in attempt to conceive – which, as we know today, wasn't succesful – but also special for Caroline Amalie as Christian VIII was a terrible philanderer at home. I reckon she felt like she had her husband to herself when they were travelling together. And Christian VIII being the one to personally acquire the individual gemstones would have made the piece quite special to her, I'd guess.

So no, the tiara comparable to, say, the Ruby Parure Tiara, in terms of splendour but it's rich in DRF history. And personally, I think any gold pieces against the backdrop of Mary's dark hair look spectacular!

Princess Mary changed Queen Ingrid ruby tiara.
Princess Mary bought a tiara and jewels at Bruun Rasmussen Auction House
Queen Mary changed an antik rose cut necklace to a modern tiara
Queen Mary is wearing jewels never seen since a long time. Perhaps they needed restauration and cleaning.
What next ?

You bring Mary's changes up constantly for reasons I cannot decipher. The vast majority of our Queen consorts have modified the jewellery to fit the current wearer. Queen Ingrid herself modified the Ruby Parure Tiara (not the Queen Ingrid Ruby Tiara – I need not remind you that although it was Queen Ingrid's signature piece, it was made for Désirée Clary, and as also been in the possession of Joséphine of Leuchtenberg, Lovisa of Sweden as well as Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin) – arguably making even bigger changes to it, as she added to the voluminosity whereas Mary just rearranged the leaves and changed the frame.

As for the Rose Diamond Bandeau – what's so special about the restoration of it is that it was specifically made to allow it to be used as a girdle (not a necklace) still. So she and Danish Royal Collection didn't change it, they allowed for more uses of it. I mean, how often was the girdle used since 1840? I'm pretty sure the DRF will get a lot more use out of it when it can be converted to a tiara.

 

[4Pam]

I love the jewelry on Queen Mary! She looks gorgeous! And it looks amazing with the dress!

 

[PrincessofEurope]

I do wonder why Margrethe never experimented with these jewels - but grateful that Mary is bringing life to these jewels again