Today marks the 125th Anniversary of the Birth of Princess Margaretha of Sweden and Denmark, who was born on this day in 1899! The hardworking Swedish Princess who married a Danish Prince and became the beloved aunt of the Sovereigns of Belgium, Norway & Luxembourg, Princess Margaretha possessed some spectacular jewels, including this Napoleonic Emerald Brooch!
Floral Tiara | Turquoise Star Tiara | Boucheron Pearl Circle Tiara | Diamond Floral Brooch | Napoleonic Emerald Brooch | Pearl Poiré Tiara | Khedive of Egypt Tiara
The magnificent Napoleonic Emerald Parure originates from the Court of Emperor Napoleon and was left by Empress Amelie of Brazil to her sister, Queen Josefina of Sweden, and went through Queen Sofia of Sweden to her daughter-in-law, Princess Ingeborg of Sweden and Denmark.
Under Princess Ingeborg’s ownership, the seven original pendants of the Napoleonic Emerald Necklace were removed and distributed by the Princess among her three daughters: Princess Margaretha, Crown Princess Martha, and Queen Astrid. Each one of the Princesses received one set of emeralds from their parents on their respective weddings. Queen Astrid’s set ended up being dismantled and converted into the Van Cleef & Arpels Peacock Tiara commissioned by her daughter, Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte of Luxembourg.
Trond Norén Isaksen
Trond Norén IsaksenPrincess Margaretha had two of the Emerald Pendants converted into a brooch, while the ones received by Crown Princess Martha were united with the rest of the Parure.
Princess Margaretha had the two Emeralds set into a striking Brooch which she most notably wore, possibly paired with some of Queen Desiree’s Diamond Ears of Wheat, for a Dinner at the Belgian Embassy in Stockholm, ahead of the Wedding of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Princess Ingrid of Sweden in 1935.
After Princess Margaretha’s death in 1977, the Napoleonic Emerald Brooch, which was again modified, was among the jewels inherited by her daughter-in-law, Countess Ruth of Rosenborg, who was not pictured wearing it and at some point, passed it on to her daughter-in-law, Countess Jutta of Rosenborg “som jeg elsker over alt (whom I love more than anything)”
Countess Jutta was notably pictured wearing Princess Margaretha’s Napoleonic Emerald Brooch for her husband, Count Axel’s, 60th birthday Dinner at Bernstoff Palace in early 2010.
Later that year, the Napoleonic Emerald Brooch was worn as a Pendant by Sidsel Lykke Nielsen when she married Count Carl Johan of Rosenborg, the elder son of Count Axel. The Rosenborgs have not been seen at recent Danish Royal Events but let’s hope we see this historic heirloom worn again soon.
Floral Tiara | Turquoise Star Tiara | Boucheron Pearl Circle Tiara | Diamond Floral Brooch | Napoleonic Emerald Brooch | Pearl Poiré Tiara | Khedive of Egypt Tiara
Floral Tiara
Turquoise Star Tiara
Boucheron Pearl Circle Tiara
Khedive of Egypt Tiara
Pearl Poiré Tiara
Napoleonic Emerald Brooch
Diamond Floral Brooch
Emerald Parure
Boucheron Pearl Circle Tiara
Turquoise Star Tiara
Gold Bandeau Tiara
