The Royal Watcher - Prince Ricardo De La Cerda
Today marks the Anniversary of the Death of Queen Emma of the Netherlands and the Anniversary of the Death of her granddaughter, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, so to mark these anniversaries, we are featuring Queen Emma’s Opal Brooch!
Commissioned by Queen Emma at the court jeweler Eduard Schürmann & Co in Frankfurt at the end of the 19th century, this Opal and Diamond Brooch contains four milky white opals and a ruby set in a diamond trefoil.
Dutch Royal Jewels found a photo of the Opal Brooch being worn by Queen Wilhelmina in the early 1900s.
Queen Emma’s Opal Brooch was notably worn by her daughter, Queen Juliana, for the annual Prinsjesdag Ceremony and Speech in The Hague.
A few years earlier, Princess Margriet wore Queen Emma’s Opal Brooch in her hair at some point in the 1960s.
Queen Beatrix notably wore Queen Emma’s Opal Brooch on the Dutch State Visit to Brunei in 2013, which was the last State Visit of her Reign just days before she announced her abdication.
Queen Máxima debuted Queen Emma’s Opal Brooch on the Dutch State Visit to Belgium in 2023, paired with her Ruby Flower Earrings.
Last year, Queen Máxima wore Queen Emma’s Opal Brooch in Atlanta during the Royal Couple’s Tour of the United States.
More recently, Queen Máxima wore Queen Emma’s Opal Brooch to visit Royal Cosun in the village of Dinteloord in North Brabant in January, and there is no doubt we will continue to see this royal heirloom for years to come!