The anniversary gift of emeralds that became part of Denmark’s most important royal jewels

Leif Jørgensen (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The Danish Royal Family counts just one emerald tiara in their collection, but it’s a stunning piece that features 67 emeralds and over 2,600 diamonds. Let’s take a look at the Danish Emerald Parure Tiara.

King Christian VIII commissioned an emerald parure for his wife, Queen Caroline Amelie, on their anniversary. The 67 emeralds featured in the tiara date back to the 1700s; some come from a collection purchased by King Christian VI for his queen, Sophie Magdalene in 1723; others were a part of Princess Charlotte’s personal collection.

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Noted jeweller C.M. Weisshaupt created the Danish Emerald Parure Tiara for Queen Caroline Amelie to wear at her silver wedding celebrations in 1840. The parure also includes a necklace, a pair of earrings and a brooch that can be broken down into three smaller brooches or used as a pendant for the necklace.

Queen Sophie Magdalene introduced the concept of crown jewels, creating in her will a set of jewels that could only be passed from queen to queen, and now the crown jewels are publicly displayed at Rosenberg Castle when not in use, as determined by Queen Alexandrine in 1914.

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Currently, that means crown jewels are worn exclusively by Queen Margrethe, who wears the Danish Emerald Parure Tiara at ceremonial events, including her birthday celebrations, and one day they will be worn by Crown Princess Mary. The crown jewels cannot be taken out of the country and are exclusively worn in Denmark.

There are four sets of jewellery that encompass the crown jewels, including a ruby set, pearl set, emerald set and brilliant set, and Queen Margrethe usually wears them at New Year’s receptions and levees and at state functions.