By Frankie Fouganthin – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wiki Commons

It’s one of the most striking tiaras in the Dutch royal collection and Queen Maxima has just worn it for an important State Visit by the President of South Korea.

The ruby diadem has a special place in the country’s royal history for it was made for the woman who would be the last queen consort of the Netherlands in over a decade. And her jewellery has become a favourite of Maxima, the first woman to hold the title of consort since.

Ruby Mellerio Tiara

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Created for Queen Emma by jeweller Mellerio dit Mellers in 1889, this tiara features three large scrolls created from rubies and diamonds and two smaller scrolls connected on a diamond strand setting.

The parure also included a ruby-encrusted fan, earrings, a necklace, a bracelet, a stomacher, and a brooch. Though the Ruby Mellerio Tiara and parure belong to the Dutch Royal Family’s jewel foundation, what makes the tiara unique is that, so far, it has only been reserved for Dutch Queens to wear.

Queen Juliana wore the brooch on her inauguration day, and Queen Beatrix wore the tiara regularly throughout her reign. In her first official portrait as queen consort, Queen Máxima wore the tiara.

Since then, it has become a favourite of Queen Maxima and its most recent appearance saw it paired with several other pieces from its parure.