Prince Ricardo De La Cerda
The Dutch Royal Family has one of the most impressive jewellery collections in Europe with Queen Maxima wearing historic pieces for almost every engagement she does. In 2023, she first wore a beautiful opal brooch that has been in the family for well over a century. However, it features opals which are said to be unlucky for anyone who doesn’t have them as a birth stone. And one Dutch queen never went near this heirloom family gem.
That queen isn’t Maxima. On a State Visit to Belgium hosted by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Queen Maxima wore an opal, diamond, and ruby floral brooch that originally belonged to Queen Emma, the wife of King William III of the Netherlands and mother of Queen Wilhelmina.
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The brooch is a three petal flower with large opals representing the petals, a small ruby as the centre of the flower, and a smaller opal as the stem. The three petals are bordered by smaller diamonds.
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The brooch was created by jeweller Eduard Schürmann & Co, a Frankfurt jeweller, in the late nineteenth century. The first photograph of Emma wearing the piece is dated to the early twentieth century.
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Opals are the birthstone of October and are said to bring bad luck to anyone not born in that month who wears them. There is a caveat – add diamonds to the opals and the bad luck disappears. However, despite the diamonds on this brooch, August born Queen Wilhelmina did not favour it although the actual reason why isn’t known. However, her daughter, Queen Juliana, wore the brooch frequently.
The then-Queen Beatrix wore the brooch publicly once, in January 2013. It was not until a decade later that Queen Maxima chose this stunning opal accessory.