Empress Eugenie's Bow Brooch
Eugénie de Montijo

Empress Eugenie’s Bow Brooch

Empress Eugenie’s Bow Brooch was made in 1855 by the French jeweller François Kramer for Empress Eugenie, the consort of Emperor Napoleon III. The original brooch consisted of only the diamond bow. Empress Eugenie asked the jeweller to make it into a larger stomacher, and the fringes and tassels were added. The bow brooch was [read more]

Eugénie de Montijo

Empress Eugenie’s Pearl Tiara

Empress Eugenie’s Pearl Tiara was a gift to Empress Eugenie from her future husband, Emperor Napoleon III. It was made by Alexandre-Gabriel Lemonnier with stones that used to belong to Empress Marie Louise, the wife of Emperor Napoleon I, and Marie Thérèse, Duchess of Angoulême, the only surviving child of King Louis XVI and Queen [read more]

stuart tiara
Royal Jewels

The Stuart Tiara

The Stuart Tiara is perhaps the Dutch royal family’s showstopper. Its central diamond is almost a whopping 40 carats. The central diamond is called The Stuart Diamond, and its first recorded owner was Queen Mary II of England, who reigned jointly with her husband, King William III, also Prince of Orange. Mary purchased the diamond [read more]

ruby peacock tiara
Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands

The Ruby Peacock Tiara

The Ruby Peacock Tiara was made in 1897 by Schürmann, reportedly from pieces from the collections of Sophie of Württemberg, the first wife of King William III of the Netherlands. The central element of the tiara is detachable and can thus be worn separately. Queen Wilhelmina gave this tiara to her granddaughter, Princess Irene, and [read more]