Monday, March 3, 2014

Luxarazzi 101: Princess Ingeborg's Pearl and Diamond Brooch

Photo: Acaba
Tracing the history of royal jewellery almost always also means tracing royal history in general and the histories of royal marriages in particular. It is often the case that one piece of jewellery owned by a European royal family has its origins with an entirely different royal family and came into the current family via a third one. Too complicated? Let's trace one of these cases with a diamond and pearl brooch now owned by the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg.
Photos: Zimbio / Daylife
I haven't done maths or anything but judging by my impressions, this brooch featuring a large pearl set in a diamond motif might just be the most frequently worn one by Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. The piece originates with Princess Ingeborg (1878-1958), one of the daughters of King Frederik VIII of Denmark. It is unknown whether the princess, who can be seen wearing the brooch in the centre picture in the collage above, was its first owner or whether she had already inherited the brooch from one of her relatives.

Together with Prince Carl of Sweden, Princess Ingeborg had four children, among them the future Queen Astrid of the Belgians, mother of Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte. Whether Luxembourg's late Grand Duchess inherited he brooch directly from her grandmother or whether it passed to her via the detour of Queen Astrid isn't certain (to me). She, however, did seem to enjoy the pearl and diamond piece as she regularly wore it for state occasions as does her very own daughter-in-law now. Like I said before, I have not counted the outings but judging from my impression, Princess Ingeborg's brooch has also been a favourite of Grand Duchess Maria Teresa for many years and who can blame her, it's a beautiful piece indeed.

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