Princess Augusta's Pearl and Diamond Necklace

Although listed at a 2012 Sothebys auction as Queen Josephine's pearl and diamond necklace, the first confirmed wearer of this double strand pearl necklace with seven suspended natural pearls is Princess Augusta of Bavaria.

Princess Augusta of Bavaria was born in 1788, the second child of Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria. He arranged for her to be married in 1806 to Eugene de Beauharnais, son of Josephine de Beauharnais. Although an arranged marriage, the union between Augusta and the stepson of Napoleon was a happy one. Augusta and her mother-in-law Josephine were also said to get on well.

Many speculate that Augusta received the necklace from Josephine, as how she acquired has not been confirmed. The Princess wore the necklace in a 1820 portrait by Joseph Karl Steiler.

Princess Augusta 

Princess Augusta and Eugene de Beauharnais had seven children together. The eldest, Princess Josephine, inherited the necklace upon her mother's passing. Princess Josephine married the future king of Sweden and Norway, Oscar I. Hence, why the auction named the necklace as belonging to Queen Josephine. It was sold to an anonymous buyer in 2012 for more than 2.7 million Euros.

Queen Josephine of Sweden and Norway

Romanov Ruby Lotus Parure

In 1874, the Ruby Lotus Parure was made for Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna by the jeweler Bolin.

Tsar Alexander II and his first wife Tsarina Maria Alexandrovna gifted their only surviving daughter this ruby parure the same year as her wedding to Prince Alfred, the second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The ruby parure consisted of a tiara, necklace, and devant de corsage. The tiara has a lotus flower motif made of Burmese rubies, surrounded by diamonds. An official description:

"An important ruby and diamond tiara, by Bolin, Moscow, 1874, of openwork foliate scroll design set with cushion-shaped diamonds, decorated with six flowerhead cluster motifs each set with cabochon rubies in cushion-shaped diamond borders, the original faceted rubies have been sustituded at a later date, slightly imperfect"

Maria Alexandrovna wearing the necklace and deviant de corsage

Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna and Prince Alfred had one son and four daughters together. She left the ruby parure to their daughter, Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Princess Alexandra then passed the parure to her daughter-in-law Princess Margarita of Greece (the oldest sister of the current Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip).

Princess Margarita wore the tiara to several royal weddings, including the wedding of Princess Sofia of Greece and Juan Carlos of Spain in 1962. When she passed away in 1981, the tiara was presumably left to her children who sold it at auction in 1989.

Princess Margarita wearing the tiara

Queen Mary's County of Cornwall Ruby Bracelet

When Princess Victoria Mary married Prince George, Duke of York, on July 6, 1983, the County of Cornwall gifted the future Queen consort a ruby and diamond bracelet. The bracelet has a detachable centerpiece in the shape of a rose.

Mary wrote about receiving the bracelet to Lady St. Germans "When you came to bring me the present from the people of Cornwall I felt quite unable to express the deep gratitude I felt at receiving the very beautiful ruby and diamond bracelet. I shall ask you kindly to convey to them my warmest and utmost grateful thanks for the very lovely gift from Cornwall ... Yours very sincerely, Mary". 

Mary, being the creative magpie that she was, not only wore the bracelet but also used the centerpiece as a brooch on her collar.

In 1947, Queen Mary gifted the bracelet to her granddaughter Princess Elizabeth as a wedding present (along with several other jewels). Queen Elizabeth has often worn the bracelet with her other ruby jewels, and occasionally with all diamond jewelry too. She has not been pictured wearing the centerpiece separately.

Bavarian Ruby Parure

With July's birthstone being the ruby, I thought it would be appropriate to take a look at one of the most extravagant royal ruby parures out there.

This Bavarian parure is made from rubies, spinels, and diamonds, consisting of a tiara, necklace, pair of earrings, and two cuff style bracelets. Created around 1830 by jeweler Caspar Rielander, King Ludwig I of Bavaria gifted this set to his wife, Therese Charlotte (nee Princess of Saxe-Hildburghausen). 

Fun fact: When an 18 year old Therese married crown prince Ludwig of Bavaria in 1810, the wedding was celebrated with the first ever Octoberfest! The official ground of Octoberfest is now also called Theresienwiese. 

The parure was passed down through generations until it reached the wife of Bavaria's last crown prince, Rupprecht, the Luxembourg born Antonia. Unfortunately, Antonia and Rupprecht, being opponents of the Nazi regime, were forced to flee to Italy. Antonia and their children were captured and imprisoned in the camps (Rupprecht managed to evade capture). Liberated from Dachau in 1945, the princess vowed never to return to Bavarian soil. Her health having been severely affected by her imprisonment, Antonia died in Switzerland in 1954. 

The parure now belongs to the Munich Residenz, the former palace of the Bavarian royal family, and is often displayed. 

Princess Margaret's Bow Brooch

In March 2016, a bow brooch belonging to the late Princess Margaret was auctioned off for a second time.

Princess Margaret was born on August 21, 1930, the second and youngest daughter of the future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. As the only sibling of the future Queen Elizabeth II, Margaret amassed an impressive jewelry collection.

This brooch, which the Princess first wore, aged 18, to a meeting of the New Zealand Women's Association, is a pave-set diamond bow with sapphire and diamond wheel motifs mounted in platinum and gold. The origin of this bow brooch is unfortunately unknown. Whether it was inherited, commissioned, or purchased remains a mystery.

The Princess passed away on February 9, 2002, at the age of 71. Four years later, in June 2006, her children auctioned off a collection of almost 800 items belonging to their late mother. Auctions like these have become quite common due usually to a combination of inheritance taxes and little need for such impressive jewels (neither Viscount Linley or Lady Sarah Chatto are working royals). Christie's sold the bow brooch for a little over $75,000. It came up for auction again in March 2016 by auctioneers Woolley & Wallis.

Feuilles de Groseillier brooch

On November 11, 2014, Christie's Geneva auctioned off the Feuilles de Groseillier brooch belonging to the last Empress of France.

Born into a Spanish noble family in 1826, Eugenie de Montijo married Napoleon III in 1853. As the Empress of France, she commissioned jeweler Alfred Bapst to make the brooch in 1855.

It's just one of 30 different "feuilles de groseilliers", or currant leaves, that made up the Empress' parure. As described by Christie's, it "features a cluster of three openwork currant leaves emanating from a larger cushion-shaped diamond and three detachable articulated pampilles set with old mine-cut diamonds".

In 1870, with the fall of the Second Empire, Eugenie and her husband abandoned France, leaving behind all their belongings. In 1887, the French government auctioned off all the left behind royal belongings and jewelry. The parure of 30 brooches was dismantled and sold separately. Tiffany & Co. bought this brooch as well as several other items. It's just one of 30 different "feuilles de groseilliers", or currant leaves, that made up the Empress' parure. As described by Christie's, it "features a cluster of three openwork currant leaves emanating from a larger cushion-shaped diamond and three detachable articulated pampilles set with old mine-cut diamonds".

In 1870, with the fall of the Second Empire, Eugenie and her husband abandoned France, leaving behind all their belongings. In 1887, the French government auctioned off all the left behind royal belongings and jewelry. The parure of 30 brooches was dismantled and sold separately. Tiffany & Co. bought this brooch as well as several other items.

In 1936, the brooch was purchased from Tiffany's as a farewell gift for the Spanish soprano singer Lucrezia Bori by the Metropolitan Opera of New York. Upon her death, Bori gifted the brooch back to the Met. 

Which brings us to Novermber 11, 2014, when Christie's sold the brooch for an astounding $2,365,700.