Queen Mary of Denmark has pulled another jewel surprise by bringing back a tiara that first made an impression over 200 years ago.
Visitors to the home of Denmark’s crown jewels will soon be able to see a set that’s made, partially, of lava.
The unusual gem is accompanied by a necklace, two bracelets, a brooch and a pair of earrings all made of the same material.
The Lava Parure, as it’s known, once belonged to Queen Desiree of Sweden who is an ancestor of Mary’s husband, King Frederik X of Denmark.
The set of antique gems was bought at auction soon after Frederik X became King of Denmark.
Now, historian and royal expert, The Royal Watcher, has discovered that the set is about to go on show at Rosenborg Castle, the home of Denmark’s Crown Jewels.
Several pieces used by Queen Mary, including the famous emerald tiara that can never leave Denmark and which can only be worn by a queen, are on show there as well. That’s led to speculation that Mary might use this unusual set in the future.
Since becoming Queen of Denmark, Mary has introduced several new or unseen pieces to the royal collection. She had a set of diamonds turned into a bandeau tiara early on in her tenure and has worn the resulting diadem several times.
In 2025, Queen Mary brought back another unusual piece, a gold tiara studded with stones collected by another Danish consort, Caroline Amalie, during a visit to Italy in the early 19th century. Then, it was the height of fashion to bring back stones and rocks found during the Grand Tour and have them made into jewellery. Queen Caroline Amalie’s tiara includes stones found in Pompeii.
Just a few weeks ago, another historic jewel was revived by Mary. The Queen of Denmark wore a sapphire and diamond tiara that was first used by Queen Alexandrine of Denmark. The sapphires and diamonds were a wedding gift to Alexandrine from Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra of Russia. Queen Mary had them reworked into another bandeau style tiara which she wore for the first time at a State Banquet in honour of the President of Vietnam.
Now, the prospect of another striking gem debut beckons with the appearance of the Lava Parure in the Danish royal collection.
The lava has been formed into cameos, which were the height of fashion in the 19th century, and these are set in gold. The result is a bold design which is softened by the pale blue of the lava in the cameos.
Queen Mary of Denmark won’t be the only royal in Europe with a cameo tiara. The Swedish royal family has a famous tiara that features large cameos set in a semi coronet shape. It was worn by Queen Silvia and Crown Princess Victoria on their wedding days.
The Swedish Cameo Tiara first belonged to the Empress Josephine, first wife of Napoleon, who left it to her son, Eugene de Beauharnais. His daughter, Josephine, married a future king of Sweden, Oscar, in 1823 and brought the jewel with her to her new home. And that is where the Cameo Tiara first meets the Lava Tiara. For Oscar was the only child of Desiree, the first owner of the unusual jewels now brought to Denmark by Queen Mary.
Desiree had been engaged as a young woman to Napoleon but he left her after meeting Josephine. Instead, Desiree married Jean Bernadotte, one of Napoleon’s generals and politicians. In 1810, Jean Bernadotte was elected heir to the throne of Sweden and he and his wife travelled to Stockholm where they were given the new names of Karl Johan and Desideria. They became King and Queen of Sweden in 1818 although Desiree was living in France at the time and didn’t return to Stockholm until 1823.
Desiree’s story now takes centre stage again as her jewels join other historic gems in Denmark’s royal collection.
