The Danish Royal Family counts just one emerald tiara in their collection, but it’s a stunning piece that features 67 emeralds and over 2,600 diamonds. And now it has another special chapter in its history as Queen Mary wore it for her first official gala portrait since her husband’s accession in January 2024.
King Christian VIII commissioned an emerald parure for his wife, Queen Caroline Amelie, on their anniversary. The 67 emeralds featured in the tiara date back to the 1700s; some come from a collection purchased by King Christian VI for his queen, Sophie Magdalene in 1723; others were a part of Princess Charlotte’s personal collection.
Noted jeweller C.M. Weisshaupt created the Danish Emerald Parure Tiara for Queen Caroline Amelie to wear at her silver wedding celebrations in 1840. The parure also includes a necklace, a pair of earrings and a brooch that can be broken down into three smaller brooches or used as a pendant for the necklace.
Queen Sophie Magdalene introduced the concept of crown jewels, creating in her will a set of jewels that could only be passed from queen to queen, and now the crown jewels are publicly displayed at Rosenberg Castle when not in use, as determined by Queen Alexandrine in 1914.
That means that it can only be worn by the Queen of Denmark. Queen Mary has worn it several times since her husband’s accession including to the first New Year’s galas of his reign which took place just days before the anniversary of his reign.
Queen Margrethe wore the Danish Emerald Parure Tiara at ceremonial events, including her birthday celebrations, and it’s become a symbol of the country’s Monarchy.
However, it’s so important that there is one other, very strict rule that applies to it. The crown jewels cannot be taken out of the country and are exclusively worn in Denmark. It means that Queen Mary can only wear the tiara in Denmark.
