This dazzling set of jewels is one of the oldest, intact parures still in use today.
Owned by the French, Swedish and now Danish Royal Family, this remarkable set features a Diamond and Ruby Tiara, a large ornate Necklace, adjustable earrings and several bejewelled hairpins.
The origins of the Danish Ruby Parure trace back to the Coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1804. Napoleon, eager to gain acknowledgment from European monarchies that regarded him as an upstart and usurper, took a strategic approach. To secure recognition, he elevated his most devoted generals to the new imperial aristocracy, generously providing them with significant sums to acquire opulent jewels for their wives on this momentous occasion
One of the notable figures among these generals was Jean Baptiste Bernadotte. Married to Napoleon’s former fiancée, Désirée Clary, Bernadotte presented her with an exquisite set of Rubies and Diamonds for the Coronation. This original ensemble featured an impressive necklace, sizable drop earrings, a brooch, and several hairpins—all designed in the fashion of branches adorned with Diamond leaves and Ruby berries.
In 1810, Bernadotte ascended to the position of Crown Prince of Sweden. However, Désirée found life in Stockholm less to her liking and returned to Paris. Her return only occurred when her son married Josefina of Leuchtenberg, the granddaughter of the French Empress Josephine.
These magnificent jewels remained in Sweden until 1869, when Princess Louisa, Josefina’s granddaughter, married Crown Prince Frederik VIII of Denmark. Recognizing that Rubies and Diamonds mirrored the colors of the Danish flag, Queen Josefina deemed the parure the perfect gift for the new Danish Crown Princess.
The first person to be photographed wearing the parure was Queen Alexandrine, wife of Christian X (Queen Louisa’s eldest son).
For the picture, she arranged the hair pieces into a Bandeau style tiara, very popular in the 1920’s.
According to the current Danish queen, Margarethe II, her grandmother Alexandrine was a very shy person who did not like wearing her grand jewellery unless she had to.
Alexandrine’s son Frederick married Princess Ingrid of Sweden in 1935. Ingrid was a great-great-great-granddaughter of the parure’s original owner. Once the set was hers, she decided to modify it again by adding the smaller brooches to the headband in order to create a traditional tiara.
This set became her favourite and she was wore it so frequently that the jewels became known as ‘Queen Ingrid’s Rubies’.
When Queen Ingrid died in 2000, she left the parure to her grandson Frederick with the wish that the jewels would always remain with the heir or the monarch of Denmark. In 2004, Frederick married Mary Donaldson and at her pre wedding gala, she wore the Ruby parure for the first time.
In the documentary clip below, Queen Mary admits that initially she did not feel like this set was hers to change, that it was on loan.
However over the years, as she became more confident in her role as Crown Princess, Mary made many alterations to this set.
In 2010, she instructed the Danish Jeweller, Marianne Dulong, to restore and adapt the parure for her own use.
The Tiara
Queen Mary initially had a lot difficulty with this piece as it was not fitted to her head and could only be worn flat. The tiara was disassembled and the frame was remade specifically for Mary’s head.
The jewellers then reset the silver diamond leaves and the gold ruby currant berries back onto the frame. Marianne Dulong and her craftsman were incredibly thorough, consulting botany books to make sure the arrangement of the leaves and berries were realistic.
The Necklace
Queen Mary wanted the necklace to be more versatile, as it can be quite difficult to wear in its full form. Marianne Dulong and her team created new locking mechanisms that would allow the rosettes, pendants, and chains to be removed and reattached. This new setting allowed Mary to wear the necklace as a single riviere, with one drop rosette or as a simple pendant & chain
The Earrings
The original girandole earrings were also altered. The long pendants can now be taken off, so that they can be worn in a smaller version or as a solitaire stud. They can also accommodate pearls drops and other gemstones.
The Hairpins and Ring
Lastly, three hair pins and a ring were added to the parure. When the restoration was complete, it was decided that some of the leftover Diamond and Ruby leaves could be converted into hair pins. These were designed by Mary’s hairdresser Søren Hedegaard. The ring is a new piece requested by Mary to match the bracelet. It took a week to create the ring using 18ct Yellow Gold, Diamonds, and a very large Ruby.
In December 2023, Queen Margrethe abdicated her throne after 52 years as Denmark’s Queen Regnant. It has been claimed that King Frederick wanted his new Queen to wear the Rubies as a symbol of the Danish colours and the couples commitment to the Danish people.
