Remember when I said the Orange-Nassau Family Foundation had a lot of rubies? Understatement! These carmine gems must pile up over there in Amsterdam like junk mail on my desk.
Yes, the family has a second ruby parure, known as the Peacock or Peacock Tail parure. The moniker refers to the tiara’s center “peak'” flourish of ruby-topped diamond-stems fanning out like delicate feathers.
Before we all take up our pitchforks and brandish them in the name of claret bauble indignity, in her defense, Queen Wilhemina didn’t go out and buy an entire parure. She started with a meager tiara and a bowl of gruel…kidding! I dunno why I got all Oliver Twist out of nowhere. Don’t even like Charles Dickens. Long story*
In 1897 Queen Wilhelmina (left) commissioned a new tiara from Johann Eduard Schürmann & Co., the diamonds and rubies for which once belonged to Queen Sophie, Dad’s–aka King Willem III’s–first wife. Wife the Second sometimes referred to as ‘Mina’s mom or Queen Emma was the lucky duck who received last week’s Mellerio Ruby parure for her birthday. So yeah, she’s got that going for her…being second’s not a big deal any more with those sweet, sweet rubies.
The story goes that the parure eventually formed itself: its pieces coming together over the course of a few years. Don’t you love it when rubies just collect like dust bunnies in the corner? Yay! The Peacock Tail pieces added to procure a parure are as follows: (1) an august necklace that almost mirrors the tiara exactly (2) an enorma-brooch (3) multiple bracelets and (4) earrings. As an extra-cute gimmick, the peacock-tail spray can be remove and worn as an aigrette. (Hooray! Our favorite Tiara Term! Party! Pizza party!)
Juliana, Wilhelmina’s daughter set up the Orange Nassau Family Foundation in the 60s with the hopes of preventing the dispersion the royal family’s jewel collection all over Europe, given daughters marrying into other houses and whatnot. I guess Wilhelmina didn’t appreciate somebody else bossing her jewels around so she gave the Ruby Peacock directly to her granddaughter, Princess Irene. As the princess was Juliana’s second daughter, I can’t help but think that this was ‘Mina’s way of telling Juliana, “get your hands off my gems!”
I’m not sure if Princess Irene took the whole parure or just the tiara, but Queen Juliana was photographed wearing the necklace and painted wearing the necklace and bracelet. (See below.) Queen Beatrix has been seen sporting the brooch, so maybe it was just the tiara.

Queen Juliana wearing the necklace as a necklace, tiara and mixing Peacock necklace and bracelet with the Mellerio stomacher and earrings.

Princess Maxima bringing the Peacock Tiara back in 2009 (left) also spotted on other occasions and on Queen Beatrix (right)
*Okay maybe “Your Blog Hostess vs. Charles Dickens” isn’t that long of a story. We were assigned to read “Great Expectations” my freshman year of high school. One night I decided to draw myself a bath and cosy up in the tub with my homework. I dropped the tome into the tub; it took forever to dry. When it did it had turned from book into accordion. I never read it, still got an “A” in freshman English and have held gravity against Charles Dickens ever since. Can’t recall if I had to pay for the book or not.
I love going back in time with you as I look at all these incredible photos. Thank you for charming me today!
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what a lovely thing to say! I think you’ve made my weekend. Thank you so much!
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your welcome!
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