Princess Sibylla’s Sapphire Necklace

Today marks the Anniversary of the Birth of Princess Sibylla of Sweden, mother of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, who was born on this day in 1908. Born a Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Albany, she married the future Heir to the Swedish Throne, who tragically died, leaving her to raise five children while still undertaking duties and even serving as the ‘First Lady’ of the Swedish Court for the period of years. To mark the day, we are featuring her cabochon Sapphire Necklace-

Featuring cabochon sapphires set in a diamond frame, with five large sapphire pendants, the Necklace was a Wedding Gift from Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria to his cousin, Princess Sibylla Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, when she married Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten in 1932. Reportedly, the sapphires come from a Romanov Collection.

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Princess Sibylla wore her Sapphire Necklace frequently throughout her life, often paired with her Aquamarine Kokoshnik Tiara or favourite Connaught Diamond Tiara and a pair of non-coordinating cabochon sapphire and diamond earrings, with and without its pendants. She also frequently loaned the necklace to her daughters, including Princess Margretha, the eldest of the ‘Haga Princesses’.

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However, it was her younger daughter, Princess Birgitta of Hohenzollern, who inherited her mother’s Bulgarian Wedding Gift Necklace. She removed two of the pendants to make into earrings, and has also worn the necklace without any pendants, paired with the Connaught Diamond Tiara and Queen Sofia’s 9-Prong Tiara from the Swedish vaults as well as Tiaras from the Hohenzollern family. Notable appearences include the Wedding of her sister, Princess Christina, and the Weddings of her nieces, Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Madeline. While her other jewels, including her Pearl Circle Tiara, have been passed down to her daughter Princess Désirée of Hohenzollern, Princess Sibylla’s Sapphire Necklace remains with Princess Birgitta and will no doubt be seen in the future.

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One thought on “Princess Sibylla’s Sapphire Necklace

  1. It was a great idea of Princess Birgitta to take the smaller pendants and fashion a pair of earrings from them. The effect is much better than what her mother tried to do, plus the necklace looks fine without the extra pendants. Well done!

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