Princess Irene’s Pendant

~ Saad719

Happy Birthday to Princess Irene of Greece, who turns 77 today! The youngest daughter of King Paul of Greece and Princess Frederica of Hanover, and the sister of King Constantine of Greece and Queen Sofia of Spain, Princess Irene has attended a plethora glittering events, though except for the Greek Pearl and Diamond Necklace Tiara and Queen Sophie’s Diamond Circle Tiara, she does not possess the large collection of her sister and sister-in-law. However, today’s piece is one that has been worn by the discreet Princess throughout her life- 

Composed of a large pale pink pear-shaped stone, possibly kunzite or topaz, in a double-ringed diamond frame, the Pendant has been worn suspended from a string of pearls. Pendants were common gifts to young Princesses in the 1950s and 60s particularly before their 18th birthdays, with other examples including a Shell Pendant worn by Queen Sofia, Queen Anne Marie’s Aquamarine Pendant, or even Queen Frederica’s Ruby Pendant, reflecting a particular trend in the Greek Royal Family to wear pendants suspended from pearl necklaces.

The Topaz Pendant first appeared on Princess Irene in the late 1950s, being worn with several headpieces for her first official Gala Portraits, as well as for King Paul’s 60th Birthday Banquet at the Royal Palace of Athens in 1961.

Princess Irene continued to wear the Topaz Pendant for daytime events and family occasions over the next few years.

The Topaz Pendant was taken by Princess Irene, along with other jewels, when the Royal Family left Greece into exile in 1967, and was notably worn at her brother-in-law, King Juan Carlos’ Name Day Celebrations in the 80s.

Princess Irene also wore the Topaz Pendant for the Wedding Gala of her nephew, the Prince of Asturias, at the El Pardo Palace near Madrid in 2004. Following Princess Irene’s passing, let’s hope the Pendant reappears again on the next generation.

 

Queen Sophie’s Diamond Loop Tiara

Queen Frederica’s Pearl Necklace Tiara

Princess Irene’s Topaz Pendant

Diamond Circle Necklace

 Greek Emerald Parure

Greek Ruby Parure

Khedive of Egypt Tiara

Antique Corsage Tiara

Pearl and Star Tiara

Diamond Stars

Aquamarine Pendant

Diamond Sautoir

Modern Diamond Necklace

Sapphire Necklace

Van Cleef & Arpels Ruby Necklace

Van Cleef & Arpels Suite

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkAmlDYhLvj/?saved-by=the_royal_watcher

https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/1044275263041867776

Featuring a large pale pink pear-shaped stone, possibly kunzite or topaz, in a double-ringed diamond frame, the pendent has been worn suspended from a string of pearls. The Pendant was worn by Princess Irene as early as her sister, now Queen Sofia’s, 18th Birthday in 1956, when she was only 14, and was probably a gift from her parents. Pendants were common gifts to young Princesses in the 1950s and 60s particularly before their 18th birthdays, when they started to wear Tiaras, with other examples including a shell pendant worn by Queen Sofia, Queen Anne Marie’s Aquamarine Pendant, or even Queen Frederica’s Ruby Pendant, reflecting a particular trend in the Greek Royal Family, as opposed to other royal families, to wear pendants suspended from pearl necklaces.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjYG60ph_SA/?saved-by=the_royal_watcher

Embed from Getty Images

The pendant continued to be worn as Princess Irene grew older, worn not only for more formal gala events, but for more causal daytime and family events. As she has never married, and thus given the plethora of wedding gifts that form jewellery collections, the pendant continues to be one of Princess Irene’s most notable pieces of jewellery.

Embed from Getty Images

The pendant was taken by Princess Irene, along with other jewels, when the Royal Family left Greece into exile in 1967, and while she doesn’t wear much jewellery at the royal events she attends, the pendant was notably worn at her brother-in-law, King Juan Carlos’ Name Day Celebrations in the 80s, and her nephew, Crown Prince Felipe of Spain’s Pre Wedding Dinner in 2004. With a Greek Royal Wedding on the horizon, let’s hope this pendant make a reappearance.

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3 thoughts on “Princess Irene’s Pendant”

  1. Well I often wonder if the large tiara of Queen Frederikas that was outet some years ago on the head of CP Marie-Chantal at a Danish event could be in the possession of Princess Irene? The tiara had not been seen for years and Pc Irene does not apear that much in public – or at least tiara events. So I expect that Pc Irene has tiara and was asked to lend it CPs Marie-Chantal for an exclusive outing which would make perfectly sense as she would be the titled Queen at some point.

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  2. I really like this idea of a pendant with a colored stone hanging from a pristine pearl necklace. I’ve always admired Queen Sofia’s ruby pendant and I like this one pretty well as well.

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