Thurn und Taxis Emerald and Ruby Choker

Happy Birthday to Gloria, the Princess von Thurn und Taxis, who turns 62 today! The impoverished Schönburg-Glauchau Countess became the extravagant ‘Princess TNT’ in the 1980s and, after being widowed young, she transformed into a successful businesswoman to save the massive family fortune, facilitated through the sale of some family jewels, so to mark her birthday, we are featuring the Thurn und Taxis Emerald and Ruby Choker!

Featuring massive rubies and emeralds set in an ornate high Belle Epoque Dimond Choker with two large pearls, the Thurn und Taxis Emerald and Ruby Choker was made by Gebr. Kreuter, Hanau around the time Archduchess Margarethe Klementine of Austria married the 8th Prince of Thurn und Taxis in 1890, though the heavy ornate design suggests it may have even been made earlier, possibly for the Prince’s mother, the former Duchess Helene in Bavaria, elder sister of Empress Elisabeth of Austria.

The Choker was notably worn by Archduchess Margarethe Klementine in a portrait with her children taken in the first decade of the 20th century.

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The Thurn und Taxis Emerald and Ruby Choker got an extravagant wearer after Countess Gloria von Schönburg-Glauchau married Johannes, the 11th Prince of Thurn und Taxis in 1980, and the over the top Choker paired very well with the ‘Princess TNT’s outrageous outfits and hairstyles. A notable appearance came at Rudolf Nureyev’s 51st Birthday at the Paris Opera in 1989, when the Choker was paired with Princess Olga’s Emerald Earrings.

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The Emerald and Ruby Choker was not among the Jewels sold at the famous Auction of the Thurn und Taxis Jewels in 1992, but has only made a rare appearance during Princess Gloria’s widowhood, most notably for the Wedding Gala of Archduke Karl von Habsburg and Baroness Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza in 1993.