Queen Josefina’s Five Pearl Brooch

Today marks the 215th Anniversary of the Birth of Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway, who was born on this day in 1802! A Leuchtenberg Princess and granddaughter of the famous Empress Josephine, Queen Josefina is the source of much of the SwedishDanish, and Norwegian Royal Collections, among which is her Five Pearl Brooch!

Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara | Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure | Ruby Parure | Cameo Parure | Diamond Stomacher Necklace

In the 1830s, King Oscar I of Sweden presented this splendid Diamond, Ruby and Pearl Brooch to Queen Josefina, which features five pearls, each representing one of their five children. The Five Pearl Brooch was notably was portrayed of Queen Josefina with her Diamond Tiara in a State Portrait by Friedrich Dürck in 1849.

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After Queen Josefina’s death in 1876, the Five Pearl Brooch passed through the collections of three subsequent Queens, but was not pictured until being worn by Queen Louise in the 1950s, though the images are of too poor quality to make out most of the details.

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Queen Josefina’s Five Pearl Brooch has been a favourite of Queen Silvia since her marriage, being worn for a plethora of occasions, usually in her hair for more informal Black Tie events. The Five Pearl Brooch has been worn on multiple visits to Germany, and also notably for the Wedding of Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece. Most recently, the Brooch was worn for the Nobel Prize Ceremony in 2019 and for the Spanish State Visit to Sweden.

Crown Princess Victoria has also worn Queen Josefina’s Five Pearl Brooch, first for Queen Margrethe’s 70th Birthday Gala in 2010, and later that year at the King’s Dinner for Nobel Laureates. There is no doubt we will continue to see this splendid heirloom for years to come!

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Artemisias Royal Jewels

2 thoughts on “Queen Josefina’s Five Pearl Brooch

  1. It is a lovely brooch and I think it looks just as great as a hair ornament as it does pinned to a gown as a brooch. I was also for a long time under the impression that Queen Silvia wore indeed this brooch in her hair for the dinner which took place during the Emperor and Empress of Japan’s visit to Uppsala in 2007. But then I came across this photograph and I now think that it is in fact another all diamond floral brooch that Queen Silvia used as a hair ornament at this occasion:
    https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/uppsala-sweden-japanese-empress-michiko-and-queen-silvia-walk-to-a-picture-id74229529?s=2048×2048

    1. That was exactly the same conflict I had while writing this article and I’m glad you also think that was a diamond floral brooch.

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