History of Famous Jewels and Collections: Re: Queen Alexandra Jewels in Norway

Yes, there are no pictures of her. The only pictures have been taken from videos and they are better to watch in the video than on the picture (screenshots). But I took a picture of Martha Lorentzen in the golden tiara/bandeau, and as you can see, this is not the necklace. But the necklace, which looks modern, could have been made as a supplement to the tiara/bandeau. That is my theory. I asked an expert telling me these pieces could be of Queen Maud's waistbelts, but as Queen Maud did inherit lots of unknown jewelry from her mother, this could also be something from her collection.

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Thank you, royals_norway!

I have seen a photo of Ingeborg on Instagram wearing a gold bandeau, but it is was very blurry. Ingeborg also wore a coloured bandeau to King Harald's 50th birthday in 1987, but it is impossible to find a good photo of her. Cathrine Ferner wore CP Martha's diamond bandeau to the same event, and Benedikte Ferner wore the diamond and pearl bandeau she also wore to King Harald and Queen Sonja's 80th birthday in 2017 (it is a necklace worn several times by Princess Astrid when she was younger).

If only we could find some better photos to solve the mysteries!

Could Martha Lorentzen's gold and ruby bandeau be the unknown necklace worn by the late Princess Ragnhild and both of her daughters?

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Hi
I just want to add something here in the discussion. Both Ingeborg Lorentzen Ribeiro and her sister in-law, Martha Lorentzen, has or had two different golden bandeau tiaras. Sources told me it could be the missing golden waist belts of Queen Maud. And they are set with different precious stones. The one of Martha Lorentzen is very large with a wreath style and in old videos it looks like it is set with both diamonds and rubies into the gold wreath design. It looks indeed quite stunning. The last time these pieces were worn was in King Olav's reigning jubilees / birthdays in the 1980s. The bandeau of Ingeborg Lorentzen Ribeiro looks more like the one that Queen Maud was pictured with, at a sofa in the royal palace in Oslo along with her son. Another very blurry image unfortunately. I don't know the faith of these jewels. If they were lent out by King Olav in the 1980s, because all his grandchildren had jewelry (Benedikte Ferner in one of the many pearl chokers, Cathrine Ferner in a small pink topaz tiara and earrings etc). Or if these pieces was in Princess Ragnhild's lot of jewelry. So, there are at least four golden tiaras in the Norwegian royal family (Sonja 1, Astrid 1 and maybe Ragnhilds 2).

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Could it be that the golden tiara remained with the late King Olav and whre onlyionherited by King Harald in 1991 and then it was used to create the new modern gold tiara?

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I agree Eiriksn! Queen Sonja would have worn one of Queen Alexandra’s gold tiaras if they were in the Norwegian vault, but I don’t think they are.

When Sonja spoke to the press about the creation of the modern gold parure (by jeweller Millie Behrens) in the 1990s, she stated that she wanted a gold tiara because “she did not have one at her disposal”.

I’m just speculating of course, but Sonja’s statement also makes me wonder if the diamond and Swedish pearl parure (with a heavy gold tiara frame) inherited by CP Martha from the Dowager Duchess of Dalarne in 1914, went to Princess Astrid (who wears the brooch), or the late Princess Ragnhild.

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In an interview with the Norwegian magazine KK in 2013 princess Martha Louise mentions the jewels she has received as gifts, like those from her grandfather and for her confirmation. She adds that some of the jewels she has been gifted are set with inherited stones and that those stones were set in new jewelry especially for her.

Perhaps some of the jewels we are familiar with, like her tiara, diamond and pearl necklace, pearl choker and moonstone (?) necklace and earrings are actually set with stones inherited from Queen Alexandra and Queen Maud?

She also has a pair of earrings with drop pearls and diamond chandelier earrings that I don’t think has been identified.

I also wonder what happened to the group of “ancient Scandinavian ornaments in gold” given to Alexandra for her wedding by Landgraf Wilhelm of Hesse and the inhabitants of Laaland and Falster (mentioned in “Tiaras, a history of splendor”). Given her love for her own gold tiara, I’m sure queen Sonja would have taken some of those out for a spin if they were in the Norwegian vault 😊.