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Queen Suthida of Thailand Jewels
Posted by OmerH on September 5, 2020, 4:25 am
During the discussion below regarding King of Thailand's consort the point came up about Queen Sirikit's jewels not being seen on the current Queen. However during the King's coronation festivities over various days the new Queen Suthida wore some important jewels belonging to her husband's family that were previously worn by her mother in law the Queen Mother Sirikit. Since she wore traditional dress the most important jewels were the Gem set belts she wore at her waist.
Queen Sirikit's Ruby Belt:
Also note Queen Suthida's Ruby earrings.
Interestingly this belt was also worn by the King's first wife Princess Somsawali.
Royal House of Chakri Belt:
So called because the central element resembles the insignia of the ruling house of Chakri.
This belt was also worn by the King's sister Princess Maha Chakri for a portrait:
Large Diamond belt:
A diamond belt containing large collet stones.
The Nine Gems Belt:
It is believed that these nine gems bring luck to the wearer. By wearing one of the stones, the wearer will also benefit from its particular power. The nine gems and the corresponding benefits that they bestow on their bearers are:
1- Diamond — Power, wealth, success over enemies 2- Ruby — Success and longevity 3- Emerald—Strength and security 4- Yellow Sapphire—Charm and love 5- Garnet—Health and longevity 6- Blue Sapphire—Love and wealth 7- Pearl/Moonstone—Purity, happiness, and success over enemies 8- Zircon/Topaz—Wealth and success in legal affairs 9- Cat's Eye—Protection by spirits, and from fire
Since the coronation last year there haven't been any state visits or other functions where the new Queen may be able to show some more grand jewels. I hope in future we will see some of the fabulous jewels worn by Queen Sirikit on her daughter-in-law.
You are correct, I think I was the one who made the comment regarding Queen Sirikit's jewels. I should have made a distinction - it seems like majority of Queen Sirikit's jewels have not been seen since she retreated from public eye.
The Thai Royal Family seems to be quite generous in sharing the jeweled belts. I am not sure what the arrangement regarding these are, but similar jeweled belts have also been worn by the Princesses Bajrakitiyabha and Sirivanavari during the coronation and related festivities.
Queen Suthida however, did not wear a tiara, unlike her mother-in-law during the coronation festivities:
HM seems to favor pearls. One particularly important state function was the visit of Pope Francis (which is the first time the royal couple has entertained a sovereign, I believe). For this one, HM wore a pearl necklace with an interesting design. I am not sure if that is a cameo brooch or an order she is wearing.
Pearl 'station necklaces' also seem to be a favorite, with her wearing what seems to be similar designs (or the same necklace) before and after she became Queen:
It also seems like the earrings she wore to the coronation are part of a suite, as she wears a coordinating necklace in this photo where she attends a concert:
I am not certain if these have been worn by any of the women in the family.
It would not surprise me if many of Queen Suthida's pieces were newly acquired for her. Queen Sirikit is said to be in a delicate condition, and perhaps the King would prefer not to pressure his mother to hand over her jewelry. But I also would not be surprised if these have just been lying in the vault and only seen the light of day now. Among Asian monarchies, the Thai jewel vault seems to be the largest - since I repeat, we haven't even seen many of Queen Sirikit's major pieces reappear. Furthermore there are other jewelry rumored to be in there that have not been worn in public. It is rumored that they are in possession of a large blue diamond, but no photographs of it exist. The King's sisters also have their share of jewels, but I am not sure if they are personally-owned or if another arrangement is in place. I do remember that Princess Sirindhorn has worn at least two tiaras which have not been worn by other women in the family (like her mother, she seems to have shied away from wearing major pieces nowadays). So has the former King's sister, Princess Bejaratana. The Thai Royal Family is rumored to be incredibly wealthy, and buying new pieces would not be out of reach for them. Furthermore, they cannot be criticized in Thailand due to strict lese-majeste laws, so they do not have to worry about criticisms about their spending.
Before he became King, the Crown Prince was married to Princess Srirasmi. She was pictured wearing many jewels, with some of them looking like historic pieces. They have divorced now however.
I am not very familiar with what King Vajiralongkorn's policy towards other Royal Houses are. He is said to spend most of his time in Germany in a posh hotel, while his wife Queen Suthida prefers to live in a hotel in Switzerland. Most foreign travel has been undertaken by his sister, Princess Sirindhorn. They did not even send a royal delegation to the Japanese Enthronement when most royal houses sent their monarchs. State Visits are usually when royalyt bring out their best jewelry, but I note that no tiaras were worn even for Queen Elizabeth's second state visit:
King Vajiralongkorn is said to be favored by his mother, but it seems like she disapproves of his behavior towards his wives. She was said to be incredibly disappointed when he deserted his first wife. I would not be surprised if she has made different arrangements for her personal jewels. She is said to be close to her eldest daughter, Ubol Ratana who has been pictured with beautiful jewelry too, even though her title has not been restored. I would not be surprised if some of them came from her mother.
I apologize if this has delved into discussion about the Thai Royal Family's affairs; but I find it is simply difficult to discuss their jewelry without discussing their relationships to each other. It is not like other European countries where the line of 'who wears which' have been clearly delineated.
In sum, while I do hope to see many grand jewels on the Thai Royal Ladies, especially Queen Suthida, I am not too hopeful about it happening in the near future.
During the discussion below regarding King of Thailand's consort the point came up about Queen Sirikit's jewels not being seen on the current Queen. However during the King's coronation festivities over various days the new Queen Suthida wore some important jewels belonging to her husband's family that were previously worn by her mother in law the Queen Mother Sirikit. Since she wore traditional dress the most important jewels were the Gem set belts she wore at her waist.
Queen Sirikit's Ruby Belt:
Also note Queen Suthida's Ruby earrings.
Interestingly this belt was also worn by the King's first wife Princess Somsawali.
Royal House of Chakri Belt:
So called because the central element resembles the insignia of the ruling house of Chakri.
This belt was also worn by the King's sister Princess Maha Chakri for a portrait:
Large Diamond belt:
A diamond belt containing large collet stones.
The Nine Gems Belt:
It is believed that these nine gems bring luck to the wearer. By wearing one of the stones, the wearer will also benefit from its particular power. The nine gems and the corresponding benefits that they bestow on their bearers are:
1- Diamond — Power, wealth, success over enemies 2- Ruby — Success and longevity 3- Emerald—Strength and security 4- Yellow Sapphire—Charm and love 5- Garnet—Health and longevity 6- Blue Sapphire—Love and wealth 7- Pearl/Moonstone—Purity, happiness, and success over enemies 8- Zircon/Topaz—Wealth and success in legal affairs 9- Cat's Eye—Protection by spirits, and from fire
Since the coronation last year there haven't been any state visits or other functions where the new Queen may be able to show some more grand jewels. I hope in future we will see some of the fabulous jewels worn by Queen Sirikit on her daughter-in-law.
on September 5, 2020, 4:25 am
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