The
Swedish royal family owns a historic collection of jewels – some owned by the Bernadotte family foundation and others by private individuals. They are separate from the state
regalia of Sweden
Sweden, Sweden's regalia are kept deep in the vaults of the Royal Treasury (), underneath the Royal Palace in Stockholm, in a museum that is open to the public. The crowns and coronets have not been worn by Swedish royalty since 1907, but they ...
which is owned by the Swedish state.
The jewels are worn on occasions such as
state banquet
A state banquet is an official banquet hosted by the head of state in their official residence for another head of state, or sometimes head of government, and other guests. Usually as part of a state visit or diplomatic conference, it is held ...
s, the
Nobel Banquet, the annual ''Representationsmiddag'' (Representation dinner) and royal weddings. They are maintained by the court jeweller,
W. A. Bolin.
History
Much of the Swedish royal family's jewel collection originates from when
Princess Joséphine of Leuchtenberg--granddaughter of
Napoléon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
's first wife,
Joséphine de Beauharnais
Joséphine Bonaparte (, born Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie; 23 June 1763 – 29 May 1814) was the first wife of Emperor Napoleon I and as such Empress of the French from 18 May 1804 until their marriage was annulled on 10 Janua ...
-- married the future
Oscar I in 1823. Joséphine, known in Sweden as Josefina, also received a large inheritance of jewels from her sister,
Empress Amélia of Brazil.
Princess Viktoria of Baden brought a large jewel collection with her when she married the future
Gustaf V
Gustaf V (Oscar Gustaf Adolf; 16 June 1858 – 29 October 1950) was King of Sweden from 8 December 1907 until his death in 1950. He was the eldest son of King Oscar II of Sweden and Sophia of Nassau, a half-sister of Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxe ...
in 1881, as did
Princess Margaret of Connaught
Princess Margaret of Connaught (Margaret Victoria Charlotte Augusta Norah; 15 January 1882 – 1 May 1920) was Crown Princess of Sweden as the first wife of the future King Gustaf VI Adolf. She was the elder daughter of Prince Arthur, Duke of C ...
when she married the future
Gustaf VI Adolf
Gustaf VI Adolf (Oscar Fredrik Wilhelm Olaf Gustaf Adolf; 11 November 1882 – 15 September 1973) was King of Sweden from 29 October 1950 until his death in 1973. He was the eldest son of Gustaf V and his wife, Victoria of Baden. Before Gustaf ...
in 1905.
Karl XIV Johan established a ''
fideicommissum
A is a type of bequest in which the beneficiary is encumbered to convey parts of the decedent's estate to someone else. For example, if a father leaves the family house to his firstborn, on condition that they will bequeath it to their first child ...
'' of jewels that would be at the queen's disposal, so that the collection would increase but could never decrease. At the end of the 19th century,
Oscar II
Oscar II (Oscar Fredrik; 21 January 1829 – 8 December 1907) was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death in 1907 and King of Norway from 1872 to 1905.
Oscar was the son of King Oscar I and Queen Josephine. He inherited the Swedish and Norweg ...
transformed the ''fideicommissum'' into a foundation, now part of the Bernadotte family foundation. These pieces do not belong to the royal family privately, but they can borrow them from the foundation to wear.
Parures
A
parure
A parure () is a set of various items of matching jewelry, which rose to popularity in early 19th-century Europe.
Terminology
A parure typically consists of a combination of a matching necklace, earrings, brooch, bracelet and often a diadem or t ...
is a set of matching jewellery to be used together which first became popular in 17th-century Europe.
See also
*
Jewels of Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II owned a historic collection of jewels – some as monarch and others as a private individual. They are separate from the gems and jewels of the Royal Collection, and from the coronation and state regalia that make up the Cro ...
*
Jewels of Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales, owned a collection of jewels both as a member of the British royal family and as a private individual. These were separate from the coronation and state regalia of the crown jewels. Most of her jewels were either presen ...
*
Jewels of the Spanish royal family
Print sources
* Bond, Cay; Alm Göran (2006). (in Swedish) ''Drottning Silvias festklänningar och de kungliga smyckena''. Stockholm: Atlantis. Libris 10154529. (inb.)
* Alm, Göran; Fogelmarck Stig, Granslund Lis (1976). (in Swedish) ''Smycken för drottningar tillhöriga de Bernadotteska stiftelserna: Stockholms slott 1976-1977''. Stockholm: Ståthållarämbetet. Libris 3277116
* Steen Jensen, Bjarne (2002) (in Danish). ''Juvelerne i det danske kongehus''. Köpenhamn: Nyt Nordisk forlag Arnold Busck. (inb.)
Documentaries
* ''Kungliga smycken - Symboler för makt och kärlek'' (In Swedish) Aired 2020 on SVT (2 parts)
* ''De Kongelige Juveler'' (In Danish and English) Aired 2011 on DR (2 parts)
References
{{Reflist
Swedish royalty
Material culture of royal courts
Royal attire
Jewellery
History of jewellery