The Emerald Set was created in 1840 for Queen Caroline Amalie (1796–1881) by the jewellery firm C.M. Weishaupt & Söhne in Hanau, Hessen.
Complete set with a tiara
The Emerald Set is the only set in the crown jewels that also includes a tiara. When the Empire style came into fashion around 1800, it became trendy to arrange precious stones by colour in lavish sets with a necklace (a choker), ear pendants, a brooch and a tiara. The Emerald Set follows this tradition with the added element of bows and sweeping forms that became the height of fashion with the Biedermeier style, which became fashionable around 1840. The set was created in 1840 for Queen Caroline Amalie (1796–1881) by the jewellery firm C.M. Weishaupt & Söhne in Hanau, Hessen.
Emerald necklace as a maternity gift
The emeralds have historically been worn together. More than a third of the green gemstones in the set can be traced back to an emerald necklace with a cross that Queen Sophie Magdalene (1700–1770) received in 1723 from her husband, Crown Prince Christian (VI), to mark the birth of their first child, Frederik (V).
The emerald set with its accompanying cross must have undoubtedly meant a lot to Sophie Magdalene, and since they were also given at the birth of a future king, it is only natural to find the emeralds among the precious stones of the crown jewels today.
Part of the crown jewels
However, Sophie Magdalene had not intended the colored stones to be part of the crown jewels at all when she made her will in 1746. Here, she passed over the stones in silence. They nevertheless ended up as crown jewels, perhaps even the best known of them all, thanks to Queen Juliane Marie, who after Sophie Magdalene's death ensured that the emeralds also became part of the crown jewels and thus remained together for posterity.
The Emerald Set consists of a delicate gold frame with brilliant-cut diamonds set in silver mounts and large emeralds set in open mounts to allow the light to pass through the stones from both front and back.
The effect of the open mounts is particularly striking for the drop-shaped emeralds in the tiara and the large pendant earrings. As the stones catch and reflect the light, it brings out the full splendour of the dark green emeralds.
The uniform and deep colour of the emeralds add to the exceptional character of this set, which is almost worn as a whole.
The brooch is designed so it can be disassembled, and the parts worn separately.
Until recently, the Emerald Set was the only set in the crown jewels that also included a tiara.
HM Queen Mary wore the Emerald Set in the Royal Couple’s first official gala portrait after the succession of the throne.
During her reign, HM Queen Margrethe often wore the Emerald Set with green gowns that matched the stones.
Among other occasions, HM Queen Margrethe wore the set at the gala dinner for the visit of the Spanish Royal Couple in November 2023.
