Happy Birthday to Queen Letizia of Spain, who turns 53 today! For the past 21 years, on special occasions, Doña Letizia has borrowed pieces of jewellery from the collection of her mother-in-law, Queen Sofía — including the striking Ruby Cascade Necklace, which we are featuring today in celebration of Her Majesty’s birthday!
A delicate rivière of baguette-cut diamonds, enhanced at its center by an elaborate cascade motif, richly adorned with baguette and brilliant-cut diamonds alongside round rubies, first appeared on Queen Sofía in 1977.
Her Majesty wore it for a gala dinner at the Royal Palace of Madrid in honour of Saudi Arabia’s then-Crown Prince. Its debut suggests that the necklace was a diplomatic gift, either offered during that visit or perhaps on the earlier State Visit that the King and Queen paid to Saudi Arabia earlier that same year.
Queen Sofía wore the Cascade Necklace once again in 1979, during a banquet held on the royal couple’s State Visit to Switzerland. After that appearance, however, the jewel seemed to retreat into the background, remaining unworn for years. Unlike her Diamond Wedding Necklace, the iconic Niarchos Ruby Parure, or the Modern Baguette Rivière, this piece never quite became one of the Queen’s favourites.
In 1994, the Cascade Ruby Necklace reappeared when Queen Sofía wore it for a dinner hosted by the King of Saudi Arabia, during the Spanish royal couple’s second State Visit to the Gulf country.
In 2007, Doña Letizia borrowed the Ruby Cascade Necklace and paired it with the Prussian Tiara for a State Banquet offered by the Spanish Monarchs in honour of the President of Slovenia at the Royal Palace.
Moments before this dinner, the then-Prince and Princess of Asturias posed for the painter Ricardo Sanz, who had been commissioned to create the first official portrait of the couple.
Two years later, Queen Sofía brought out the Ruby Cascade Necklace once more, this time for a gala dinner in honour of the President of Russia, pairing it with the Diamond Floral Tiara. That evening would mark the last public appearance of the jewel. With the coming of age of both Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía, let us hope this striking piece makes a reappearance soon!
This article was written by assistant editor, David Rato, who runs the Spanish Royal Jewels account on Instagram!
Spanish Fleur-de-Lys Tiara
Spanish Floral Tiara
Prussian Diamond Tiara
Queen Victoria Eugenie’s Cartier Pearl Tiara
Queen Maria Christina’s Loop Tiara
Mellerio Shell Tiara
Ansorena Fleur de Lys Tiara
The Joyas de Pasar
Queen Letizia’s Aquamarine Earrings
Sapphire Drop Earrings
Queen Victoria Eugenie’s Diamond Earrings
Queen Victoria Eugenie’s Diamond Bracelets
Queen Victoria Eugenie’s Diamond Rivière
Queen Sofia’s Wedding Necklace
Queen Maria Cristina’s Pearl Brooch
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