Thank you for the picture, Cristina. Glad to have remembered correctly. I think this is the only time we have seen the Empress with amethysts.
--Previous Message-- : You are right Torkel, here's a small pic of : Empress Michiko wearing the amethyst : demi-set, necklace, earrings and bracelet. : From the pic is not possible to see any : ring. : They suit HIM very well, a pity she doesn't : wear them more often. : : : : : : : : : : --Previous Message-- : I am fairly certain the present Empress wore : coloured stones (possibly amethysts) for a : dinner in Trondheim during the state visit : to Norway in May 2005. The banquet took : Place at Stiftsgården in Trondheim on 12 May : 2005, and was hosted by Queen Sonja and the : CP couple. It was not a tiara event (the : state banquet had taken place in Oslo a : couple of days earlier). : : I remember thinking it was unusual for the : Empress to wear coloured stones. Sadly, I am : unable to find any pictures of the event : online. : : --Previous Message-- : I found this portrait of Empress Nagako. : : It is not from the UK state banquet : mentioned by Ashdean, but HIH is wearing : what looks to be sapphires in her ring and : bracelet. : : : : Cheers! : Bryce : : --Previous Message-- : I seem to remember that the current Emperors : mother at a state banquet in the UK wore a : sapphire bracelet and ring with her : magnificent diamond parure : : --Previous Message-- : Here a photo from the State Banquet in : honour : of the King of Morocco. The Empress wore a : substantial diamond brooch which seems to : have a coloured centre element and a small : pendant. Maybe emeralds. Also an exception : to the white/whitish gowns HIM wears in : almost all State Banquets. : : : : --Previous Message-- : The same question has occurred to me, : Arthur. : I have no idea as to why this is so, but I : believe (from various books) that the Royal : Household Agency controls almost every : aspect of the lives of members of the : Imperial family and that strict conventions : are followed. : Whether members of the Imperial family might : wear coloured jewels in private is something : which I know nothing about. : The Japanese practice stands in sharp : contrast to other Asian Royal families. For : example, Queen Sirikit has a breathtaking : collection of coloured jewels, as does the : wife, daughters and daughter-in-law of the : Sultan of Brunei, as well as many of the : ladies in the various Malaysian royal : families. : I hope we can have a thread on the jewels of : the Brunei Royal family sometime, as their : jewels are outstanding. : : : : : : : : : : : :