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(Meg McGath) |
 QUEEN ALEXANDRA RUSSIAN KOKOSHNIK Originally given toAlexandra on her Silver Wedding Anniversary in 1888. The tiara was presented to Princess Alexandra on her Silver Wedding Anniversary in 1888 by Lady Salisbury on behalf of 365 peeresses of the United Kingdom. Alexandra had requested that the tiara be in the fashionable design of a Russian girl's headdress, akokoshnik.  Alexandra knew the design well from a similar tiara [above photo] belonging to her sister Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia (Dagmar of Denmark). Her sister married Tsar Alexander III of Russia. The Russian kokoshnik was very popular during the reign of the Romanovs.  A drawing of the Kokoshnik depicted among Bertie and Alexandra's anniversary presents in the Illustrated London New, 1888. [Source: <a class="external" href="http://www.thecourtjeweller.com/2017/05/queen-alexandras-kokoshnik-tiara.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Court Jeweller</a>] The tiara was made by Garrard Jewellers and supervised by the Marchionesses of Ailesbury and Salisbury and the Countesses of Cork and Spencer. Lady Spencer was Princess Diana's great-grandmother, Margaret. It is made up of 61 platinum bars and encrusted with 488 diamonds, the largest of which being 3.25 carats each. The Princess wrote to her aunt, the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. "The presents are quite magnificent. The ladies of society gave a lovely diamond spiked tiara". One of the interesting characteristics of the Kokoshnik or fringe tiaras is that each piece is attached only to the base, so it is free to move unless fastened into a frame. That is why they are often worn as necklaces or swag corsages as well.  Of the version Alexandra wore, it seems as if a central jewel was inserted. It was thought to possibly be a hair pin. Hairpins were common in the 1870s and 1880s, so this seems viable enough. The pin probably helped the tiara stay on her head!  However, I was made aware of a certain bracelet that Alexandra wore. It would seem as though Alex used her bracelet as the base of the fringe tiara.  The jeweller, Garrard, eventually made a base for the tiara to make it self adjust. Alexandra eventually had the whole tiara altered to better suit her around 1895.  Hugh Roberts notes (without offering a date) that 16 of the smallest diamond bars were removed at some point after the tiara's creation. The current tiara is made of 61 graduated bars, set with a total of 488 diamonds. Alexandra became queen consort in 1901, and a newspaper survey of her jewelry collection shortly afterward described the kokoshnik as "among the handsomest of her jewelry possessions." Press reports often described the kokoshnik as a "Russian tiara" or a "sunray tiara." The ONLY loan Alix allowed was to her mother, Queen Louise of Denmark. Photos of her wearing a kokoshnik were debated upon and the consensus was that the tiara was indeed Alix's. [Source: <a class="external" href="http://members2.boardhost.com/royal-jewels/thread/1470061914.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Royal Jewels of the World</a>]  [Queen Louise of Denmark, mother of Alix] The profile portrait was a study taken for the artist Josef Theodor Hansen. He sculpted a relief of Queen Louise wearing the tiara; today, the art piece is in the collection of the Amalienborg Palace's museum in Copenhagen [Source: The Court Jeweller]  [Tiara on display in the exhibition "The Queen's Diamonds" in 2012 at Buckingham Palace] If you look closely at the above photo, you can see the reflection of the back of the tiara. There is not only a base to the tiara, but another frame put in at just below the full height of the tiara to keep it in place.  If you were to look up close, this is where the extra supporter actually is on the tiara. Each circular mark is where the supporter is exposed; it appears to either be silver or white gold. An unmarked close up showing the actual supporter up close can be seen below. Another feature that you can also see up close, is that each diamond has two small diamonds to support each large circular diamond in the spikes. This gives the tiara the appearance of a "sunray" that was described in the notes by Hugh Roberts [above].  The tiara was passed down to the next Queen, formerly Princess Mary of Teck. Her style of wearing it was not as loose as Alix. It resembled the appearance of many of the Russian Kokoshniks that were worn during this time period.  The above photo shows the many ways the Russian Imperial Family and the Austrian Royals wore their Diamond Fringe Kokoshnik at court functions. Queen Mary had several photo shoots in which she wore the tiara. She also had a few paintings done while wearing it.  [Source:<a href="https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/2808274/queen-mary-1867-1953" target="_self">HM Royal Collection</a>]Queen Mary posed for photos by photographer Hay Wrightson in 1934 while wearing the kokoshnik.  | THE ORIGINAL CAMBRIDGE LOVER'S KNOT The history of the original Cambridge tiara made for Princess Augusta, the first Duchess of Cambridge.  [Princess Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge, originally from Hesse-Kassel] In the late 1700s and through out the 1800s, the tiara everyone wanted in Europe, was a form of a Lover's Knot tiara with pearls and diamonds; withthe combination of lovers knots and scroll motifs placed at the upper end of each inverted arch of the tiara. The tiara is in the style of the classic Gothic Revival. Several countries had their own version of the tiara made. The version above came from the parents of Augusta of Hesse-Kassel, daughter of Prince Philip, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel [himself a grandson of King George II] and Caroline of Nassau-Usingen upon her marriage to Prince Adolphus, 1st Duke of Cambridge in 1818. The Duke was the seventh son of King George III. [Source:<a href="https://royal-magazin.de/england/cambridge-kent-sapphires/cambridge-diamond-fringe-tiara-mecklenburg.htm" target="_self">Royal Magazine</a>]  In 1838, the Duchess of Cambridge wore the tiara to the Coronation of her husband's niece [and her distant cousin], Queen Victoria.  [Coronation of Edward VII, 1902] In 1843, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge bestowed the tiara upon their daughter, Princess Augusta of Cambridge, upon her marriage to the Duke of Mecklenberg-Sterlitz.  [Source: <a href="https://royal-magazin.de/england/cambridge-kent-sapphires/cambridge-diamond-fringe-tiara-mecklenburg.htm" target="_self">Royal Magazine</a>] The Grand Duchess wore the tiara to the Coronation of her cousin, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in 1902. The Grand Duchess had no daughters. The tiara was given to her granddaughter, Duchess Jutta of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, at the time of her marriage in 1899 to the Crown Prince of Montenegro, Danilo. No photos exists of her wearing it that I can find. Jutta and Danilo had no children. I thought perhaps she might have passed it to her sister Marie. In 1939, Jutta lost her husband. Now titled Queen of Montenegro, Jutta decided to stay with her brother-in-law, King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy. Victor had married the grandniece of Jutta's dead husband, Danilo. Looking into that family, I found nothing of the whereabouts of the tiara. Jutta died in 1946. As the years went by, several copies were made for other royals like Amelia of Oldenburg, Queen of Greece which is still with the Bavarian Royal family; PrincessYoussoupov which disappeared during the Russian Revolution; Princess Marie Immaculata of Saxony; and another for Maharania of Patiala.  The original Cambridge tiara didn't appear until 1981 in Geneva when it was put up for auction.The photo above comes from the Auction House. [Source: <a class="external" href="http://www.christies.com/features/Jewellery-worn-by-royalty-7847-1.aspx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Christie's</a>] I originally thought it was an anonymous buyer, however The Court Jeweller had information on who actually purchased it.  The tiara was purchased by nobility: George and Marie Gabrielle of Waldburg and Zeil. Marie Gabrielle is pictured wearing the tiara above. Although George died last year, the family apparently still owns the Cambridge Lover's Knot. [Source: <a class="external" href="http://www.thecourtjeweller.com/2016/12/the-cambridge-lovers-knot-tiara.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Court Jeweller</a>] QUEEN MARY'S CAMBRIDGE LOVER'S KNOT Queen Mary loved her aunt's tiara so much that she commissioned a copy from Wolff Jewelers.The tiara is essentially made of repeated units of the same motif, consisting of the inverted arch, with the lovers knot and the scrolls and the two pearls, the pendant and the spike situated inside the arch.  Queen Mary commissioned hers from the Crown Jewelers, Messrs Garrad & Co. in 1913. The pearls and diamonds came from jewels already in her family's collection. The original design had 38 pearls; 19 upright spikes and 19 hanging. The upright pearls were detachable. Each pearl was lettered; the spiked pearls were lettered separately to ensure they were put on correctly. This process would also apply to the "Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara" from which pearls or emeralds could hang from each diamond circlet.  Queen Mary in 1926, wearing the original design with the pearl spikes. Mary used her 'Ladies of England' tiara and the pearl spikes from the 'Girls of Great Britain' to create this magnificent tiara. Queen Mary wore the tiara frequently with the pearl spikes and was even painted wearing this version.  However, around 1934, Mary started wearing the tiara without the pearl spikes and used some of them as pendants worn on her many pearl necklaces. [Information Source: <a class="external" href="http://people.com/royals/cambridge-lovers-knot-tiara-princess-diana-kate-middleton-and-more/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">People Royals</a>]  BASIC STRUCTURE OF THE TIARA The basic structure of the tiara is made up of a lower semi-circular band, set with a row of round brilliant-cut diamonds. Nineteen inverted arches arise from the lower band, also set with round brilliant cut diamonds. Where two adjacent arches meet a pillar-like structure is formed that rises up and ends in a large round brilliant-cut diamond, forming a diamond spike. There are nineteen diamond spikes of this nature, and the size of these diamonds decrease gradually from the center towards both ends.  A combination of lovers knots and scroll motifs is placed at the upper end of each inverted arch. The center of each lovers knot is occupied by a large round brilliant-cut diamond, from which arises two large drop-shaped pearls, one suspended in the space inside the inverted arch, and the other rising above the surface of the tiara as a spike. There are nineteen arches.  The Duchess of Cambridge, October 2018. [Source: <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1035606/Kate-Middleton-tiara-Meghan-Markle-fiji-state-dinner-royal-news" target="_self">Express</a>] |  QUEEN MARY FRINGE This tiara was made for Queen Mary in 1919. It is not, as has sometimes been claimed, the famous Adelaide-Hanover tiara that Queen Victoria wore.  This tiara was madewith diamonds taken from a necklace/tiara given to the future Duchess of York, Princess Mary of Teck, as a wedding gift from the Queen.Queen Victoria made the purchase from Collingwood & Co.  On 6 July 1893, Mary was married to the Queen's grandson, George, Duke of York, later King George. [Source: The Royal Collection © 2008, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II] The Duchess wore the gift as her wedding tiara. [see above] As time went on, Mary was offered the Queen Adelaide Fringe Tiara/Necklace. Queen Adelaide wore the fringe as a necklace. Mary wore it as a tiara, but was never 100% satisfied with it. [more info further down the page]  In 1919, Mary decided to have a fringe tiara made just for her.She took the diamonds from her wedding present that she wore on her wedding day and gave them to E. Wolff Co. and Garrard (royal jewellers).  The only other photo I can find right now shows Queen Mary in her fringe at the theatre with her son King George and daughter-in-law, Queen Elizabeth. [Source: <a class="external" href="http://royaljewelslists.boardhost.com/viewtopic.php?id=64" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Royal Jewels List</a>]  In August 1936, Queen Mary gave the tiara to Queen Elizabeth, later known as the Queen Mum. When Elizabeth became consort to George VI, she lacked jewels and tiaras of her own.  She did, however, bring two tiaras to the collection.The Lotus Papyrus and Strathmore Rose. Eventually, her husband commissioned a Cartier Halo Scroll. The only ones in use are the Lotus Papyrus and The Cartier Scroll which were frequently worn by the Queen Mum's daughter and granddaughter, Princess Margaret and Princess Anne.  As time went on, the Queen Mum decided to loan the 'Queen Mary Fringe' to her daughter, Elizabeth, the future Queen Elizabeth II, as "something borrowed" for her wedding to Prince Philip in 1947. Details from the wedding day involve a story about the tiara breaking while Elizabeth was getting ready at Buckingham Palace. Luckily the court jeweller was standing by in case of any emergency.  The jeweller was rushed to his work room by a police escort. The Queen Mumreassured her daughter that it would be fixed in time, and it was.  If looked at closely in the wedding photos, you can see where the tiara snapped and was put back together. Only noticeable to those who know the story.  The Queen Mother later also loaned it to her granddaughter, Princess Anne on her marriage in 1973.  Princess Anne, now Princess Royal, married Capt Mark Phillips on 14 November1973 at Westminster Abbey.  The tiara continued to be worn by the Queen Mum. She seems to have favored the Greville and Victoria's Oriental Circlet more than the fringe later on. When she died in 2002, the tiara went back to the Royal Collection.  A recent photo of Her Majesty wearing her wedding tiara for a state visit to Trinidad and Tobago, Nov 2009.  |
This portrait is presumably a worked up sketch started in February 1913 in the White Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace. The sketch was for the portrait of the Queen, seated on a settee, in the Royal Family portrait of 1913, now in the National Portrait Gallery (NPG 1745). The finished group portrait was commissioned by Hugh Spottiswoode for presentation to the nation. According to Queen Mary’s diary she sat for Lavery in Buckingham Palace on 19, 22, 24 and 26 February, 1913. On Sunday 9 March she records visiting ‘Mr Lavery’s studio to see our group which he is getting on with.’  Mary added another of Alexandra's jewels, her Cartier diamond collier resille. As Hugh Roberts notes, Mary also wore the tiara in photographs taken to mark her 80th birthday in 1947. [Source: The Court Jeweller] As Dowager Queen, Mary continued to wear the jewels from the Royal Collection and her personal gifts; from her wedding and other occasions. She was always seen wearing magnificent jewels to emphasize her status; even if she was now the Dowager Queen and Dowager Empress of India.  The tiara was never worn by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mum. The Queen Mum was given Queen Mary's personal fringe made in 1919. The Dowager Queen also handed down the Queen Victoria Oriental Circlet, the Teck Honeysuckle that was worn by her mother, the Duchess of Teck, and The Teck circlet which could be worn as a necklace/tiara.  Queen Mary out lived her husband, and son, King George VI. When Queen Mary died in 1953, the whole Royal Collection went straight to Queen Elizabeth II. Some of the jewels had already been presented to the new Queen upon her marriage in 1947.  As stated above, the tiara was never worn by the Queen Mum--and that is the explanation why. The current Queen never loaned it to her mother and no one else in the Royal Family has been seen wearing it, YET...  The tiara instantly became a favorite. She wore it frequently in her early reign. [seen above] And today, it is still part of her favorites, which seem to alternate between the Kokoshnik and the tiara given to her grandmother, Queen Mary--The Girls of Great Britain.  In 2012, the tiara went on display with other diamonds in Her Majesty's Collection at Buckingham Palace.I was lucky enough to go.  The tiara, is, MASSIVE and when the lights shined on the tiara--it was just breath taking. I'm pretty sure I gasped when I saw the size and the reflection of those diamonds. Just amazing detail and extremely well crafted! Probably my favorite tiara after seeing it up close up and in detail.  The book that came with the exhibit-- "Queen Elizabeth II: A Diamond Jubilee Souvenir Album".  | The largest drop-shaped pearl is exactly in the central arch of the tiara, with nine drop-shaped pearls gradually decreasing in size occupying the nine arches on either side.Thus the Lovers Knot Tiara is perfectly symmetrical about its median line.  The current Queen inherited the tiara after Queen Mary died in 1953. She wore it frequently, early on in her reign. Her mother, the Queen Mum, never wore the tiara as the Queen's jewels passed immediately to the current Queen. The Queen Mum was once again short changed in regards to tiaras and jewels. This was perhaps the reason she was quite annoyed at the Duchess of Windsor who received lavish jewels from her husband on a regular basis.  1981: With the wedding of the Queen's eldest son and heir, Charles, to Lady Diana Spencer, the Queen thought it would be appropriate to give the tiara as a wedding gift to the new Princess. Diana gained the title Princess of Wales as the wife of the heir to the throne. The Spencers are an aristocratic family long associated with the crown. Diana's family had jewels for the wives of the Earls of Spencer, but not so much for their daughters. As Princess of Wales, Diana borrowed several pieces.  Diana would have probably worn the tiara on her wedding day, however, she complained of the weight of the tiara. It was very heavy and she did not have the time to "break it in". So, Diana decided on her Spencer Family tiara which was loaned to her for the event and through out her tenure as Princess of Wales.  The couple had a very stressful marriage which ended in divorce in 1995. Diana seized to wear any tiaras after her divorce, even her family's tiaras. There was a so called clause which made sure the tiara stayed with the Royal Family/Collection.  [Diana in the 90s before her divorce] *After the divorce of Princess Diana of Wales and Prince Charles the tiara was given back to the Queen. Sadly, Princess Diana was killed in a car accident in 1997. The tiara was not seen for a few decades. There was speculation as to who would be allowed to wear it after it had been associated with the late Princess for so long.There were rumors that Prince Charles's new wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall would be allowed to wear it, but Camilla wanted to distance herself from anything related to Diana--she even refused to take the title of Princess of Wales. When Prince William of Wales, son of Prince Charles and Diana, married Catherine Middleton in 2011, the two had the title of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge bestowed upon them. And, after a long absence, who better to wear the "Cambridge Lover's Knot" than Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge? The Duchess has now worn it twice. She wore it once to a diplomatic dinner in 2015; where she wore a pale blue dress with the Queen Mum's chandelier earrings.  The second time the Duchess wore it was at the Diplomatic Dinner at Buckingham Palace in 2016; she wore a red dress by Jenny Packham with diamond earrings and the Queen's diamond wedding bracelet from Prince Philip.  [Photo Source: Daily Mail]  | FRINGE TIARA [NO. 2] QUEEN ADELAIDE/HANOVER It is believed that this tiara is the Queen Adelaide Hanover necklace/tiara that Queen Victoria once wore as a tiara.The fringe tiara/necklace was very popular between the reigns of Queen Victoria and the Queen Mary. Even Victoria's daughter-in-laws had their own versions. The most important would be the fringe that was presented to Alexandra, Princess of Wales. [Far Left column]  [Queen Adelaide, c.1830 by Justin Skrebowski;<a class="external" href="http://www.gogmsite.net/empire-napoleonic-and-roman/subalbum-queen-adelaide/1830-published-queen-adelai.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Grand Ladies</a>] This diamond fringe, however, originally belonged to Queen Adelaide, the wife of King William IV, uncle to Queen Victoria. The fringe was commissioned by William IVfrom Rundell and Bridge in 1830, the year that he and Adelaide were crowned. According to Queen Victoria's 1896 jewel inventory, the diamonds used in the fringe originally belonged to William's father, King George III. The diamonds were apparently taken from pieces of jewelry that had belonged to both George III and his wife, Queen Charlotte. There was no fuss made over this specific item when Hanover took back much of the Royal jewels that had belonged to the Hanover Dynasty which reigned in Britain.  Sir Hugh Roberts describes it as follows: "Sixty brilliant-set graduated bars, the central bars in cushion-cut and pear-shaped stones, divided by 60 graduated brilliant-set spikes; an extra six small graduated bars and five spikes detached; tiara fittings removed." When King William died in 1837, the Dowager Queen Adelaide handed the jewels to the new monarch, her niece, Queen Victoria. There was a quarrel over who would receive the actual jewels as the ruler of the Kingdom of Hanover could not be a woman. Victoria was technically from the House of Hanover as the daughter of a son of George III. However, Hanover had a new King. As the Dowager Queen had worn the fringe as a necklace, Victoria had a frame made for the necklace to be mounted upon. Victoria wore it early in her reign.  The tiara on Victoria can be seen in the painting, 'The First Of May' by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1851. Victoria also wore it at the opening of the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, the Queen is attended by Prince Albert and the Duke of Wellington [detail of the Queen above]. The unfortunate, early death of Prince Albert saw a transformation in Victoria's style. The fringe was set aside, although it's noted in her diary that she may have worn is as a necklace during her period of mourning which lasted until her own death.  In 1902, Victoria's son was crowned King Edward VII. His consort was a Princess from Denmark, Alexandra. Alex loved jewels and as part of her coronation jewels, she wore Queen Adelaide's necklace around her waist; yes, she was that thin!  Queen Mary began wearing the fringe after the accession her husband, King George V, in 1910. She had the piece set on a tiara frame once again, and wore the piece this way in several photographic portraits.  But Mary was ultimately not satisfied with the fringe as a tiara. And as we would see through out her reign, Mary would either redesign a piece or make a new one. Mary recycled her own wedding tiara to make a proper fringe which can be seen in the photo of the Queen Mum, below.  Since the Queen Mum already had the Queen Mary Fringe, Queen Adelaide's fringe was converted once again to a necklace.  When Princess Elizabeth was married in 1947 to Prince Philip, she was given a montage of jewels. One of the jewels was a fringe necklace from The City of London. Elizabeth wore the necklace quite frequently. So, when the Queen Mum died in 2002, the Adelaide fringe was put back in to the Royal Collection. |
QUEEN MARY DIAMOND BANDEAU  Just when we thought we wouldn't see anything new from the Royal vault, one of Queen Mary's many tiaras showed up at the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on 19 May 2018. My own personal pick was the other Queen Mary Bandeau--the "Russian" Sapphire Bandeau which was also worn by Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowden quite frequently.  The top photo is of Queen Mary at the the ballet, 11 November 1950. Not pictured, Queen Mary was also seen wearing the tiara at the Cinema, 7 July 1951. So there are a few photos of her wearing the tiara floating around the internet. It seems that many publications on the day of the wedding had the wrong info and said that at one point in time that Princess Margaret and Princess Anne wore the tiara. As of right now, there are no photos or documentation to support that claim. I'm pretty sure they are mixing this tiara up with the Queen Mary "Russian" Sapphire Tiara which is similar in design. The tiara is featured on this page. This tiara is yet another tiara loaned out by Her Majesty. Like The Duchess of Cambridge upon her marriage, Ms. Markle was given a tiara which Her Majesty has never worn.  [Source:<a href="https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/style/962256/meghan-markle-royal-wedding-kate-middleton-tiara-news-latest" target="_self">Express</a>]Official Press Release from Kensington Palace 19 May 2018: The veil is held in place by Queen Mary's diamond bandeau tiara, lent to Ms. Markle by The Queen. The diamond bandeau is English and was made in 1932, with the centre brooch dating from 1893. The bandeau, which is made of diamonds and platinum, is formed as a flexible band of eleven sections, pierced with interlaced ovals and pavé set with large and small brilliant diamonds. The centre is set with a detachable brooch of ten brilliant diamonds. The diamond bandeau was made for Queen Mary and specifically designed to accommodate the centre brooch. This brooch was given as a present to the then Princess Mary in 1893 by the County of Lincoln on her marriage to Prince George, Duke of York. The bandeau and the brooch were bequeathed by Queen Mary to The Queen in 1953.  COUNTY OF LINCOLN BROOCH The tiara worn by the new Duchess of Sussex (Meghan Markle) is using a gift given to Queen Mary from the County of Lincoln upon her marriage to the then, Duke of York, in 1893. The brooch is made up of a diamond center surrounded by 9 smaller diamonds.  It matches the side 7 diamond flower motifs which are hard to see in the old photos of Queen Mary.  The middle may be designed so that any brooch or piece can be inserted into the middle of the tiara. Queen Mary wore a different center piece with the tiara. Perhaps it was originally made to hold what the Duchess now wears in the middle. This may become one of the tiaras regularly worn by the new Duchess of Sussex; which is good news! One will have to ask what else the Queen has in those vaults that is just itching to be seen by royal watchers again!  | GRAND DUCHESS VLADIMIR ORIGINAL WITH PEARLS  This tiara is a genuine Russian Romanov article, made by a Russian jeweler for the Grand Duchess Vladimir of Russia (born Maria of Mecklenberg-Schwerin).  By birth, Maria was already a Royal Duchess.The House of Mecklenberg-Schwerin was connected to the House of Hanover by blood and marriage. Hanover ruled until the accession of Queen Victoria.  The Grand Duchess got jewelers and artisans working for the Russian court to design and execute this exquisitely crafted tiara in the year 1890. The tiara was given to the Grand Duchess as a wedding present in 1894. The tiarawas made by the jeweller Carl Edvard Bolin at a cost of 48,200 rubles.  The metal used to create the tiara is most likely platinum. The tiara consists of 15 interlaced circlets. The overlapping circlets are attached to a semi-circular thick band of metal, that forms the circlet of the tiara.  The top of the overlapping circlets are held together by an underlying looping of the the circlets. The thick circlets contain round brilliant-cut diamonds; which ads to the magnificent shine produced when it is worn.  Oriental pearl drops or pendants are attached within each circlet. The drop pearls are attached to the intertwining loops with small diamond set mounts.  The tiara also can be worn without the pearl drops.  The Grand Duchess was photographed with a smaller version of the tiara wrapped around a bun of hair; with no pearls. During the Russian Revolution, the Romanovs were forced to flee Russia. The Grand Duchess left Russia to find herself eventually living in France. Her most loved possession, this tiara, was left behind with other jewels in a vault under Vladimir Palace.The Grand Duchess' family sought the assistance of a family friend, a British intelligence officer, to retrieve the jewelry back in Russia. The operation was successful; the jewelry was smuggled out of Russia in a diplomatic bag.  The "Vladimir Tiara" was sold to Queen Mary in 1921 by Princess Nicholas of Greece (born Grand Duchess Elena of Russia), the daughter of the original wearer, Maria. Grand Duchess Maria's granddaughter, Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark (cousin of Prince Philip, future husband of HM Elizabeth II), would eventually marry Prince George, Duke of Kent, son of Queen Mary, in 1934.  It became an instant favorite of Queen Mary who wore it for several photo shoots.  King George V and Queen Mary; the Opening of Parliament, 1924. | GRAND DUCHESS VLADIMIR TIARA WITH THE CAMBRIDGE EMERALDS MODIFIED VERSION BY QUEEN MARY  Queen Mary, who was renowned for her collection of royal jewels, and took pride in superbly bejeweling herself for formal occasions had an intimate knowledge of jewelry and their designing, and decided that the "Vladimir Tiara" needed modification. Her intention was to make provision for the pearl drops to be interchanged with emerald drops, as and when the need arose.  Accordingly, she got the court jewelers Garrard & Co. to cut and polish fifteen of her remaining Cambridge emeralds as drop shaped emeralds, and to make provision for their replacement on the tiara whenever it was needed, after removing the pearl drops. As anticipated, the replacement of the pearls with the emerald drops further enhanced the beauty of the tiara, which became a favorite tiara for Queen Mary, particularly when she was wearing the matching emerald suite, the Cambridge and Delhi Durbar Parure.  Thus the incorporation of the exceptional quality Cambridge emeralds into the "Vladimir Tiara" made it a complementary piece to the Cambridge and Delhi Durbar Parure. The Vladimir tiara was never worn by the Queen Mother, Elizabeth. Again, with most of the major jewels in the collection, the tiara was passed to Queen Elizabeth, granddaughter of Queen Mary.  HM Elizabeth II wearing the emerald version.  The tiara passed to the Queen when Mary died in 1953.  The tiara quickly became a favorite of the Queen who has worn the tiara in all three fashions.  Queen Elizabeth seems to be found of the original version of the tiara.  We rarely see her wearing the emeralds with the Vladimir. On a rare occasion, it must be shown how gorgeous the emeralds are.  On April 4th, 2014, the Queen hosted a dinner for Irish President Higgins. The rarely seen emeralds were paired with the Delhi Durbur jewels. |
 CARTIER HALO SCROLL  Originally worn by the Queen Mother, Lady Elizabeth. The tiara was purchased by the Duke of York (King George VI) for the Duchess of York (the Queen Mother) in 1936.  It is a rolling cascade of scrolls that converge in a central ornament surmounted by a brilliant diamond.  Princess Margaret also borrowed the Scroll Diamond Tiara until given the Art Deco Fan Tiara by The Queen Mother.  The tiara was given to Princess Elizabeth (later Queen) on her 18th birthday. The Queen never wore this tiara but loaned it out to her daughter, Princess Anne, who wore it quite frequently until she received her grandmother's (Princess Alice of Greece) Greek Key tiara.  Princess Anne (above photo) borrowed the Scroll Diamond Tiara from The Queen until she was given her paternal grandmother's, Princess Alice of Greece,Greek Key Meander tiara in 1972.  The tiara was most recently worn at the wedding of Catherine Middleton and Prince William, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.The Queenloanedthe tiara to the new Duchess for the day. The Duchess only wore it to the Abbey. She later changed into another outfit for the festivities.  |   [Tiara on display at Buckingham Palace in 2012]. THE DELHI-DURBAR  The circlet was made by Garrards, especially for Queen Mary during the Delhi Durbar on December 12,1911 (seen above) - hence its name. Durbar is Hindi, for a 'ceremonial gathering to pay homage'.  The gathering was to install King George V and Queen Mary as Emperor and Empress of India. King George V admired this piece and referred to it as "May's best tiara". It was originally worn with detachable emerald drops and at the Durbar, Queen Mary wore it over a crimson velvet cap.  The tiara was worn by the Queen Mother a few times after she became Queen consort. It wasn't her favorite. There is some confusion as to who owned the tiara, but it was obviously left to Queen Elizabeth II upon the death of the Queen Mother in 2002.  The Queen Mum wore a different version of the tiara to Cape Town in South Africa. By that time it had been altered obviously.  The tiara was lent to a Christie's show in 1998 by the Queen Mother (photo above). It hadn't been seen in decades--the Queen Mum stopped wearing the tiara after her hair started going gray apparently.  The tiara made an appearance on Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall in 2005. It hasn't been seen on her since. It is most likely back in the jewel vault after the showing of the tiara at Buckingham Palace in 2012. | Versions of the DELHI-DURBAR  Queen Mary and Granny's Chips The Delhi Durbar was made to accommodate the Cullinan Diamonds which the current Queen wears as brooches. The Cullinan III and IV were adapted and used with the Delhi.  It is said that Mary broke up her Diamond Loop tiara which she wore as Princess of Wales to have the Delhi made by Garrards. Queen Mary seemed to have the square Cullinan either suspended from the top scroll, in the middle with a few small diamonds or attached to the top, middle scroll in a square shape (see first photo of section).  The tiara used today doesn't incorporate any of the diamonds and a bar is seen which most likely holds the piece together.  Originally, the Queen Mary version, had a top row of diamonds that laid over the scrolls. That row was taken off and the whereabouts are unknown.  [Tiara on display at Buckingham Palace] The center has been redone to accommodate a large diamond and another diamond encircled by 14 smaller diamonds. The center today seems to go back to the original, but adds larger diamonds. This tiara may be in delicate condition. When the Queen Mum lent the tiara to the Christie's show it was shown with the Strathmore Rose and Teck tiara which have not been seen on anyone in over a century. Camilla seems to only have worn the tiara once and it's most likely back to the vault for this one.  When I saw the tiara in London in 2012--no diamonds were inserted and the tiara looks very plain without "Granny's Chips". Although it's named "The Delhi-Durbar Tiara", the actual term for it is a "circlet" as it is a full circle, like a crown. |
GIRLS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND  [On display at Buckingham Palace, 2012] Originally a wedding gift to Queen Mary (then a princess) in 1893, the tiara gets its name because it was given by the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland committee for her wedding.  Queen Mary gave it to the future Queen Elizabeth II as a wedding present in 1947, and it's particularly recognizable due to its frequent appearance on banknotes and stamps. [<a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/culture-news/news/g38219/royal-family-crown-tiara-guide/?slide=1" target="_self">Harper's Bazaar</a>]  The tiara was purchased using a fund led by Lady Eva Greville from Garrard and Co.The original tiara had pearl spikes. Must have been in style at the time of Mary's wedding.  When the pearl spikes were taken off, more diamonds were put in their place. The design is of scrolled and foliate form with diamonds pave-set in silver and gold. As with most tiaras, it can also be worn as a necklace. There are no photos of the tiara being worn as a necklace, but one source says that Queen Mary did wear it once as a necklace.  Queen Mary also wore it as a coronet to the Devonshire Ball.The Devonshire House Ball was an elaborate fancy dress ball, hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, held on 2 July 1897 at Devonshire House in Piccadilly to celebrate Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee. Queen Mary (at the time, Duchess of York) dressed as a Lady at the court of Queen Marguerite of Valois (1553-1615), daughter of Henry II of France and Catherine de Medici and wife of Henry IV of France. Due to the many prominent royals, aristocrats, and society figures who attended as well as the overall lavishness of the ball, it was considered the event of the 1897 London Season. [Source: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devonshire_House_Ball_of_1897" target="_self">Wikipedia</a>]  In 1914, the baseof the tiara was removed.It was worn separatelyby Queen Mary. It looks like the base was tightened up at one point, or more diamonds were added.  [The wedding gifts of Princess Elizabeth of York, 1947] It could also be that the base worn in the photo by Queen Mary (above) is yet another base all together. Mary had so many jewels as Queen--it's hard to tell sometimes.  The base was added again by Queen Elizabeth, later on.  [Getty Images] Both Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth II wore it without the base. When Elizabeth received the tiara upon her wedding, she wore the tiara without the base for quite some time. |  [Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara on display at Buckingham Palace in 2012]  The tiara went on display in 2012 at Buckingham Palace for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II (60 yrs on the throne). The tiara was joined with other diamond tiaras, i.e. the Delhi Durbar, Queen Alexandra's Diamond Kokoshnik, etc.  The above photo is from the jewels presented to Princess Elizabeth upon her marriage in 1947. The base can be seen in the left column.  Early on in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, she was photographed with the tiara, without the base, quite frequently.  It is believed to be HM's favorite tiara.  This tiara will no doubt look lovely on the Duchess of Cambridge. |  QUEEN VICTORIA'S 'ORIENTAL CIRCLET'  [<a href="https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/egallery/object.asp?searchText=victoria+tiara&object=200174&row=2" target="_self">The Royal Collection</a>© 2012, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II] Made in 1853 by R. & S. Garrard & Co. for Queen Victoria  The inspiration for the design of this tiara, which includes ‘Moghul’ arches framing lotus flowers, came from Prince Albert who had been greatly impressed by the Indian jewels presented to the Queen by the East India Company at the conclusion of the Great Exhibition. This was one of many instances where the Prince supervised the design and setting of the Queen’s jewellery. ‘Albert has such taste & arranges everything for me about my jewels,’ she [Victoria] wrote. It [the tiara] was designed by Prince Albert for his new wife Queen Victoria, for £860 (equivalent to about £76,000 today) in 1853. The headpiece is huge, containing more than 2,600 diamonds and 11 rubies.The rubies were originally opals, Prince Albert’s favourites, but Queen Alexandra,who inherited the tiara from her grandmother, thought them unlucky and had them replaced.  It passed to the Queen Mother when her husband,George VI, came to the throne in 1936, and became one of her two favourite tiaras. [Source: <a class="external" href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3638079/From-priceless-diamond-bands-headpieces-laden-precious-stones-Queen-s-spectacular-tiaras-heart-jewellery-collection.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Daily Mail</a>] The tiara passed to HM Queen Elizabeth after the death of her mother. HM has only worn it a few times.  [Detail of tiara]  The tiara initially contained 17 opals. There is a widely held belief that Victoria's daughter-in-law, Queen Alexandra, shortened the tiara by 6 arches plus the spires separating the arches, as today the jewel has only 11 arches.  "According to Twinning, in 1901 Queen Alexandra adjusted the band. As a result the upper row of pearls was shortened to 81 pearls from the previous 86 and the bottom row of pearls was shortened from 94 pearls to 88. As Queen Alexandra wore the diadem on the top of her head (and not at an angle like Queen Victoria) a smaller circumference was called for; however, the information available does not suggest that Queen Alexandra made the circumference radically smaller. Because of this, I doubt if the Oriental circlet was shortened by 6 arches. The circumference of a tiara with an additional 6 arches and spires would have been enormous, and unlikely to have sat on Queen Victoria's head." [Source:<a class="external" href="http://members2.boardhost.com/royal-jewels/msg/1479603136.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Royal Jewels of the World</a>]  Resplendent in rubies, the Queen has worn this Oriental circlet tiara only once, on a state visit to Malta in 2005, paired with the Baring ruby necklace that she bought in 1964. |
 CANADIAN AQUAMARINE SCROLLING FLOWERS  Tiara watchers have come to call this the Canadian Aquamarine as it's only been seen on the Queen while she visited Canada. It is composed of 5 Aquamarine stones laced in foliage.  No one is sure about this tiara or where it came from; perhaps it was yet another tiara which Queen Mary bought but never wore. However, if you look at the design of the Brazilian Aquamarine jewels, the tiara matches the design of the scroll work within the necklace the Queen wears with the newer Aquamarine tiara (seen right). What is known is that the Queen has lent this tiara out to HRH The Countess of Wessex several times now. It seems to be on permanentloan. We shall see!  The tiara was loaned to HRH The Countess of Wessex for the dinner gala for the Luxembourg wedding on 20 October 2012.  HRH The Countess of Wessex wore the tiara for the wedding of Princess Madeleine of Sweden in June 2013. Princess Madeleine is the younger sister of Crown Princess Victoria; heiress presumptive to the throne of Sweden.  |  THE BRAZILIAN AQUAMARINE The Brazil parure is one of the most modern jewels in the collection. In 1953, the President and people of Brazil presented Elizabeth II with the coronation gift of a necklace and matching pendant earrings of aquamarines and diamonds.  Originally the tiara consisted of a bandeau with 3 upright aquamarines. Later it was augmented to its present form. When first made in 1957, the tiara consisted of the three upright rectangular stones (detachable for use as brooches), mounted on a simple platinum band. The large central stone was originally the pendant of the necklace given to The Queen by the President and People of Brazil in 1953 as a Coronation present.  Queen Elizabeth ordered the royal jeweller Garrard to complete the parure with a tiara. This wonderful creation has an aquamarine as a focal point which exceeds in size and beauty all other stones of this set.  In 1971, the tiara was redesigned and adapted to take four scroll ornaments from an aquamarine and diamond head jewelgiven to The Queen by the Governor of São Paulo in 1968.The central stone of the first tiara was subsequently returned to the necklace.  [Source: The Royal Collection]  | KING GEORGE SAPPHIRE SUITE In 1963, the Queen had a tiara and bracelet made to match the King George VI Victorian Sapphire Suite she was given as a wedding present. The George VI Victorian Suite was originally a present by George VI of the United Kingdom to his daughter Princess Elizabeth in 1947.  The sapphire tiara was made with a sapphire collar of Louise of Belgium, Princess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha bought by the QUEEN in 1963.   In 1907, there was a scandal at the Belgian Royal Court, and that's why the family has so few historic jewels.  Louise, daughter of King Leopold II, who left her husband, Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, had so many debts that her creditors wanted to take possession of her share of her mother's inheritance. It was about the jewels Queen Marie-Henriëtte left her in 1902.  Neither her husband nor her father wanted to pay her debts, and that's why the jewels were put up for auction in Brussels. Side note: King Leopold II was a cousin of Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert (of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha). Victoria's mother and Albert's father were sister and brother to Leopold I. |
 STRATHMORE ROSE TIARA  In 1923, the Baroness of Newborough, Grace Carr Wynn, was seen wearing the tiara. Perhaps, the tiara was on loan because the tiara would later become part of the collection of the new Duchess of York, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later the Queen Mum). [Source: <a class="external" href="http://members2.boardhost.com/royal-jewels/msg/1528526760.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Royal Jewels of the World Forum</a>] The Strathmore Rose Tiara was a wedding gift to the Queen Mum from her father, the Earl of Strathmore.  "From the bride's father, the Earl of Strathmore: a diamond bandeau of five roses, with diamond sprays between, forming separatebrooches." The tiara came in a case from Catchpole and Williams on Oxford Street. The tiara appears to be from the 19th century and was probably not a new jewel. The tiara has two frames. The Queen Mum was born Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, daughter of the later14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne and Cecilia Nina Cavendish-Bentinck.  It’s a delicate tiara, worn by the Queen Mum as a bandeau low across her forehead (a stylish way to wear a tiara in the ‘20s and ‘30s); it can also be worn in a more traditional way on the top of the head. Lady Elizabeth wore it quite frequently as The Duchess of York. The tiara was never worn by any other royal and has not been seen on anymore for decades. The tiara was loaned alongside the Teck Circlet and the Delhi Durbur when the Queen Mum lent it to Christie's for a showing in the 90s.  |  WESSEX DIAMOND AND AQUAMARINE TIARA/NECKLACE  Sophie Countess of Wessex wearing a diamond tiara with an very large oval aquamarine as center-piece.The origins are unknown.  Could it be another tiara that Queen Mary stashed in the Royal vault? Not much is known--but it looks like something Mary would have bought when compared to other tiaras she has worn. A quick reference to the recent new Duchess of Sussex's wedding tiara might confirm that this was, in fact, a tiara that once belonged to Queen Mary, as well.  Sophie wears a diamond tiara with an very large oval aquamarine as center-piece, the centre stone of the tiara can most likely be taken out and replaced by other gems,it is also wearable as necklace. Sophie has kept the aquamarine in tact the whole time that she has worn it. It is one of her favorites.  Sophie of Wessexwearing theWessex Tiaraas a necklace. | COUNTESS OF WESSEX REGAL WEDDING TIARA HRH Sophie,Countess of Wessex According to Ingrid Seward in an article she wrote for Majesty magazine (vol.20 no.7 p.15): "A diamond tiara from the Queen's private collection held the veil of silk tulle spotted with crystals in place even as it was buffeted by the wind." Sophie's wedding tiara is said to have been made from the four anthemions that were detachable from Queen Victoria's Regal Circlet.  According to Royalty magazine vol.16 no.1 p.40 (there is no mention of an author of this article), "Sophie wore a diamond tiara from the Queen's private collection, consisting of three open-work scroll motifs, designed and remodelled by the Crown Jeweller, David Thomas, at Asprey and Garrard." According to Judy Wade in an article for Hello! magazine, June 29, 1999 issue, no.556 p.60, "Her 'something borrowed' was the diamond tiara with three open-work scroll motifs, designed by court jeweller David Thomas at Asprey & Garrard, which was lent by the Queen from her private collection."  Sophie of Wessex at the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, 2010. |
 THE GREEK BATTENBURG MENDER The tiara belonged to Princess Alice of Battenburg (mother of the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh).  Her Serene Highness Princess Victoria Alice of Battenberg was born in the Tapestry Room at Windsor Castle in Berkshire in the presence of her great-grandmother, Queen Victoria at the queen's invitation. She was the eldest child of Prince Louis of Battenberg and his wife Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine. Her mother was the eldest daughter of Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse, the second daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.  The meander tiara is in the classical Greek 'key pattern' featuring a large brilliant cut diamond in the centre surrounded by a diamond wreath. The tiara also incorporates a central wreath of leaves and scrolls on either side. This tiara was a wedding gift to the then Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) from her mother-in-law, Princess Alice.  The Queen has never worn it in public and it was given to Princess Anne around 1972. Princess Anne has worn the tiara in public, notably during her engagement to Mark Phillips.  The tiara was lent to Anne's daughter, Zara Phillips, above, on the occasion of her wedding on 30 July 2011. |  THE NIZAM OF HYDERBAD PARURE The gift of the Nizam of Hyderabad to the Queen of England as a coronation gift included a diamond tiara and set consisting of necklace made of roses and old-cut diamond, the diadem was used several years ago for a tiara and the other does not exist in this form.  According to Leslie Feld's The Jewels of Queen Elizabeth II, 1992 the new form is now what is known as the Burma ruby tiara which includes rubies and diamonds as the main focus. The Burma ruby tiara was apparently made with pieces from this tiara which was made by the court jeweler for the Queen, by Garrard in 1973. The tiara has beautiful roses, set over and over from precious diamonds. The Queen has more than 300 pieces in her private gem collection; the jewels of her late mother and the incredible treasures of Queen Alexandra and Queen Mary which include many beautiful pieces which can be seen in their photographs. Her collection also includes pieces from the late Queen Victoria and relatives from the different European houses which the Royal family married into -- some of them were bequeathed to Her Majesty through inheritance.  The roses of the original tiara were supposedly taken to be made into Rose Brooches for The Queen. This is not for certain though.  Made by Cartier and later broken up to be used in new setting, in the Burmese Ruby Rose Tiara, made by Court jeweller Garrard.  |  THE DUCHESS OF TECK EARS OF WHEAT  [The Duchess of Teck, Lady Margaret Grosvenor] Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, Duchess of Teck; the mother of Queen Consort, Mary. Princess Mary was the granddaughter of King George III of Great Britain and thus cousin to Queen Victoria.  Queen Mary inherited her mother's jewelry The Duchess of Teck, like the neo classical ears of wheat tiara. This tiara is set with diamonds in tiers holding aloft the sheaves of wheat made in gold and silver.  THE TECK CIRCLET is a necklace made to be worn along with the Teck diamond tiara. In both pictures of Mary Adelaide, above, she is wearing the necklace. The necklace and tiara were passed to the Queen Mother. It is not quite sure whether The Queen Mother loaned or gave the necklace to her daughter, HRH Princess Margaret. If she gave it to her it would have been passed to Margaret's son. Margaret's collection of jewels and tiaras were sold at Christie's in 2006. The Teck necklace was not part of the auction so it is thought that the necklace went back to the current Queen as it was a family heirloom.  The Queen Mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon wears the Teck Tiara (above)  The Teck necklace could also be worn as a tiara which on occassion the Queen Mother did. |
 LADY POLTIMORE TIARA  The Poltimore Tiara was originally created by Garrards in 1870 for Lady Poltimore, the wife of the 2nd Baron Poltimore. She wore the tiara and is photographed above.  The Poltimore tiara Princess Margaret wore on her wedding day was purchased prior to her wedding, and was seen wearing the tiara in the form of the necklace prior to her wedding and continued to wear the piece in its various forms on many state occasions after her wedding day.  The children of the late Princess, Viscount Linley and Lady Sarah Chatto, sold this and other items at an auction at Christie's in 2006 to pay the inheritance tax due on her estate. The tiara fetched $1.7 million, far more than its $360,000 pre-sale estimate.  |  THE TECK TURQUOISE TIARA It was originally made for Princess Mary Adelaide, mother of Queen Mary.  For the full collection CLICK HERE It was then passed down to Queen Mary (Mary of Teck)  The picture above shows the original tiara before Queen Mary altered it.  The tiara on display as wedding presents to Alice on her wedding day.  Queen Mary then passed the suite along with the tiara to The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, her son Prince Henry and daughter-in-law, Lady Alice (later Princess Alice) as a wedding present. The parure which includes a necklace and earrings is still in the possession of the Gloucester's. The current Duchess wears the suite as seen below.  |  PERSIAN TURQUOISE TIARA  The antique parure of unknown provenance was a wedding gift from George V to the Queen Mother when she married the Duke of York in 1923. It was acquired at some point by Queen Mary, who evidently never wore it.  The Persian Turquoise Tiara was part of a parure given to Margaret by the Queen Mother on her 21st birthday.  In addition to the tiara, it consisted of a necklace of graduated pendant drops, matching pendant earrings, several hair pieces and a brooch.  An alteration of the tiara was also made as can be seen by looking at both pictures. The top of the tiara, like the Delhi Durbar, was taken off and the tiara stands by itself. It isn't clear what the top of the tiara that held it together was made of as there are no clear or color photos of the tiara while it was more of a kokoshnik. It may have been a row of diamonds for all we know, like the Delhi Durbar, that were probably used for something else in the collection.  The present whereabouts are unknown. It is thought that perhaps the Queen may have it as it was once property of her mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Lady Sarah Chatto (Margaret's daughter) and the new Countess of Swowden, Serena, (Margaret's daughter-in-law) do not seem to have the jewels or tiara and they were not sold at the auction. Perhaps the tiara went back to the collection of Her Majesty. Hopefully we will see the jewels on the new Countess. |
 SAPPHIRE & DIAMOND BANDEAU  There is a rumor that the tiara was sold by Princess Nicholas of Greece (the former Grand Duchess Helena Vladimirovna) in 1921 to Queen Mary while the Greek royal family was living in exile in Paris. Perhaps the tiara came from her aunt-by-marriage, Empress Maria.  The Duchess had inherited many jewels from her mother and sold a number of pieces over the years to raise cash for the family. Queen Mary loaned the tiara to Princess Margaret on many occasions. | QUEEN MARY'S MYSTERY AMETHYSTS The tiara was bought along with a collection of Amethyst Jewels at an auction. The collection was later sold after it was refused by Elizabeth for the Royal Collection.  The origins of this parure are unclear. It consisted of a kokoshnik tiara, set with large amethyst and diamond clusters, in between two bands of diamonds. Several theories have arisen, but there is no confirmation as to what the truth is. All we know is that Queen Mary was photographed several times wearing the tiara. There was an auction by Sotheby's that may or may not have had the tiara up for sale.  | KENT DIAMOND BANDEAU This diamond bandeau has lozenge-shaped motifs and was originally surmounted by 13 large emeralds. It can be accidentallyconfused with another lozenge-shaped tiara which Princess Margaret wore.  The tiara was given to Marina, Duchess of Kent. Her daughter, Alexandra [pictured above], wore the tiara.  The tiara is currently in the possession of the Duke and Duchess of Kent. Pictured above: Young Katherine, Duchess of Kent. She wore the tiara on her wedding day. |
 GLOUCESTER PALMETTE  Was owned by Queen Mary. The diamond tiara is ornamented with a graduated frieze of styled honeysuckle.  The central ornament is made to be separable; as seen below. It was completed before or during February 1914.  The tiara was a Royal Wedding present to the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Princess Alice Christabel and her husband.  The Parure was then passed on to the current Duchess of Gloucester  Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester wears the tiara with two different central stones. Pink topaz (above) and an emerald (below).  | THE GLOUCESTER IVEAGH Originally it belonged to Queen Mary.  Queen Marywas the originally wearer of the tiara. It was yet another wedding gift. There is yet to be a drawing of the tiara discovered like there have been with other wedding gifts received by Mary.  It was a wedding gift from Lord and Lady Iveaghto Princess Mary.A diamond tiara formed by a band of leafage design and scrolls and surmounted with a graduation of round and drop shaped diamond collets. Queen Mary then gave it to the Duchess of Gloucester as part of the her wedding presents. There is no photo of the gifts along with the other gifts that has been uncovered as of right now.  Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester [above]  The current Duchess of Gloucester inherited the tiara from her mother-in-law upon her death.  The Lady Rose Windsor; the daughter of HRH Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester. She wore this tiara on her wedding day, 19 July 2008 at Queen's Chapel, St. James's Palace in London. | THE DUCHESS OF WINDSOR TIARAS CARTIER SAPPHIRE BEADS  Dear old Bessie Wallis Warfield married to the King who gave up everything for love. Born into an aristocratic family in Baltimore, MD, she was the first American to marry into the Royal family. She was brutally treated by the former King's mother, Queen Mary, and her sister-in-law, the Duchess of York--later, the Queen Mum. Wallis was never bestowed the rightful title of HRH due to the Queen Mum's hatred of her. Although, Queen Mary eventually relented and made peace with her son, the Queen Mum continued to despise Wallis until her death in the 80s. Wallis was married to the former King for the rest of her life and upon his death, she was invited by the current Queen to attend the funeral and stay at Buckingham Palace. Like the new Duchess of Sussex, Wallis was frowned upon due to her divorce. It would be interesting to see if a future Royal might ask for a post-humus HRH for the Duchess of Windsor as the couple was loved by the rest of the immediate family of King George V and Queen Mary; Edward was the favorite uncle of the current Queen.  This tiara is made of diamonds and thought to be sapphire beads. One of only a few times that The Duchess was ever seen wearing a Tiara. Surprisingly she was not very fond of them. Shocking, yes, when you compare her jewel collection to that little fact. This tiara was supposedly exchanged via jeweler, Harry Winston, so that the Duchess could obtain another jewel.  The STOLEN 'Windsor Cartier Tiara' for the Duchess of Windsor. In October 1946, they took up temporary lodgings at Claridges so the Duke and Duchess of Windsor could make a private visit to England. The two were visiting Ednam Lodge in Berkshire; home to the Earl and Countess of Dudley when it was stolen.  |
THE CAMBRIDGE SAPPHIRES Originally this tiara was of a diamond prong design with sapphires at the top. Now it is a grouping of sapphire and diamond flowers set on a velvet band. It was first given to the Grand Duchess Augusta of Mecklenberg-Strelitz, Duchess of Cambridge who married Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge; son of King George III of the United Kingdom. Her granddaughter, Queen Mary (above) inherited it.  Queen Mary then gave it as a wedding gift to Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark in 1934.  The set now belongs to the current Duchess of Kent  The current Duchess may have sold the tiara as we haven't seen it in decades. |  OGILVY TIARA  Princess Alexandra of Kent, The Lady Ogilvy was the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Kent. Both the tiara and necklace have versatile stones that can be changed. Above, the Princess is wearing turquoise stones. Below, The Princess switches the turquoise for pearls. The necklace was made to replica the Jubilee necklace of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria.  Another variation includes replacing the stones with Sapphires. For more on the necklace; CLICK HERE  | COUNTY OF SURREY FRINGE A sketch of the tiara from the wedding gifts given to Princess Mary upon her marriage in 1893.  The tiara was given as one of the many gifts presented to Mary for her wedding. The tiara was a gift from the people of The County of Surrey.  The tiara can also be converted into a necklace.  |
QUEEN MARY "LOZENGE" DIAMOND BANDEAU [Queen Mary] The diamond bandeau, like the one featured further up the page, was originally worn by Queen Mary with pearl spikes. They call it the Lozenge tiara. The only other person to wear it was her granddaughter, Princess Margaret of York.  When she was eighteen Princess Margaret borrowed a tiara from her grandmother Queen Mary. This diamond bandeau had lozenge-shaped motifs and was originally surmounted by 13 large oval oriental pearls set on spikes. By 1946, however, Queen Mary had also removed the pearls on this bandeau leaving it plain. In September 1948, the Princess wore it on one of her first offical engagements when she represented her father, King George VI, at the Inauguration of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands in Amsterdam. | QUEEN MARY'S LEGENDARY TIARAS LADIES OF ENGLAND  LADIES OF ENGLAND DIAMOND TIARA Another wedding gift from the Ladies of England.  The tiara can also be worn as a necklace (above) and as a decorative piece on her gown (below).  | QUEEN VICTORIA WEDDING GIFT TO THE DUCHESS OF YORK  Queen Mary received a fringe necklace from Queen Victoria upon her wedding to the then Duke of York, Prince George (later King George V). Both the Surrey Fringe (above) and the piece from Queen Victoria are nearly identical, which I suppose isn't that surprising given how common fringe designs were back then. I've highlighted the necklace and tiara on the sketch of wedding presents below:  The above wedding photo is from Queen Mary's wedding day, where a fringe appears to be peeking out from behind the flowers perched on her head. Queen Victoria noted in her diary that day that Mary had worn her present at the ceremony. |
 QUEEN MARY DIAMOND LOOP TIARA Queen Mary's "Loop Tiara" was created when she and the future George V were elevated to the titles of "Prince and Princess of Wales" upon the ascension of Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. It really is an interesting piece of workmanship, some experts refer to it as "egg shaped". As Princess of Wales, Mary wore the tiara to the coronation of her in-laws. Mary is photographed here in her coronation outfit. Also worn is the County of Surrey Fringe tiara which Mary received upon her marriage to the Duke.  The tiara was formed of oval loops with flowers and leaves. Total weight of the 675 diamonds is 102 3/4 carats.  It was commissioned from Boucheron for Mary when she became the Princess of Wales in 1902. The tiara was broken up to make the Delhi Durbar tiara. | RUNDELL DIAMOND TIARA  Above, Queen Alexandra is wearing her Rundell diamond tiara. On the occasion of her wedding, Princess Alexandra was given the tiara by her groom, Edward, Prince of Wales.Princess Alexandra, who came from Denmark, lacked jewels, so when she married in 1863, her fiance gave her a monumental parure of diamonds, specifically--a diamond tiara/coronet with matching necklace. Shewore the tiara on her wedding day. The tiara's whereabouts are not known. There has been three different versions of how Alexandra wore this tiara. Second version: Stars! |  MYSTERY AMETHYST AND DIAMOND TIARA OF QUEEN ALEXANDRA "The Scotsman 21 June 1946" the following pre-auction report: The Tiara that came from a Tsar "The important diamond and amethyst tiara was composed of seven single oval amethysts graduating from the centre to lozm flowers, supported by twin leaves and single diamonds within a graduated oval diamond frame, each intersected by diamond bars, with single diamond tops, and supported by twin diamond semi-circles, with single line diamond base. The beautiful diamond and amethyst tiara,and the sapphire and diamond collar, were both gifts to her from Tsar Alexander III, and bequeathed from her to the Duchess of Fife, mother of Lady Southesk, from whom the late owner inherited them. The diamond and amethyst necklace was specially designed to the order of Queen Alexandra."  The picture above is Queen Alexandra's granddaughter Princess Maud of Fife, sister of the Duchess and daughter of Princess Royal, Louise. Maud is thought to have worn the tiara along with the necklace before it was sold. The report from the auction in The Scotsman 27 June 1946: a diamond and amethyst tiara, also the gift of the Czar to the late Queen and bequeathed to the Duchess, sold for £1750. |
 PRINCESS ROYAL COLLINGWOOD FRINGE  Diamond fringe tiara, composed of fifty-one graduated diamond spikes each intersected by a smaller graduated diamond collet spike, mounted on a graduated cushion-cut diamond collet single-line base. She received this fringe tiara as a wedding gift from Lord and Lady Inchcape. The tiara is detachable from its frame for use as a necklace.  This jewel was sold, along with much of the princess's collection, after her death. It sold for $19, 600 at the 1966 Christie's auction. Later it was in the possession of the Dukes of Westminster. English, c. 1890 |  VICTORIAN DIAMOND AND SAPPHIRE CORNET  Queen Victoria's tiara was designed by Prince Albert as a gift in 1842 and made at a cost of £415. It is "a small flexible tiara in the Gothic taste with kite- and cushion-shaped sapphires and diamonds. The sapphires are set in gold and the diamonds in silver."  The tiara is also depicted in the portrait by Henry Richard Graves in 1874. Victoria always wore the same tiara but in different ways. The tiara, along with a coronet and brooch were designed for Victoria by her husband Prince Albert which she wore as he had arranged for her.  In 'Kind hearts and coronets',Country Life12 October 2016, Diana Scarisbrick says that Queen Victoria's sapphire and diamond tiara was designed "to encircle a chignon at the back of the head, in a manner similar to a pearl coronet worn by Queen Henrietta Maria..." According to Scarisbrick the design was inspired by the Plantagenet period. | THE HAREWOOD VICTORIAN SAPPHIRE AND DIAMOND Princess Mary received the tiara from her father King George V as part of the sapphire parure as a wedding present. Queen Alexandra and Queen Mary didn't use the sapphire coronet. But, it was worn by the Princess Royal on numerous public occasions and after her death it disappeared from the public eye.  When Geoffrey Munn was assembling the tiaras which appeared at the loan exhibition in aid of The Samaritans at Wartski in London in 1997, he wrote to the Countess of Harewood to inquire as to whether they had any tiaras which had been the property of the late Princess Royal. Her reply was that there was only one and it was visible in the Winterhalter. The Samaritan exhibition was its first public exhibition in many years. It was also a highlight of the tiara exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2002. Sources: Munn, Geoffrey. Tiaras A History of Splendour. Wartski. One Hundred Tiaras: An Evolution of Style 1800 - 1990.  The Countess of Harewood has worn the tiara, as well as Andrea wife of Mark, 4th son of the Earl of Harewood in August 1992, at the occasion of her wedding.  |
SCROLL TIARA  Princess Mary here is dressed for Court wearing the jewels her father gave her along with the Queen Victoria cluster necklace with pendant, Queen Mary's sapphire brooch in the centre of her diamond tiara and the Prince of Wales' bracelet.  There are many various brooches Mary wore in the middle of the tiara. She seems to have a rotation of pieces. We can see what was probably the original piece that could be removed in the middle column. She then used various brooches to make quite a statement, like she did above at the Coronation of her niece, Queen Elizabeth II in 1952. | PRINCESS ROYAL TIARAS  King George V gave his daughter a truly magnificent parure of sapphires and diamonds as his wedding gift. It consisted of Queen Victoria's diamond and sapphire tiara (description above), her diamond and sapphire cluster necklace with Prince Albert's 1845 brooch as a detachable oval pendant and a bracelet of sapphire and diamond clusters.  Princess Mary, Viscountess Lascelles wore this parure at her first dinner party and dance where she and her husband entered her parents as the honoured guests at Chesterfield House. King George wrote in his diary "Dear Mary looked charming and wore my sapphires." |  HONEY SUCKLE WITH DIAMONDS The tiara was in the possession of H.M. Queen Mary, wife of King George V, and was a present to thier daughter, The Princess Royal, Countess Harewood, (1897-1965) and thence by descent. Princess Mary was photographed wearing the detachable pieces on a collet diamond necklace above.  The tiara was made for Princess Mary, the only daughter of Queen Mary. Composed of five graduated diamond-set honeysuckle panels, circa 1865 - with five brooch fittings, could be worn on a frame or a diamond necklace as seen above. Sadly, the tiara/brooches were eventually sold at auction for only $31,817 on 16 November 1999 at Geneva. <a href="https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/a-diamond-honeysuckle-tiara-1603286-details.aspx" target="_self">Christie's Auction</a> |
 MAUD OF WALES DIAMOND AND PEARL SPIKES  Princess Maud of Wales, Queen consort of Norway, youngest daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Queen Alexandra.  This pearl and diamond tiara was given to Queen Maud as a wedding present from her parents.  The front part of the tiara can be removed and the rest can be worn in a lower version. The original version was stolen from the British jeweler Garrard's in 1993. Garrard's made a new one with pearls end diamonds who looked like the ones from the original tiara. So today Queen Sonja of Norway wears a copy. Queen Sonja lent this tiara to Princess Märtha Louise for her wedding with Ari Behn. Märtha wore the smallest version.  The Crown Princess of Norway, nee Mette-Marit, below, was also lent the tiara for the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden in 2010.  | THE DUCHESS OF FIFE MASSIN The diamond tiara is mounted in gold and set in silver. The pendant pear-shaped diamonds are articulated and move at the slightest touch. This jewel looks exactly alike to the tiara that Oscar Massin displayed at the Exposition Universelle of 1878.  Some of the stones appear to be a different shape but every element of the design is the same. For these reasons, it is tempting to attribute the splendid piece to the jeweller who was famous in his own time for the lightness of his settings.  Above: HRH Princess Royal, Duchess of Fife, (1867-1931), Princess Louise (Victoria Alexandra Dagmar) of Wales, wearing her wedding gift. It was the gift of her husband’s parents to his bride. They were married at Buckingham Palace in 1887.  The Fife Tiara, worn here by Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife, later Princess Arthur of Connaught. (ABOVE) She was the daughter of Princess Louise of Wales and the Duke of Fife. The picture shows her robed for the 1937 Coronation of George VI.  Above is Caroline (Bunting), Countess of Southesk, wife of David Charles Carnegie, Earl of Southesk; The Earl is the great-grandson of Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife. Caroline was lent the tiara to wear on her wedding day - 16 June 1987. The Earl's sister Lady Alexandra Carnegie wore the tiara most recently for her wedding on 29 May 2001 to Mark Etherington.  The tiara is on display at Kensington Palace for a 2018 showing. |  QUEEN MAUD'S VIFTE  A fan-shaped tiara of diamonds set in gold and silver, was the 18th birthday gift from Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom to her granddaughter, Princess Maud of Wales, the future Queen Maud in 1887. Princess Maud was the daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Princess Alexandra of Denmark.  Queen Sonja now wears the tiara.  At the pre-wedding gala before her wedding, the future Crown Princess Mette-Marit wore the tiara as a necklace.  Princess Mette-Merit was recently seen wearing the jewel as a hair piece at a Royal dinner with other Royals from all over Europe.  |
 MAUD OF WALES DIAMONDS  This tiara with diamond clusters was a wedding present to Queen Maud, consort of Norway.  Queen Maud was born the daughter of the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Alexandra of Denmark. Her title at birth was Princess Maud of Wales. The tiara is currently worn by Princess Ragnhild. The diamond prongs on the tiara were originally interchangable with turquoises, and Queen Maud often wore the tiara in this version before she inherited the other turquoise tiara. In a painting, Maud appears to be wearing aquamarines on the top of the tiara, but it's actually turquoises. The turquoise prongs are now owned by Princess Astrid, who wears them as a necklace, and they have not been used for the tiara after Maud's death.  Hopefully this tiara will later go back to the royal family and not Ragnhild's children, so maybe Crown Princess Mette-Marit will wear it one day.  | PRINCESS LOUISE'S DIAMOND FLOWER SPRAY The tiara is composed of a diamond flower spray and forget-me-not brooches, the centre a daisy diamond brooch, flanked on each side by graduated diamonds. The sprays and brooches were wedding gifts to Princess Louise, from: - Mr Farquhar (Lord Fife’s best man) gave: “a beautiful diamond spray (divisible into three brooches, in a design of forget-me-nots and leaves the blossoms being of the very largest size to which the flower ever grows)” And various members of the Sassoon family (from Sir Albert Sassoon, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Sassoon and Mr. and Mrs. Reuben Sassoon) gave: exquisite diamond spray of forget-me-nots and leaves.  In both pictures, Louise is also wearing her fringe tiara as a necklace (see right).  The tiara was thought to have been worn by the daughters, Lady Edith and Lady Mary, of Lord Gratham on the TV series, "Dowton Abbey". It was most likely a copy of the royal tiara despite reports. | THE FIFE FRINGE The fringe tiara was a popular style and many Princess' had tiaras made in this style. Princess Louise was no exception to this as she had a flair for style much like her mother, Queen Alexandra. In 1889, The Prince and Princess of Wales, the bride’s parents, gave several wedding gifts on the event of Princess Louise, Princess Royal's marriage to Sir Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife. The most splendid was a diamond fringe tiara, pictured above, convertible to a necklace “…of elegant design of alternating and graduating rays, varying from nearly two inches long in the centre to half an inch at the extreme ends”. It was “not dissimilar to that which the Princess of Wales herself wears upon State occasions”. According to Snowman, the tiara was supplied by Hancock’s.  [Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/majestymagazine/status/978946315588702208" target="_self">Majesty Magazine; Twitter</a>]  The tiara may or may not be the one owned by Princess Louise that's on display at Kensington Palace during a showing in 2018.  Different angles of the tiara on display.  [Source: <a class="external" href="http://members2.boardhost.com/royal-jewels/thread/1522212271.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RJOFTW</a>] |
 GREVILLE EMERALD KOKOSHNIK TIARA  The tiara was made by Boucheron for Mrs. Greville in 1919. The Kokoshnik was a style of tiara made popular at the Russian Imperial Court.  [Photo Credit: Getty Images]Eugenie's own ancestress, Queen Alexandra, had one made after her sister, the Tzarina, started wearing them. The tiara is still in the collection of the Queen and is a favorite to this day!  The headpiece features six emeralds on each side surrounded by brilliant and rose cut diamonds, set in platinum. In the middle, is an emerald which weighs in at a whopping 93.7 cts! The tiara was bequeathed to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in 1942, most likely when the other Greville tiara was bestowed upon the Queen. The Queen Mother left the tiara to her daughter, the current Queen, upon her death in 2002.  [Photo Credit: Getty Images]  [Source: <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6268491/Princess-Eugenie-wears-Queens-emerald-tiara-royal-wedding.html" target="_self">DailyMail</a>] | DUCHESS OF CONNAUGHT DIAMOND FRINGE TIARA Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia married into the British Royal family; marrying Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's son, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught.  Upon her marriage she was given a diamond fringe necklace formerly the property of the Duchess of Kent (Queen Victoria's mother) as a gift from HM the Queen.  *It is not for certain whether the tiara above is the necklace converted into a tiara or not.  The tiara was later given to her daughter, Princess Patricia of Connaught. Patricia chose a commoner rather than a husband of royal blood. She married naval Commander (later Admiral) The Hon. Alexander Ramsay, third son of the Earl of Dalhousie. |  DUCHESS OF ARGYLL TIARA It’s said that this tiara was a wedding gift of the Queen to Princess Louise and that as the Dowager Duchess of Argyll, she left it to her husband’s family. However, the lists of Royal wedding gifts to Princess Louise do not include a diamond tiara and Margaret, Duchess of Argyll’s memoirs indicates thatPrincess Louise left all her jewellery to the Duke of Kent upon her death. It is a delicate diamond tiara with a gold frame and the diamonds appear to be set in silver. Queen Victoria gave it to her fourth daughter Princess Louise when she married the 9th Duke of Argyll. The tiara has been passed down through the Argyll family.  Jodie Kidd wore the tiara on her wedding day. The bride's paternal grandmother was the Hon Janet Gladys Aitken, daughter of the 1st Baron Beaverbrook, and former wife of Ian Douglas Campbell (later 11th Duke of Argyll), the Hon William Drogo Sturges Montagu, scion of the Earls of Sandwich & Major Thomas Edward Dealtry Kidd, MBE. Jodie and Jemma were descended from the Beaverbrooks. The heiress Margaret nee Whigham was Ian Campbell, the 11th Duke of Argyll's 3rd wife. Her daughter, Frances Sweeny, married the Duke of Rutland. "My grandmother Bumby left it to me when she passed away in 1988. I think she wore it to her wedding--or one of them, she married quite a few times! when my grandmother married the 11th Duke in 1927, it was passed on to her. I feel honoured to be wearing it.” - Jodie Kidd. Source: Hello Magazine  <a href="https://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/specials/weddingspecial06/pagina_7_2.html" target="_self">Hello Magazine</a> still says that the tiara was once owned by Queen Victoria. Present whereabouts are not known. |
DUCHESS OF CONNAUGHT PEARLS AND DIAMONDS SPIKES  The pearl and diamond tiara the Duchess is wearing in the picture above is composed of 12 bouton and 13 pear-shaped pearls with diamonds and has a chain to form a necklace.  Queen Victoria left the Duchess the pearl and diamond tiara given to her by Aga Khan which was mentioned in the inventory of the Queen's jewellery made by Garrards in 1896. The Duchess' daughter, Princess Patricia of Connaught can be seen wearing the tiara in later photographs; whether or not she received the tiara is not for certain. |  KENT PEARL SWIRL  The tiara worn by Princess Alexandra of Kent is a pearl & diamond tiara of 15 linked diamond circles with a pearl in the centre of each was a gift from her grandmother to her mother, Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, upon her marriage to the Duke of Kent. It can be worn as a tiara or necklace.  The Grand Duchess Vladimir, it is believed, gave this tiara to Princess Nicholas of Greece(Grand Duchess Elena) as a wedding gift. (see Munn Tiaras plates 286-287 pages 316-317) |  KENT FESTOON TIARA probably English, circa 1900. This jewel was a favorite of Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent; which is now with HRH Princess Michael of Kent.  "The strict rules of court etiquette remained unaltered, although many members of the nobility, including, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, regarded the tiara as a nuisance." It was King Edward VII who made his displeasure felt when guests arrived without a tiara. From Cartier By Hans Nadelhoffer  The tiara was seen on Katharine Worsley, Duchess of Kent a few times before it went to Princess Michael of Kent.  Above, Princess Michael of Kent wears the tiara along with the diamond daisies of the Duchess of Kent. |
 THE GLOUCESTER CARTIER INDIAN TIARA OF PRINCESS MARIE LOUISE  The Indian tiara was originally owned by HH Princess Marie-Louise, daughter of HRH Princess Helena, the fifth child of HM Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.She was born Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein at Richmond Lodge in Windsor Park, Berkshire, England. Princess Marie married Prince Aribert of Anhalt. The couple had no children.  The tiara is lavishly filled with sapphires, pearls, and diamonds. The Princess Marie-Louise wore this tiara for the 1953 Coronation of the present Queen. She died in 1956. Marie was godmother to Prince Richard, the later and present Duke of Gloucester.  It is not known whether shebequeathed the tiara to Princess Alice of Gloucester or to the Duke, but it became property of the Gloucesters and the tiara is worn now by the present Duchess, as she did for the Brazilian State Banquet.  Source:<a href="https://www.imageconfidence.com.au/cartier-exhibition-highlights-nga/" target="_self">Cartier Exhibition</a>  Misc. photos of the current Duchess wearing the tiara. I imagine the tiara is quite heavy! That may explain as to why the Duchess prefers the other tiaras she has.  | CITY OF LONDON FRINGE Given to Princess Marina of Greece & Denmark, Duchess of Kent. This tiara was as a wedding gift from the Lord Mayor and the City of London on her marriage to Prince George of the United Kingdom, Duke of Kent. In 1934 this tiara was presented by the city of London to Princess Marina as a wedding gift. It is a tiara of graduated spikes, made in around 1870 and formerly owned by the Queen of Pudukota. Currently it belongs to Princess Michael of Kent.  This diamond fringe tiara mounted in gold and set in silver. This jewel is unusual in that it flares at the sides to charming effect, and unlike many other tiaras in kokoshnik style, it does not dismantle to make a necklace. Princess Marina was a great-grandniece of Queen Alexandra through her father's side.  In 1968, Princess Marina's daughter Princess Alexandra of Kent [Lady Ogilvy] wore the tiara on her wedding day.(above)  Princess Michael of Kent nee Marie-Christine von Reibnitz wearing two versions of the tiara. The bottom version incorporates a black velvet halo on which the tiara rests; on top is a diamond reviere which was from King George V.  The tiara was recently worn by Princess Michael's daughter, Lady Gabriella Windsor, upon her marriage in May of 2019.  |  The Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia, Princess of Greece and Denmark (The mother of Princess Marina) wearing her own Russian Fringe Tiara which was given to her by her mother, the Grand Duchess Vladimir. The Grand Duchess wore it as a head-jewel in the form of a star.  The tiara was not passed to Princess Marina. The tiara was passed to her sister, Princess Elisabeth who wore it on her wedding day.  The Kent Fringe Tiara is similar in design to The Grand Duchess', but the difference is, the tiara is an actual Romanov Tiara that belonged to The Romanov Dynasty as Elena was the daughter of a Grand Duke and granddaughter of Tsar Alexander II of Russia.  The other difference; there are small gaps between the diamond strands and the 'spikes' do not become blunt at the top. The tiara can be worn as a necklace. After the death of Princess Elisabeth, the head jewel was given to her daughter, Helene Countess Toerring-Jettenbach who wore the tiara at her own wedding.  Many people confuse this tiara with the Kent Fringe and for a time it was listed on the Wikipedia page for 'Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's jewels'. In fact the mix up on Wikipedia claimed this was the 'Kent Fringe' while using the picture of Grand Duchess Elena in her tiara. This tiara and the 'Kent Fringe' were never part of Her Majesty's collection.  Princess Elisabeth's granddaughter, Archduchess Sophie of Austria (above) wore the tiara for her wedding and is currently the owner. |
| SCLESWIG-HOLSTEIN TIARAS OF PRINCESS HELENA  Princess Helena was the third daughter and fifth child (of 9) of Queen Victoria. Above in the picture the Princess is wearing a bandeau of diamonds, which was the wedding gift of her brother Edward and her sister-in-law the Princess of Wales (Princess Alexandra, later Queen). source:The Scotsman, 7 July 1866; The Times, 6, 7, 11 July 1866; Illustrated London News, July 21, 1866  The tiara, necklace, brooch and earrings of turquoise and diamonds above were part of the gift from the Queen to her daughter as a wedding present.  THE ANHALT HONEYSUCKLE TIARA  Princess Helena (daughter of Queen Victoria)  Princess Marie Luise of Schleswig-Holstein (daughter of Princess Helena) | BATTENBERG VICTORIAN TIARAS  FLEUR-DE-LYS TIARA The Victorian diamond set tiara, with stylised fleur-de-lys and scroll motifs graduating from the centre and set with old round brilliant-cut and rose-cut diamonds, total estimated weight 30cts, all mounted in silver grain and cut-down settings on yellow gold back, convertible into a necklace circa 1870 was sold in 2000 for £42500 and looked very similar of these above in the sketch. The tiara belonged to Princess Beatrice, the fifth daughter and youngest child (of 9) of Queen Victoria. Beatrice married to Prince Henry of Battenberg; her descendants include the current monarch of Spain.  There is no known picture of Princess Beatrice wearing this tiara. VICTORIAN STAR TIARA  Princess Beatrice wearing a star tiara on her wedding day; the tiara was given to her by her mother, Queen Victoria.  | VICTORIAN STRAWBERRY LEAF TIARA A diamond tiara of strawberry leaves that was once set with rubies, a favorite jewel of Queen Victoria. The Queen owned many tiaras, some of which are now altered, such as this item, whichshe had worn at Princess Louise wedding in 1871. Since her husband Prince Albert’s death, the jewels and jewelry which he had arranged for her were talismanic for her.  Along with the tiara there was a matching ruby and diamond necklace and brooch matching the coronet pattern tiara consisting of 14 lozenge-shaped clusters & 13 strawberry leaves with ruby and diamond band - part of a suite with necklace, brooch and earrings.  The suite was given to Queen Victora's daughter, Princess Beatrice, on her marriage 23 July 1885.  Princess Beatrice then loaned it to her daughter, above, Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenburg (Queen consort of Spain). The tiara was passed to Princess Beatrice's eldest son, Prince Alexander of Battenberg. His wife, Lady Irene Denison was the last to be seen wearing the tiara in a painting that was commissioned by her.  It was she who took it to Cartier in 1933 to have the rubies removed. Its present whereabouts are unknown.  The Countess at the 1937 Coronation. |
VICTORIAN EMERALDS AND DIAMONDS The origin of the name "Queen Victoria's Emerald and Diamond". Queen Victoria, the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Empress of India, whose long period of reign of 63 years and 7 months that extended from June 1837 to January 1901 was the longest in the history of the British Monarchy. The tiara is self explanatory, as the celebrated tiara was once the valued possession of the Queen. In keeping with her status as the monarch of the largest and most powerful empire in the world, Queen Victoria had a fabulous collection of jewelry of all varieties such as tiaras, necklaces, chokers, stomachers, brooches, bracelets, earrings, rings etc. set with the most expensive of jewels such as diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires and pearls.  (cont. right) |  The "Queen Victoria's Emerald and Diamond Tiara" was one of the most exquisitely crafted tiaras in her collection, and also one of her favorite pieces of jewelry, designed by her own husband, the Prince Consort, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in the Gothic style.  Caroline Dewar, former Duchess of Fife at the 1960 opening of Parliament. Thetiarais now confirmed as of 2018, to be in the possession of one of the descendants of Queen Victoria;the Fife family, descendants of Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife.  Being personal jewels of Queen Victoria, the tiara was bequeathed to one of her nine children or their descendants and somehow ended up with the Fife family.  |  Pictured above is Queen Victoria's granddaughter, Victoria of Hesse, daughter of Princess Alice of the UK.  The tiara is on display at Kensington Palace for 2018.  FIFE VICTORIAN EMERALD TIARA  The tiara appears to be extremely delicate. It appears that the tiara is in the hands of the Fife family who has put their tiaras on display at Kensington Palace for 2018.  |
 DUCHESS OF KENT PEARL AND DIAMOND SPIKES  Lady Helen Windsor wore the tiara her mother the Duchess of Kent wore on her wedding day (which was a gift from the Duchess' parentsColonel Sir William Arthington Worsley, 4th Bt. and Joyce Morgan Brunner).The wedding of Lady Helen Windsor, daughter of Dukes of Kent and Tim Taylor was held in a fairy tale scenario at Windsor Castle. The wedding gown was inspired in Tudor style and was designed by Catherine Walker, a designer also used by Princess Diana. |  GREEK KEY SUNRAY DIADEM OF QUEEN VICTORIA  The Sunray Diadem was made forQueenVictoriac. 1866. The tiara was passed to Princess Beatrice, daughter of the Queen.  These photos of Princess Beatrice are from the Coronation of George V in 1911. Beatrice incorporated a Greek Key tiara for the Sunray Diadem to be attached to. It raises the whole diadem up. |  GLOUCESTER DIAMOND BANDEAU  The diamond tiara in the foreground was the gift of the bridegroom, HRH the Duke of Gloucester to his wife Alice Christabel (later Princess Alice). It is possible to convert the diamond tiara to emeralds and diamonds as illustrated in the pictures above and below.  Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester |
THE KENT-CAMBRIDGE SAPPHIRE TIARA/NECKLACE  This tiara is possibly still owned by the Duke of Kent. The tiara was made from the Duchess of Kent's Sapphire necklace which was part of the purare given to her by the previous Duke and Duchess of Kent. The the necklace was part of the original Cambridge Sapphire collection given to Princess Marina [of Greece], Duchess of Kent who had been given the purare by Queen Mary. Queen Mary received the purare from Princess Augusta of Cambridge, Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Princess Augusta had received the purare originally from her mother, the Duchess of Cambridge--wife of the Duke, and son of George III. In another post about the original sapphire tiara, you can see the Duchess wearing the tiara as a necklace. The tiara is known as a "button tiara" and is not really that desirable to the eye for many royal fans.  [Katherine, Duchess of Kent] Sadly, most of the purare was sold at auction for expenses. The original purare had come to Princess Marina [of Greece] through her marriage to the Duke of Kent in 1934. The original purare which was give to Queen Mary had only consisted of a tiara, a necklace, and a stomacher, but Mary made a lot of changes. She made the necklace into two brooches and modified the stomacher. She had the necklace adjusted and the tiara was made adjustable so it could be worn as a necklace. Two bracelets were added to the set as well. [Source: Artemisia's Jewels] | KENT AQUAMARINE LOAN  The Fouquet Tiara with Aquamarines, Diamonds and Pearls Top, the tiara with aquamarines and enamel designed by Georges Fouquet in1908.  [Katherine Worsley, Duchess of Kent] He presented this new type of jewels at the Brussels Exhibition 1910: a diadem in the form of a flexible gold bandeau consisting of five oval motifs. In the centre of each of these ovals was a large Sibirian aquamarine, the colour of which was heightened by the addition of blue enamel, surrounded by an openwork design made up of small arches set with lines of diamonds and 6 pearls. The jewel was of kokoshnik form in finest style, probably as a tribute to the Russian orgin of the stones. It was his favorite gem. Georges had such a strong predilection for this blue stone that dealers dubbed him "the father of aquamarine". The Duchess is wearing the "new" setting which preserves the original arrangement of the five aquamarines within their openwork surrounds composed of small arches. Without the bandeau-form of translucent enamel a jour. |  THE GLOUCESTER DIAMOND BANDEAU  This diamond bandeau was a wedding present to Alice upon her marriage. It appears to be the second tiara which was given upon that occasion.  The photos of Alice, Duchess of Gloucester in this tiara are scarce and she tiara seems to disappear after WWII. The above photos come from the Grosvernor Ball in 1937 where the Duke and Duchess were present.  The above photo comes from 1939. [Source: <a class="external" href="http://members2.boardhost.com/royal-jewels/thread/1503174190.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RJOTW</a>] |
| THE NOBILITY | ||
SPENCER HONEYSUCKLE The "other" Spencer Tiara - usually known as the Honeysuckle Tiara, has been remodeled quite a bit over time. The photo below is the original.  Below is the wife of the 5th Earl Spencer, Lady Charlotte Seymour wearing the tiara in 1885. She was also drawn wearing the tiara.  [Source: <a class="external" href="http://www.thecourtjeweller.com/2016/08/the-daily-diadem-spencer-honeysuckle.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Court Jeweller</a>] Below is the wife of the 7th Earl, Lady Cynthia Beatrix Hamilton, grandmother of Lady Di (wearing the tiara in 1953 at the coronation of the current Queen).  Cynthia, Countess Spencer wore it quite a few times and can be seen in it if you search the web. She wore the tiara at a Gala Performance in 1950 and an Army dinner in 1956. The tiara is on exhibition with the traveling collection of <a class="external" href="http://www.dianaexhibition.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Diana, A Celebration</a>  *The photo above is a mock-up, a photo-shopped picture. Diana never wore this tiara. |  COUNTESS OF SPENCER 'PRINCESS DIANA'S TIARA' The tiara is entirely a composite with the central element being a gift from Lady Sarah Spencer to Cynthia, Viscountess Althorp as a wedding present in 1919. Cynthia was photographed wearing the Spencer tiara in 1956 [see: <a class="external" href="http://members2.boardhost.com/royal-jewels/msg/1509181630.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RJOTW</a>]  It was later remounted. Four other elements were made to match it in 1937. Only the two elements at the end are old and are said to have come from a tiara owned by Francis, Viscountess Montagu and left to Lady Sarah Spencer in 1875.  It was worn by Lady Diana Spencer when she married The Prince of Wales in 1981.  The tiara was subsequently used by Victoria Lockwood when she married the 9th Earl (at that time styled Lord Althorp) in 1989.  [Source: <a href="https://people.com/royals/princess-dianas-spencer-tiara-history-and-photos/" target="_self">People</a>] Others that used the tiara on their wedding day include Diana's sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane, Baroness Fellowes. The tiara was recently seen on the daughter of Lady Sarah [Spencer] on her wedding day in 2018; Celia McCorquodale.  [Source: <a href="https://people.com/royals/princess-diana-wedding-tiara-worn-niece-celia-mccorquodale-spencer-tiara/" target="_self">People</a>] | Catherine Victoria Lockwood, The former Countess of Spencer (below)  On 16 September 1989, Charles, then known by the courtesy title of Lord Althorp, married Catherine Victoria Lockwood (b. 1965), a model.  The Earl and Countess Spencer were divorced on 3 December 1997 and he subsequently remarried and divorced again. The Earl and his first wife had four children, including Lady Kitty and his heir, Louis, Viscount Althorp. On 18 June 2011, the Earl re-married to Karen Gordon, a Canadian. The tiara was not worn by the new Countess of Spencer. *The tiara is the property of the Spencer family. The tiara can now be seen at Diana's ancestral family residence, <a class="external" href="http://www.althorp.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Althorp Estate</a>.  |
 DUCHESS OF DEVONSHIRE DIAMOND PALMETTE  1893 Devonshire Tiara The Duchess of Devonshire, née Lady Evelyn FitzMaurice "The Queen has been complaining about the weight of her tiara ... the Queen doesn't know what a heavy tiara is."----Evelyn, Duchess of Devonshire about Queen Mary, for whom she was Mistress of the Robes.  The design is made in 1802 by Skinner of Orchard Street. The tiara was made for Louise, Duchess of Devonshire, who was given this tiara a year after her marriage, in 1893, to the 8th Duke at the age of 61.  The tiara rests on a band of pairs of stylized buds between collet-set diamonds, surmounted by a sequence of 13 scrolled palmettes outlined by diamond borders linked at the base to lotus flowers graduated toward the back. The imposing size and the severity of the classical motifs lend a majestic air to the tiara, entirely appropriate for the wife of a man whose wealth won him the title of "king of Lancashire". Louise, the Duchess, was known for her imposing beauty and love of jewels. She had house balls and get together's quite frequently. One of the big gatherings included a major costume ball in 1897 of which the Royal family attended. Hundreds of nobility and the Royals were photographed wearing their costumes. [Source: <a href="https://www.chatsworth.org/art-archives/devonshire-collection/jewellery-and-metalwork/diamond-tiara/" target="_self">Chatsworth House</a>] |  THE LADY MOUNTBATTEN’S TIARA M O U N T B A T T E N - B A T T E N B E R G  Lady Mountbatten dressed for the coronation of George VI, taken by Yevonde, 1937. Lady Edwina Ashley married the uncle of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. Edwina was a descendant of nobility; George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough and Henry Somerset, 6th Duke of Beaufort. She was also a direct descendant of Princess Mary Rose Tudor and Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk through their daughter Lady Eleanor Brandon.  Thought to have been made around 1910 by a leading French jeweller, possibly Chaumet or Cartier, it is pierced and millegrain-set with circular-cut diamonds in a design of meandering scroll and trefoil motifs. Set in platinum, the tiara has a distinctly modern feel - its fluid symmetry setting it apart from the more formal designs associated with heavier and earlier pieces set in silver and gold.  The tiara and jewels were passed on to Lady Mountabatten's daughter, Lady Pamela Hicks nee Mountbatten, who was a bridesmaid in her cousin Duke Philip's wedding to the future Queen Elizabeth in 1947. | THE HARCOURT TIARA A magnificent tiara worn at the coronation of both King George VI in 1937 and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Christies offers in his catalogue: "One of the most outstanding and illustrious tiaras of English history which has been in the same family for over 100 years (estimate: £300,000-400,000). Appearing at auction for the first time."  The beautiful Harcourt tiara was worn at the 1937 coronation of King George VI by the Dowager Viscountess Harcourt, in the picture above, dressed in her robes for the coronation of George VI with the emerald and diamond tiara on her head and the Harcourt necklace made for her by Cartier in 1920. Her daughter, Lady Ashburton, later wore the same tiara at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Lady Ashburton was the elder sister of William, Second Viscount Harcourt. She married the Hon. Alexander Baring, later sixth Baron Ashburton, in 1924, the father of the present owner. The exquisite tiara is composed of sprays of diamond flowerheads and leaves running between borders of continuous diamond ribbon motifs with the focus centering on seven outstanding emeralds. The tiara was worn by the Dowager Viscountess together with the ‘Harcourt Emeralds’ – a magnificent emerald and diamond necklace - which Christie’s sold for £1,870,000 in London on 21 June 1989 ( to the jeweller Graff). The emeralds themselves have a fascinating provenance: they originally descended from Mary Hayes Burns, the sister of the banker J. Pierpont Morgan, to her daughter Mary, who married Lewis, first Viscount Harcourt, in 1899. The tiara dates from their wedding.  Another more famous jewel in Mary Harcourt's collection, previously sold at Sotheby's New York in 1995, was a necklace set with diamonds once forming the chains of the great comb à pampilles belonging to Empress Eugenie. |
 PEMBROKE SAPPHIRE TIARA There is no official description of the tiara. However, the base is of alternating baguette sapphires and diamonds. Above that are rose cut sapphires surrounded by diamonds which form several daisies. The above photograph features the 17th Earl of Pembroke who is a descendant of Anne Parr, Countess of Pembroke, sister of Queen Catherine Parr. He married to Claire Rose Pelly.  Above is the son of the 17th Earl and Lady Claire, William, the 18th Earl of Pembroke who married Victoria Bullough. |  DUCHESS OF MARLBOROUGH BOUCHERON The diamond tiara was made by Boucheron for Consuelo Vanderbilt, the Duchess of Marlborough. The Duchess was part of the great American family, the Vanderbilt's, from whom Gloria Vanderbilt and Anderson Cooper descend. In the late 1800s, early 1900s, there were many weddings of European aristocrats with American heiresses. For the nobles of the Old World, such unions were shameful, but useful in financial terms; the nobility looked upon the Americans who married into their caste as intruders, unworthy of their new position, much like they did with Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor.  Consuelo Vanderbilt, Duchess of Marlborough, dressed in court attire. |  LADY CURZON TIARAS  Born in Chicago, Lady Curzon was born Mary Victoria Leiter. She was an American socialite and debutante. She met her husband while in England. In 1895, in Washington D.C., Mary married Lord Curzon of Kedleston who would later become Viceroy to India.  Her other tiara, above, had pearl spikes. |
 Courtesy Albion Art Collection COUNTESS OF SPENCER PEARLS AND DIAMONDS Is worn by Princess Diana's step-mother, Raine, the Countess of Spencer.  The Countess's first marriage was to the Earl of Dartmouth. |  THE CARTIER TIARA OF ESSEX According to Geoffrey C. Munn's Tiaras - A History of Splendour (page 257), this tiara was made by Cartier for Adele, Countess of Essex in 1902. Lady Churchill borrowed this tiara from the Countess for the Queen's Coronation in 1953.  Above is Crown Princess Margarita of Romania,who borrowed the tiara from Cartier for her wedding in 1996. |  AMETHYSTS OF THE MARQUESS OF TAVISTOCK The Tavistock tiara is owned by the Duke of Bedford and is named after the title of the heir to the dukedom, that of Marquess of Tavistock.  The tiara is an amethyst and diamond tiara in the form of vine leaves, circa 1870. In the law of precious stones, the amethyst stands for devotion.  |
 THE PORTLAND ANTIQUE SAPPHIRE, DIAMOND AND NATURAL PEARL TIARA Geoffrey C. Munn, Tiaras a History of Splendour, Antique Collectors' Club, 1988, pl 86, 87 and 88 Designed as a series of twelve graduated cushion-shaped sapphire and old-cut diamond clusters to the openwork frame of diamond-set swag and husk motifs, embellished with bouton-shaped pearls and diamond line borders to the pear-shaped pearl finials and sapphire collet accents, mounted in silver and gold, circa 1890, inner circumference 54.0cm Accompanied by report No. 57829 dated 15 November 2010 from the SSEF Swiss Gemmological Institute stating the origin of five sapphires is Ceylon, of four sapphires is Burma and of could not be determined for the remaining three. A sample of three pearls was tested and they were found to be natural saltwater The tiara is thought to have been made by E. Wolff & Co. for Garrard shortly after the 6th Duke's marriage in 1889. A painted miniature on ivory of Ivy, Duchess of Portland (1887-1982), when she was Marchioness of Titchfield, depicts her wearing the tiara and the matching stomacher brooch. Ivy was the 7th Duke's wife. It is noted in the 1887 inventory that several of the family jewels were dismantled to construct the tiara.  Born Ivy Gordon-Lennox, she was Duchess of Portland from 1943 to 1977 and after wards Dowager Duchess. By both parents she was descended from illegitimate children of the Stuart kings and other nobility linking her to Princess Margaret Tudor and Princess Mary Rose Tudor. |  MARCHIONESS OF LONDONDERRY  The tiara worn by Theresa, Marchioness of Londonderry, above, has been dramatically altered since it was first made. At one time, each individual element was set with a pearl, but these have been replaced by diamonds and its original gallery of pear-shaped pearls has also been removed. The diamond parure was made by Garrard in 1854 from stones removed from the jewels and second Garter insignia of the Marchioness Emily.  This tiara along with the stomacher was on display at the <a class="external" href="http://www.vam.ac.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Victoria and Albert </a><a class="external" href="http://www.vam.ac.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Museum</a> in London, England (Summer 2010) |  NORTHUMBERLAND STRAWBERRY LEAVES King George IV presented the Duke of Northumberland with a ceremonial sword that had diamonds. They were used to make this tiara.  Lady Helen Percy nee Gordon-Lennox, Duchess of Northumberland.She was Mistress of the Robes to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Motherfrom 1937 to 1964; wife of Alan Ian Percy, 8th Duke of Northumberland. She was the daughter of the 7th Duke of Richmond.  Sadly, this tiara was stolen after a state dinner in 1963. |
 FABERGE ART NOUVEAU TIARA From the collection of the Duke of Westminster A remarkable Faberge Tiara by the famous Russian goldsmith, his jewelery is rare and his tiaras are rarer still. The craftsmanship and design that has made the Faberge atelier so famous you will see at that tiara in the form of a graduated band of Cyclamen coum tied with knots of ribbon, purchased from Faberge for the Hon Mrs Wilson Fox. The tiara can be effortlessly removed from its gold frame and worn as an articulated fringe necklace.  The Jewel come from the workshops of the chief master jewelery work of Faberge, Albert Holmström in 1903. Constance, the Duchess of Westminster nee Cornwallis-West (a descendant of Mary Boleyn) not only possessed this tiara but also the amazing enamelled platinum kokoshnik forget me not created by Chaumet (right column). Constance was wife to the 2nd Duke of Westminster. |  WESTMINSTER LAUREL WREATH TIARA This Head Ornament in brilliant diamonds, composed of two sprays of myrtle leaves and berries, the stalks are engraved gold network, leaves rubbed-over in a silver setting, pierced to suggest veining and then backed in gold. Each spray, which is made in two parts measures 7 1/2 inches in length and is made by Faberge work master Albert Holmström. Purchased to mark the marriage of Hugh William Grosvenor and Lady Mabel Florence Crichton, which took place in 1906. This version of tiara was popular at the turn of the nineteenth century as a revivel of the Neo-classical style. It was a revival of the Neo-classical style. Myrtle leave and berries were sacred to Aphorodite and Faberge used this interpretation of this ancient theme as allegory of grace, love and virginity for this bride - diadem.  The most recent bride to wear the diadem was Lady Tamara Grosvenor, daughter of the Duke of Westminster, upon her marriage to Edward van Cutsem. |  WESTMINSTER RUSSIAN KOKOSHNIK A unique work, forget-me-not flowers of diamonds and jewels on a background of blue transparent enamel, dreamlike work in platinum tiara by Chaumet, Paris.  It was modeled on the court kokoschnik the Romanovs, with blue velvet and precious stones. A delicate jewel decorated with trails of forget-me-not flowers seen against a background of blue plique-a-jour enamel Chaumet composed this kokoshnik closely based on the blue velvet kokoshniks decorated with jewelled ornaments worn at the court of the Czar, this tiara makes an amusing visual pun, as it has as thought by alchemy, been turned into blue enamel and diamonds. The flowers on decorations is set with 280 brilliant-cut diamonds. This is such an important tiara from the perspective of design and quality. Purchased by the second Duke of Westminster for his wife, Constance Cornwallis-West (descendant of Mary Boleyn) in 1911 from Chaumet, Paris. The present Duke aquired it again for the family, after many years. |
THE WESTMINSTER HALO  The large round center diamond was thought to be the Hastings Diamonds.  The Arcots are on either side. The Arcots were a present from Nawab of Arcot in 1777 to Queen Charlotte, wife of George III. The Arcots were among the two 'smallest' stones received by the Queen. The Arcots were placed in a crown for George IV and later in the crown of Queen Adelaide, the consort of his successor, William IV. Queen Adelaide died in 1818 and under the terms of her will the Arcots were ordered to be sold to Rundell & Bridge in 1804. In 1930 the Parisian jeweler Lacloche mounted the Arcots in the Westminster Tiara, a bandeau style piece, together with the round brilliant and no less than 1421 smaller smaller diamonds. The tiara was pieced to form a design of pavè-set scrolls with arcading, and with clusters of marquise-shaped diamonds between the sections, tapering slightly at the sides, with baguette diamond banding framing the large center stone and with diamond baguettes dispersed singly throughout the tiara.  In her memoirs, Loelia, Duchess of Westminster, third wife of the second Duke of Westminster, wrote about the Arcots, "fixed by themselves on the safety-pin they looked extremely bogus, so that a friend who saw me that evening remarked, 'What on earth does Loelia think she's doing, pinning those two lumps of glass on herself?'"  In June of 1959 the third Duke of Westminster sold the Westminster Tiara to help meet the cost of heavy death-duties. Harry Winston paid £110,000 for it at auction - then a world record price for a piece of jewelry.  Loelia, Duchess of Westminster photographed by Cecil Beaton in 1931 wearing the Kokoshnik halo-shaped Tiara diamond tiara made by the designer Ladoche without the Arcot Diamonds.  Rose Movius Palmer purchased the tiara and replaced the Arcot diamonds with turquoise stones. |  WESTMINSTER PINK DIAMOND SPINEL BAGRATION The parure is dated c.1810. It was attributed to Fossin & Fils, a predecessor of the French jeweler Chaumet. The parure was purchased by the Russian Princess Katharine Bagration, heiress to Prince Potemkin and listed in the 1836 inventory of her jewels. Its extravagant size and pattern suggest the illustrious lineage of its first owner. In May 1977, the parure was sold at Christie's, New York, for $121,000 (£71,160) by the 6th Duke of Westminster.  This tiara is part of a parure in which the jewels that match can be found on the Royal Jewels of the Ladies of Great Britain page no. 2. It consists of a tiara, head comb, pendant necklace, and earrings. History of the combination: This splendid set originally belonged to Princess Ekatarina Pavlovna Bagration, née Skavronskaia (1783 - 1857) Crown Prince Potemkin and the wife of Peter Ivanovic Bagration prínicpe (1765 - 1812), a descendant of the Georgian kings Bagration, himself a distinguished General against Russian forces fighting Napoleon at the battle of Borodino. She had many admirers and remarried, an English lord.  It is estimated that the set was created in 1810 by French jewelers Fossin & Fils, Chaumet predecessors, and first appears in the inventory of jewels of the Princess Bagration, dated 1836.  The 6th Duke of Westminster gave the set to his girlfriend, who wore the tiara at their wedding in 1978 at Westminster Abbey. In the photo, Natalia Phillips, wears the tiara on the veil. The Duchess of Westminster is a descendant of Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich and Sophie of Merenberg, Countess de Torby. The Grand Duke was the grandson of Nicholas I, Tsar of Russia and his wife, Alexandra Feodorovna, nee Princess Charlotte of Prussia. By both maternal great-grandparents Natalia descends from Sophia, Electress of Hanover, the mother of George I of Great Britain. Therefore she is part of the Line of Succession to the British throne due to the law which allows all descendants of Sophia a position in the Line of Succession (see Margaret and Mary's Descendants). Her sister, Alexandra is the Duchess of Abercorn, married to James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn. | WESTMINSTER PEARL DROPS Seven beautiful large ancient oriental pearl drops from the treasury of the Dukes, were framed with diamonds and mounted by old brilliant-cut diamonds, creating seven brooches - which can also be attached to each of the 6 round beads or on the diamond seven similarly-cut diamond husk motifs.  The diadem, pearls, and diamonds are mounted in silver and yellow gold, circa 1860 from Garrard Co.  The round pearls surrounded in diamonds can be worn separately as brooches as well and form the basis of the diadem.  The compounds are numbered on the back so when the diadem is configured no mistakes happen. It can be compiled in 2 different heights and versions, a very versatile gem, with beautiful, rare pearls. Some may find it 'ugly' when fully assembled but if viewed separately..... Victorian ladies enjoyed being able to wear versatile pieces. As mentioned before, this diadem can be dismantled into a simpler diadem, several brooches, and earrings.  The jewels and tiaras of the Duke of Westminster were photographed for a magazine -- these pictures show models, not the actual Duchess herself.   |
| Extended family and Descendants of Queen Victoria | ||
SOURCES
Some tiaras already have the source in the box, for others:
<a class="external" href="http://www.en.cartier.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CARTIER</a>
<a class="external" href="http://www.thecourtjeweller.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">THE COURT JEWELLER</a>
<a class="external" href="http://members2.boardhost.com/royal-jewels/index.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ROYAL JEWELS OF THE WORLD FORUM</a>
<a class="external" href="http://www.christies.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CHRISTIE'S AUCTIONS</a>
<a href="https://royal-magazin.de/" target="_self">THE ROYAL MAGAZINE</a>
<a class="external" href="http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">THE ROYAL COLLECTION</a>
<a class="external" href="http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">THE ROYAL FORUMS</a>
CHRISTIE'S AUCTIONS:<a class="external" href="http://www.christies.com/features/Jewellery-worn-by-royalty-7847-1.aspx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">JEWELS WORN BY ROYALTY AND SOLD BY CHRISTIE'S</a>(2016)
<a class="external" href="http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/f132/unidentified-mystery-and-lost-royal-jewels-5725-3.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">THE ROYAL FORUMS: QUEEN ADELAIDE FRINGE</a>
<a class="external" href="http://people.com/royals/cambridge-lovers-knot-tiara-princess-diana-kate-middleton-and-more/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">PEOPLE MAGAZINE: CAMBRIDGE LOVER'S KNOT</a>
<a class="external" href="http://forum.alexanderpalace.org/index.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ALEXANDER PALACE TIME MACHINE</a>
<a class="external" href="http://lafayette.org.uk/index.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">THE LAFAYETTE NEGATIVES ARCHIVES</a>
Mandy's British Royalty Blog
'TIARAS: A HISTORY OF SPLENDOUR' by Geoffrey Munn
'The Royal Jewels'REVISED by Suzy Menkes
'The Queen's Jewels'by Leslie Field [My own personal collection]
<a class="external" href="http://books.google.com/books?id=xnKpjh1gkqgC&dq=nizam+of+hyderabad+tiara&source=gbs_navlinks_s" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cartier</a>By Hans Nadelhoffer
Forbes.com
Internet Stones
CNN
Yahoo! News
Wikipedia
<embed allowfullscreen="true" height="350" src="http://wikifoundrytools.com/wiki/thetudorswiki/widget/youtubevideo/c5e69c10371dd8b7c3ead0f989a38736766bf768" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" wmode="transparent"/>
TIARAS OF THE HOUSE OF WINDSOR (belonging to HM Queen Elizabeth II AND/OR The Royal Collection)
INDIVIDUAL TIARAS OF THE HOUSE OF WINDSOR
Not seen in decades (or broken up):
SOLD
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