Yet another tiara that saw a major transformation. This time French. And this time not dismantled at the hands of a bored royal. What’s the story with Empress Marie-Louise’s fantastic tiara? Hang on to your hats because here we go.
Having begun its life as the keystone piece of an emerald and diamond parure, ordered by none other than Napoleon himself for his second wife, Marie-Louise of Austria, this tiara was a show stopper. Initially designed and created holding 79 emeralds and more than 1,000 diamonds (about 700 carats) in a scrolling design of palmettes and medallions in silver and gold in 1810, the tiara was part of a full set of jewels created for the new Empress, as would have been customary of the time.
And from what we can tell, she loved it. Her portrait was painted wearing the tiara on more than one occasion (along with portions of the rest of the ensemble). She can be seen in the image above wearing the spectacular tiara, along with the matching necklace and earrings. And the set made it out of France with Marie-Louise when her husband’s empire fell. When she died, she bequeathed the set to one of two people (there seems to be some dissonance between authorities on this matter, as to whom was actually the recipient): her aunt, Archduchess Elise, according to the Smithsonian, or her cousin Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, according to the Louvre. In either case, a descendant sold the set to Van Cleef & Arpels in 1953.
And VCA, wanting to capitalize on their new acquisition, decided to break up the tiara and a hair comb, removing the emeralds, so they could sell them independently, offering the “general public” a chance to own, “An emerald for you from the historic Napoleonic Tiara,” (the necklace and earrings retained their emeralds and now reside at the Louvre). Heartbreaking. In 1962, the missing emeralds were replaced by 79 Persian turquoises, totaling 540 carats, creating a major change in the look of the Empress Marie-Louise Diadem.
A change that caught the eye of one Marjorie Merriweather Post, an American heiress and great jewelry collector. Typically one to acquire Faberge and Russian works, she bought the diadem from VCA and wearing it herself, before gifting it to the Smithsonian where it now resides. The change from emeralds to turquoises was quite controversial. You either love it or hate it, it seems. I do have to wonder what Marie-Louise would think about the alteration. What do you think? Have you seen it in person? Tell me about it in the comments below.
I love this posts. I’m a history buff but I don’t know a lot about jewels that ppl owned. Thank you!
Awww. Thank you! These are a lot of fun for me to write.
Hated it!! Looking at the painting the Empress looked Amazing in the emerald and diamonds. The turquoise looks IMO cheap. 🤷🏾♀️ Thanks for the wonderful tiara tales!!
The turquoise is definitely provocative and not for everyone. And you’re most welcome!
Should have left it alone. I really love your page. So very interesting.
Thanks for stopping by, for taking the time to comment and your kind words!
Love your tiara tales! Loved the emeralds and diamonds. I love turquoise but not on this tiara. It definitely cheapened the look.
Thanks, Janet. To be fair to the turquoise, I’m told that you really would have to see it in person. Truly high end Persian turquoise is a sight to behold. I can’t say that I’ve ever seen turquoise in a tiara in person, but I sure would like to. 😉
Yes to see this tiara in person is a sight to behold. It is aboslutely stunning with the very high quality Persian turquoise contrasting against the diamonds. It lights up the room.
One day, I’ll get to see it live and in person!
Stumbled upon this site by happy coincidence! (now I’m devouring many pages/posts, esp. tiaras)
While historically I think it’s tragic it was changed so drastically, I love it both ways… maybe even leaning towards the turquoise. Altho I was very surprised to learn the date it was reset! I do remember reading several places (yrs ago; sorry, can’t recall where) that at end of Victorian era/beginning of Edwardian, truly wealthy ppl — who already owned at least one major diamond tiara, with/without other precious gems — made tiaras with SEMI-precious stones de rigueur, by saying “diamonds are *exploded*” (no longer in fashion; maybe even a tad nouveau riche?). This is where/when turquoise came into high regard, as well as coral, carnelian, lapis lazuli, etc. In short, a reverse snobbish way to tell “them” from “us”. Sadly, many of those tiaras & parures were also disassembled & reused within 50 yrs.
Late to the party, but thank you for excellent info!
Hi, Deb! Thanks for reading. I would love to get my hands on the article you referenced to see who wrote it. Isn’t it funny how the fads come and go, often with the nouveau-riche wanting to find a way to distinguish themselves from the rest of us? 😉