Antique, Vintage and Estate Fine Jewelry
Norma Shearer with her Art Deco engagement ring from movie exec Irving Thalberg.
We were packing up for our weekend show last night and couldn’t bring you the history of engagement rings from the 1920’s. But don’t worry – we weren’t going to make you wait too long for the era that has a firm grasp on our heart. [Read more…]
We’ve been patiently waiting to get to this edition of the History of Engagement Rings because….. ART DECO! Yes, the 30’s were smack dab in the middle of the Art Deco period and this is one of our favorite times for engagement rings. And we also get to talk about two of the world’s greatest jewelry collectors, as they married during the 30s. Let’s dig in.
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Today we embark on a new themed post series – Vintage Engagement Rings and The Zodiac. What does your sun sign say about the type of vintage engagement ring you might like? Well, a lot apparently.
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I’m a believer in going out on a high note and since I think this will be the last tiara post for a while, I thought we’d go out with a bang. When I was researching tiaras and women of color (because it’s not just the white European women who were bestowed with jewelry for their heads), I came across Ariana Austin Makonnen, the Princess of Ethiopia. Her wedding photos, which I’ll highlight in this little missive, are gorgeous. But while researching her and the Ethiopian crown, I ran across her husband’s great-grandmother and there’s quite a story to be told in tandem. So without further ado, let’s get down to brass tacks and talk about the Ethiopian Tiaras.
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Change is our only constant. I’m not sure who first coined that phrase, but they were certainly on to something! This year has been a big year of change for almost all of us. Some changes we never imagined and some we already had on our radar. Here at Katie Callahan and Co, I’d been planning on making some changes for some time.
While this website has served me well for 4 years now, all good things must come to an end, so I’ve been working on a total website overhaul. That will go live some time this fall. But with that shift, I decided it was also time to change the name of my little shop.
What’s in a name? Well, in this case, it was the combination of my middle and last names. And it confused the heck out of everyone for years. Folks that had known me for years didn’t get it. Folks that were just meeting me assumed my name was Katie (and I understand why) but my first name is really Wendy. And to be honest, the name didn’t really give you any idea about what I do here.
So, I want a new name for this little business I love. But I can’t decide on one. This is where you come in. You, yes you, will get to choose the new name. Well, at least one of you will. I decided to have a contest to come up with the new name and here’s how you enter to win the bracelet in the photo at the very top of this post:
I can’t wait to see what you guys come up with! Ready? Set? Go! And good luck!
As mentioned in many of my #TiaraTuesday posts previously, the British royals and aristocracy haven’t cornered the market on royal tiaras. There are lots of other royal families (or ex-royal families) that are tiara rich (or at least were, in the case of Imperial Russia and the French). And there are royal families outside of Europe wearing tiaras to this day, like the tiaras of Imperial Japan. I thought we’d check out a few of the Japanese sparklers today.
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Believe it or not, there are some folks who just aren’t into vintage jewels. I personally don’t get it, but if you’re one of those folks and you’ve somehow found yourself here, I may still have a little something for you. Forget the antique tiaras for a moment. Let’s talk about the ones being produced today.
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The titles King and Queen are not and have not just been for Europeans, over the centuries. There are Kings and Queens from all over this globe. Many African countries still have seated royals to this day. One such couple has a fairy tale, whirlwind, romantic courtship story, similar to that of Prince Rainier of Monaco and Grace Kelly. Let me introduce you to King Ronald and Queen Sylvia of Buganda (Uganda).
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I received not one but TWO tiaras for my 50th birthday a few weeks ago, and am now the proud owner of three total. Granted, none of mine are made of precious metals and diamonds, but they are still precious to me, nonetheless. It got me thinking about jewelry for your head, as I was walking to the mailbox, forgetting that I had one on, after showing it to a friend via video online. Who buys a tiara? And where exactly does one wear a tiara these days (besides to the mailbox)? And are folks really still buying the real thing? I can only make guesses at the first question and second questions. But I found firm answers to the third. So, I thought I’d share what I found out with you.
It would appear that in some alternate universe from mine, tiaras are doing just fine. There are several coming up on the auction block in the next few weeks and several more that have recently sold. Are you ready to take a look? (You can click on each photo to be taken to its auction page.)
It would appear that there is a little something for everyone and at a wide variety of price points. So, if money were no object, which one would you choose? I definitely want to hear from you about that in the comments below!
Mary, Mary never ordinary, where did your tiaras go? Ok, that’s not exactly how the nursery rhyme goes. But it could have. Queen Mary, known for dismantling her jewels and reworking them (which I guess I can’t say I blame her – I do love a conversion piece), left a slew of tiara carcasses in her wake during her time on this earth. But which ones and how many? Today we’ll explore Queen Mary’s Long Lost Tiaras.
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I don’t know about you, but I’ve found myself watching a little more TV during the Covid lockdown. I tried some new shows, but most of them just didn’t hold my attention. So I’ve gone back to my old favorite Downton Abbey. I had skipped the movie when it first came out. Work was busy and I just didn’t get there. But with my renewed interest in the Crawleys, I thought it was about time. Was the movie itself epic? Well, in a word, no. It was, however, well done. And did the Tiaras of Downton Abbey disappoint? Absolutely not!
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It’s amazing, once you’ve opened your eyes, what you can find with a little digging. If I’m honest, I hadn’t thought much about the race of the women I’d featured in previous #TiaraTuesday posts here. But with the most recent #BlackLivesMatter movement, I’ve forced myself to take a look at a lot of things, including how white these posts have been (until last week, that is). I have more women of color to feature from other monarchies and aristocracies, but today we’ll stick with the United Kingdom. Let me introduce you to Emma Thynn, also known previously as Viscountess Weymouth and currently as Marchioness of Bath, and her bridal tiara.
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I realized today, as I sat down to write my first new tiara post in a while, that I’d only shown one woman of color in a tiara, and that was Megan Markle after her wedding (I featured her in a social media post). Well, that changes today with Princess Angela of Liechtenstein and the Kinsky Honeysuckle Tiara.
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To say that things are a little wonky in the world right now would be an understatement. First, we’re all supposed to stay home because this crazy virus is running rampant. And then on top of it we have a bunch of idiots out there that don’t get how viral replication works, so they’re heading to spring break, Covid19 be damned. We can’t do much about it or them but you know what we can do? Drool over tiaras. And even better, these tiaras are within our grasp (assuming we have the funds for such – I personally don’t but I hope you do) because they are tiaras up for auction! Thank heavens for Sothebys (who has most of the listings here unless otherwise noted – click photos to head to the auction listings).
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I thought that maybe we might all be a little “done” with the tiaras broken down by monarchy. We’ve been through the UK, Spain, Russia and France. This week I decided to revisit a different kind of royalty. The (mostly) American royalty and their Hollywood tiaras.
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Remember a couple of weeks ago when I told you about Queen Marie-Amelie’s sapphire and pearl tiara? Yes? Well then you probably remember it told you that tiara, and its corresponding parure, was just the tip of the iceberg. Today I bring you…. the iceberg. This is Queen Marie-Amelie’s Diamond and Sapphire Tiara.
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Often times, tiaras become a part of the Crown Jewels of whatever country in which they originated and baring the dismantling of the monarchy, they remain a part of the jewels belonging to the State and move from monarch to monarch. Sometimes, however, lovely jewels end up being the property of the royals themselves and something like a little abdication doesn’t separate the sparkles from their owner. Just like Queen Marie-Amélie’s Sapphire and Pearl Tiara, which luckily was not a part of the French Crown Jewels.
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As is the case with many countries throughout history, France and its royal family has a turbulent past. World leaders residing in exile. Grand jewels that were sold off. And we all know what happened to Marie Antoinette. But unlike Mother Russia, the Crown Jewels of France, at least some of them, remain. One intact piece is that of famous nobility (related to Marie herself): The Duchess d’Angouleme Emerald And Diamond Tiara.
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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.
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So, I’ll readily admit that I might be stretching it a bit to include this tiara in the French Royal Tiaras, but if I don’t include the The Leuchtenberg Fabergé Tiara here, then it likely will be left out. And I just can’t do that, since it’s one of my top three favorite tiaras of all time. And it has a surprise happy ending.
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I’m going to let you in on a little secret: while I love a ruby, sapphire or emerald and diamond tiara, and even a pearl piece now and then, the aquamarine tiara, especially when worn by someone with intense ocean blue eyes, is possibly my favorite combo. Aqua tiaras can be hard to pull off – the cuts required to best show off an aquamarine don’t always lend themselves to the best tiara motifs. But you know who nailed it? The last Tsarina of Russia. Her Aquamarine Kokoshnik Tiara is a stunning example of how it can be done right.
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And now for something totally different. A Russian tiara that we know the whereabouts of. Or at least…. we did. The Russian Pearl Pendant Kokoshnik Tiara was one of the great Romanov treasures that was confiscated. But we have a paper trail to follow telling us where it ended up. For a while at least. But let’s start from the beginning.
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There’s so much mystery when it comes to the Romanov crown jewels. But one would assume that we have been aware of all of those mysteries for decades. And yet, in 2012 a new mystery came to light. Several long forgotten Romanov Jewels, including a spectacular diadem – the Sapphire Wave Tiara.
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Yes, I know that I’m supposed to be writing about Russian tiaras right now. And yes, I also know that this one is titled the Yugoslavian Diamond Kokoshnik Tiara. Just hold tight with me for a little bit and all will be revealed.
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