Antique, Vintage and Estate Fine Jewelry
Prior to Princess Eugenie wearing the Greville Emerald Tiara in her wedding last October, we didn’t often see colored stone tiaras center stage for royal nuptials. But there’s always that exception and in this case, it was the Infanta Pilar’s Sapphire Tiara, which had been worn at not just one but TWO royal weddings in the 21st century.
Not all of the tiaras out there have been passed down for generations within royal families. There are some tiaras that are delightful but weren’t initially brought to life by a king, queen, prince or princess. Just like the days of royals only marrying royals are over, some tiaras have made their way into royal collections via gifts from non-royal families. One such tiara is The Marichalar Meander Tiara.
It would make sense, given that Spain is surrounded by water on more than two sides, that there could be a royal tiara in their collection that resembles a sea shell or ocean waves. Perhaps that was the thought when… Keep Reading
What is it about mothers and daughters-in-law? Especially royal mothers? Poor Queen Ena. Her MIL, Queen Maria Cristina, was quite the the critic. No matter that Ena (whose real name was Princess Victoria Eugenie) was a direct descendant of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria (their granddaughter, to be exact). Queen Maria Cristina was born a Habsburg archduchess and she had her mind made up that her son would be marrying one of his Habsburg cousins. But cupid had other plans and so it was a Battenberg princess that won his heart.
It can’t be all kokoshniks and greek keys. Sometimes a royal gal just needs some flowers! That’s why today’s episode of #TiaraTuesday focuses on the Spanish Floral Tiara. I mean… the name says it all.
We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you…. something truly amazing. Ok, not that all of these tiaras aren’t amazing in their own right. But this one? Well, it’s extra amazing. Enough so that on this #TiaraTuesday, it was worth jumping out of our current theme, so I could introduce you to the Dutch Sapphire Tiara.
If it hasn’t already, it should be starting to become clear that royal jewels often change over time. Take Queen Ena’s Aquamarine Tiara as exhibit A. Once upon a time, Queen Ena gently nudged King Alfonso in the direction of the jeweler Ansorena, who made a diamond and pearl tiara at his request. But just like other royals in her family (she was originally a Battenberg princess, after all), Ena decided to re-work the pearl tiara into something a bit more spectacular.
Every young princess needs a starter tiara. It’s just a fact. But there are rules. It can’t be too over the top or ornate. That would be gauche and tacky. It should be simple and elegant and something that can… Keep Reading
For month’s now I’ve been featuring a different British Tiara here on the blog each Tuesday (if you’ve missed out, sit down with a big cup of coffee and start from the beginning). But it’s time to switch things up a bit. For the next little while, we’ll look at the Royal Spanish Tiaras, starting Queen Ena’s La Buena Tiara (also called the Fleur-de-Lys Tiara).
While this over-the-top tiara is listed in as a Royal British Tiaras by us today, it wasn’t truly worn by royalty. Aristocrats and nobility? Yes. Royalty? Nah. But when you have a tiara as stunning as The Portland Sapphire Tiara to talk about, who wants to get caught up in the little details?
We’re getting down to the nitty gritty now and to some of the tiaras that haven’t been seen in decades and decades. Today, I’m just going to break your heart right out of the gate. This tiara exists no more. Sadly, the Ladies of England Tiara was broken up over 100 years ago and some of its diamonds used to create the Cambridge Lover’s Knot and the Honeysuckle Tiaras. But…. that won’t stop me from drooling over the photos of it.
Choices. It’s all about choices with this tiara. What’s that you say? You don’t like how the central element clashes with your red dress? Well, just swap it out, dear. Indeed, the Honeysuckle Tiara is one of the best kinds – it’s convertible!
I’m back with the final chapter in my visit to London and Kensington Palace, where I got to see the three tiaras on display there, as part of the Victoria Revealed Exhibit. And I have to say, this is my favorite chapter. And favorite tiara of the three. In fact, one of my top three tiaras… ever. Yes. Ever. The Fife Tiara.
Oh to have a husband that loves to dabble in amazing jewelry creations and then gift them to me. Alas, I do not have such a husband. Queen Victoria did, however, and good ol’ Albert created gorgeous pieces for her, including what we now call Queen Victoria’s Emerald Tiara, to match some other amazing emerald jewels he’d made for her. Let’s discuss, shall we?
There are tiaras that are instantly recognizable (we’ve featured several that fit into that category). And then there are tiaras who’s style was so fashionable “everyone” had to have one. But then, that made it hard to distinguish from one another. Such an unfortunate problem to have, right? And today’s #TiaraTuesday feather, The Fife Fringe Tiara is one of the latter.
Do you have any pieces of jewelry in your jewelry box that you haven’t worn in over eighty years? We didn’t think so. But if you’re the British Royal family and we’re talking about the Royal jewelry vaults… well, maybe things just get a bit lost in there. Apparently the Teck Crescent Tiara is holed up inside, just waiting for the light of day.
Another one bites the dust. It was a common refrain when discussing Queen Mary and her tiaras. Just when folks would fall in love with one of her lovely tiaras, she’d get a wild hair and have it dismantled to make a different piece of jewelry. And so goes the Boucheron Loop Tiara.
We can always count on Queen Mary when it comes to fabulous tiaras. That woman had a penchant for turning something lovely into one heck of a statement piece. And I’m fairly certain she never ran into a jewel she didn’t like. At least for a while. In today’s episode of #TiaraTuesday, we’ll discuss one of her Grande Dame tiaras: The Delhi Durbar Tiara.
I bet you think that the current Queen, Elizabeth the II is the longest living British royal. And you’d think wrong. She’s the longest reigning royal. But the longest living royal, a princess who was a first cousin twice removed and the great aunt to Elizabeth, holds the honor. Her name was Alice and she lived to be almost 98 years old. And this is the story of her favorite tiara.
Ooooooo. We love it when we run into some royal tiara drama. The intrigue. The mystery. The did she or didn’t she! As with any royal family, the British Royals aren’t without a little drama when it comes to some of the royal jewels in the vaults. And the Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara certainly provided a little drama.
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