#tiaras
TIARA ALERT: Isabelle Junot wore a pearl and diamond tiara at her wedding to Álvaro Falcó Chávarri, 4th Marqués de Cubas, at the Palacio del Marqués de Mirabel in Plasencia, Spain on 2 April 2022.
The tiara was a gift to Carlota Maximiliana de Escandón y Barrón, Duquesa de Montellano, from her mother when she married Felipe Falcó y Ossorio, 8th Duque de Montellano, in 1891. Chaumet made her corbeille de mariage and it wouldn’t surprise me if they also made this tiara. It looks like the top diamonds and pear shaped pearls have been removed. I don’t know who in the Falcó family currently owns the tiara but it was also worn by the groom’s cousin, Alejandra ‘Xandra’ Falcó y Girod, 13th Marquesa de Mirabel, at her wedding to Jaime Carvajal Hoyos in 1998.
Circa 1920’s Colored Gemstone and Diamond Bandeau Tiara Which Includes Cabochon Emeralds and Pink Sapphires
Photo: Sotheby’s
An Amethyst, Sapphire, Onyx and Diamond Bandeau Tiara by Cartier, Circa 1920’s
Photo:Sotheby’s
Subastas Segre will be selling one tiara as part of their May 26th jewels auction.
Pearl & Diamond Tiara, early 1800s - estimate 6,500 EUR
An increadibly rare Greek wreath, thought to date back to 300 BC, was found in a worn cardboard box under the bed in a modest Somerset property in UK.
Bonhams Auction
The ‘New York Jewels’ auction at Bonhams on May 24th will feature one tiara.
Pearl & Diamond Aigrette Tiara by Cartier, c. 1914 - estimate 250,000 - 450,000 USD
Aristocratic Tiaras Exhibition
Sotheby’s will be showing fifty tiaras from British aristocratic families as part of their Jubilee Arts Festival celebrating the 70th anniversary since Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation. The ‘Power & Image: Royal & Aristocratic Tiaras’ exhibition runs from May 28th to June 15th and is free to attend. You can find out more about visiting here. In addition to the aristocratic tiaras on display there will be contemporary tiaras by British jewelers available for sale.
Empress Joséphine of France’s Cameo Tiara by Jacques-Ambroise Oliveras, circa 1805
Countess Fitzwilliam’s Diamond Tiara, circa 1820
Laurel Diamond Tiara, 1830s
Countess of Rosebery’s Primrose Tiara, 1830s
Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom’s Emerald Tiara by Joseph Kitching, 1845
Duchess of Devonshire’s Diamond Honeysuckle Tiara, 1865
Countess of Rosebery’s Diamond Tiara, 1878
Diamond Tiara
Marchioness of Anglesey’s Diamond Tiara, circa 1890 (for sale)
Countess of Derby’s Diamond Palmette Tiara by Skinner, circa 1890
Duchess of Devonshire’s Diamond Palmette Tiara by Skinner, 1893
Diamond Heart Tiara, early 1900s
Baroness Howard of Henderskelfe’s Wave Tiara by Cartier, 1904
Duchess of Norfolk’s Pearl & Diamond Tiara
Duchess of Westminster’s Diamond Halo Tiara by Lacloche Freres, 1930
Countess Spencer’s Diamond Tiara by Garrard, 1930 using earlier pieces
Turquoise Tiara by Van Cleef & Arpels, 1960s
Tourmaline & Diamond Tiara by Charles de Temple, 1966
Duchess of Kent’s Pearl Fringe Tiara, 1970s using earlier pieces
Gold Forget-Me-Not Tiara by Christopher Thompson Royds, 2022 (for sale)
Diamond Kokoshnik Tiara by Kiki McDonough, 2022 (for sale)
Turquoise and Diamond Tiara
Photo Credit: Sotheby’s
Antique Diamond Tiara
Photo Credit: Sotheby’s
Christie’s Auction
Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction on 11 May 2022 will feature five tiaras.
Diamond Palmette Tiara, 1860s - estimate 40,000-60,000 CHF
Pearl & Diamond Tiara, late 1800s - estimate 50,000-70,000 CHF
Emerald & Diamond Tiara, 1910s - estimate 150,000-200,000 CHF
Diamond Floral Tiara, late 1800s - estimate 300,000-500,000 CHF (as part of a set of jewels)
Fürstenberg Pearl & Diamond Tiara, late 1800s - estimate 400,000-600,000 CHF
The Fürstenberg Tiara Hits the Auction Block at Christie’s
The Fürstenberg Tiara Hits the Auction Block at Christie’s
THE COURT JEWELLER
THE FÜRSTENBERG TIARA HITS THE AUCTION BLOCK AT CHRISTIE’S
A very versatile tiara from a European princely collection will be sold next week at Christie’s in Geneva next week—and we’ve got all the details on the sparkling jewel!
The diamond and pearl tiara dates to the nineteenth century. It was originally part of the jewelry collection of the Prince and Princess of Fürstenberg, heads of a princely house from Germany. You’ll recognize the von Fürstenberg name from some of its more famous bearers. Members of the extended family include the socialite Ira von Fürstenberg, fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg (who was married to a member of the family), and Alexandra von Fürstenberg (sister of Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece, and also a former wife of a member of the extended family).
And other gemstones could be placed where the pearls would normally sit as well. Here, in a portrait painted by that master Philip de Laszlo, Princess Irma wears the all-diamond version of the tiara with a large emerald addition. The picture was painted around 1899.
The auction house also demonstrates how the diamond sections look when removed from the frame and placed in a necklace setting. Each individual diamond element can be worn separately as a brooch or a hairpin.
Here’s one more look at the way the necklace would sit when worn. The remarkable jewel is being offered for sale by “a lady of title.” It will be auctioned in Geneva on May 11, and the estimate is currently set at 400,000-600,000 Swiss francs (about $408,000-613,000 USD). Which royal lady do you think this tiara would suit best?
Gilded Glamour
The theme of this year’s Met Gala and accompanying exhibition is ‘In America: An Anthology of Fashion’ which apparently means they are taking inspiration from the Gilded Age (∼1870-1900) in the United States. According to the invitations, the dress code is 'gilded glamour, white tie.’ We usually see at least a couple of tiaras at the Met Gala but this year I’m hoping for a lot of them!
Tiaras were very popular for wealthy women in the Gilded Age which I love because most people think that tiaras are just for royalty and that is not true at all. The trouble is that non-royal tiaras are so much more difficult to find information about than their royal counterparts and I’m always on a mission for info into American tiaras. Here’s a few Gilded Age tiaras to get us exited!
Mary-Louise Hungerford MacKay’s Trefoil Arabesque Tiara by Boucheron, 1889
Alva Smith Vanderbilt’s Pearl Tiara by Boucheron, 1890
Julia Kemp’s Diamond Tiara by Tiffany & Co., 1894
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney’s Diamond Tiara by Boucheron, 1896
Cornelia Sherman Martin’s Diamond Flame Tiara, before 1897
JP Morgan’s Diamond Winged Tiara by Cartier, 1901 (I’m assuming he bought this for someone else and wasn’t just wearing it around the house but you never know)
Lila Vanderbilt Sloane Field’s Diamond Tiara by Cartier, 1902
Mary Morgan Burn’s Ruby Tiara by Boucheron, 1903
Harry Payne Whitney’s Wreath Tiara by Cartier (I assume he bought this for his wife, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, but his sister-in-law, Gladys Vanderbilt Széchenyi, was photographed wearing a very similar tiara in all diamonds)
Mary Scott Townsend’s Diamond Tiara by Cartier, 1905
Dreweatts Auction
Dreweatts’ Fine Jewelry auction on July 7th will feature one tiara.
Phyllis Turner Graham’s Diamond Floral Necklace Tiara by Carrington, circa 1910 - estimate 15,000 - 20,000 GBP
Circa 1860’s Natural Pearl and Diamond Tiara In Silver and Gold
Source: christies.com
Soleil Glorieux tiara by Chaumet
White and yellow gold, set with a cushion-cut Fancy Intense Yellow IF diamond weighing approximately 2.51 carats, 21 cabochon-cut rock crystals and brilliant-cut diamonds and yellow diamonds.
Now that there are officially two-and-a-half days to go before Princess Ingrid Alexandra turns 18, the countdown to when she will make her official tiara debut, and debate over which tiara will be the first one she wears, is on.
In no particular order, here are my top four picks for Ingrid Alexandra’s first tiara:
The Vifte Tiara
The sole tiara on this list to come from Ingrid’s British ancestors, the Vifte tiara was a wedding gift from the Rothschild family to Queen Maud. Its name comes from the fact that it resembles a fan, or vifte in Norwegian. Made of diamonds set in silver and gold, the tiara can be worn either as a tiara or as a necklace. Queen Sonja inherited the tiara when she married King Harald in 1968, and she passed it down to her daughter-in-law Crown Princess Mette-Marit shortly before her wedding to Crown Prince Haakon in 2001. Mette-Marit has worn this as a tiara exactly once, during the 80th birthday celebrations in honor of Harald and Sonja in 2017. Since Mette-Marit favors her other tiaras, maybe she will pass this along to Ingrid so it can get some more love.
The Vasa Tiara
This tiara was a wedding gift from the people of Stockholm to Princess Märtha when she left home to marry Crown Prince Olav in 1929. Known as the Vasa tiara due to its central elements evoking the sigil of the House of Vasa, a former ruling family of Sweden, it was one of Crown Princess Märtha’s favorite tiaras. She shared it with her daughters, Princesses Ragnhild and Astrid, and after Märtha’s death in 1954 and her Harald’s marriage 14 years later, Princess Astrid became the sole wearer of the tiara. Astrid has stated that she considered the tiara to be a lifetime loan, and it will go back to the main line of the royal family after her death. She has already begun passing along some valuable family history to Ingrid with her gift of the badge of the Order of Victoria and Albert that belonged to Queen Maud for Ingrid’s confirmation - maybe she will pass the Vasa along as an 18th birthday present to her great-niece, so she can enjoy seeing her beloved mother’s tiara on the head of a future queen before she passes.
The Amethyst Necklace Tiara
This tiara, made of amethysts, can be worn as a necklace and a tiara, hence its name. The origins of this tiara are still unknown; depending on the source it was a gift from King Harald to Queen Sonja, or it was Garrard’s “we’re sorry your tiara was stolen” gift following the theft of Queen Maud’s Diamond and Pearl Tiara. Queen Sonja has worn it as a tiara and a necklace, and passed it along to Crown Princess Mette-Marit in 2004, likely as a push present following the birth of Ingrid Alexandra. Mette-Marit has also loaned this tiara out to her sister-in-law, Princess Märtha Louise, for the 2010 wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel and the 2021 Dutch State Visit to Norway. Maxima passed along her push present from Willem-Alexander following the birth of their heir to Amalia for her 18th birthday; maybe Mette-Marit will take some inspiration from her Dutch friend and pass this tiara to Ingrid.
A Brand New Tiara
A recent tradition has been to gift princesses turning 18 or marrying into the family a brand new tiara. King Olav began this when he gifted a brand-new tiara to Princess Märtha Louise on her 18th birthday in 1989, and King Harald and Queen Sonja continued the tradition, giving Crown Princess Mette-Marit the Diamond Daisy Tiara when she married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001. Both of these tiaras have come from Norwegian court favorite Garrard, and I don’t see Harald and Sonja going to a different jeweler for something as important as their heir’s 18th birthday tiara. It would be interesting to see what comes out of the Garrard vaults for Ingrid!
Other Tiara Options
- Queen Maud’s Pearl Necklace Tiara
- The base of the Maltese Cross Tiara
- The small version of the replica of Queen Maud’s Diamond and Pearl Tiara
- TheDiamond Daisy Tiara.