WEDDING FLOWERS: Tiara Thursday
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Showing posts with label Tiara Thursday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tiara Thursday. Show all posts

Tiara Thursday: Queen Victoria's Orange Blossom Wreath

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Queen Elizabeth II is on a state visit to Germany - which is being covered in full at the Vault - and she's really working the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha angle with jewels courtesy of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria (including a particularly spectacular turn at the state banquet last night). Today's feature, however, is one Victoria and Albert jewel that she won't be wearing.

Sentimentality ran high in Victorian era jewelry, including in the collection of the monarch that gave the era its name. Queen Victoria placed special significance on the all the jewelry that her husband, Prince Albert, gave her and designed for her. This was a great portion of her jewel collection, as Albert's eye for design took charge of the royal gems during his life. We've admired several of the tiaras to which his name was attached - Queen Victoria's Sapphire Coronet, her Emerald and Diamond Tiara, and her Oriental Circlet, for example - but none of those headpieces were quite as personal as her Orange Blossom Wreath.
Queen Victoria's Orange Blossom Parure (headdress, two brooches, and earrings)
As a present for their sixth wedding anniversary in February 1846, Albert gave Victoria a wreath of white porcelain orange blossoms with gold leaves on a braided black velvet band with a silk ribbon tie at the back. The wreath includes four oranges made from green enamel to represent the four children they had at that time, but that wasn't the only meaningful touch.
The selection of orange blossom was filled with significance for the couple. The flower represented chastity in the language of flowers; it was also associated with betrothal, as emphasized when Albert sent Victoria a brooch designed as a white porcelain and gold sprig of orange blossom after their engagement. Victoria wore fresh orange blossoms on their wedding day, and just as her gown created a trend for white wedding dresses, she started a trend for orange blossom jewelry. Albert turned his engagement gift into a parure (matched set) by giving her another brooch and a pair of matching earrings in December 1845. The wreath, given a couple months later, was the last piece of the parure.
Victoria and Albert, 1854. She may be wearing this wreath.
Queen Victoria loved the gift, writing in her diary that "it is such a lovely wreath & such a dear kind thought of Albert's." She wore pieces of the parure for all of their wedding anniversaries until Albert's death in 1861. After he died, she had the set placed on display in the room where he died at Windsor Castle. The orange blossom parure was not meant to be worn by anyone else, and so the pieces have not been; they are in the Royal Collection and are solely for display.

You can see the parure on display right now, as a matter of fact: Painting Paradise: The Art of the Garden at The Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace includes the orange blossom jewels and runs through October of this year. (Thank you to All That Glitters for the heads up!)

Photos: Royal Collection/Queen Elizabeth II / Wikimedia Commons

Tiara Thursday: Princess Sofia's Emerald and Diamond Tiara

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There were plenty of rumors flying around that Sofia Hellqvist would get a new tiara for her wedding to Prince Carl Philip of Sweden. Those types of rumors are not uncommon before a big event, but it is uncommon that they turned out to be true. Sofia joined the ranks of brides in colorful tiaras as she walked down the aisle wearing a diamond and emerald tiara never before seen on the Swedish royal scene. Designed in the Art Deco style, it includes a series of graduated diamond palmette motifs topped by a set of graduated pear-shaped emeralds.
Princess Sofia's Emerald and Diamond Tiara
The royal court stated that the tiara was a gift from King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia to Princess Sofia. Unfortunately, no other information was given, and further questions about the tiara’s history - was it newly made for Sofia? An older piece purchased by the King and Queen? - remain unanswered. There has been much speculation, but opinions still differ. (Additionally, many wondered if the emeralds could be removed from the top and possibly replaced by other stones; from what we can see of the back, it doesn’t look like it is set up that way right now.)
A new tiara for a royal bride is an unusual thing these days, but this acquisition made a lot of sense in the context of the Swedish royal family’s tiara collection. In addition to the tiaras that belong to the family foundation and are available to borrow, most of the ladies in the family have tiaras of their own, whether they were eighteenth birthday gifts, inheritances, or pieces given to or designated for them otherwise. Sofia now has the same. And even though the court's statement indicates that it belongs to Sofia and not the family foundation, this is now the only emerald tiara in the family – something that was a notable omission for such a large collection.
Needless to say, I’m very curious to see how Sofia wears the tiara in the years to come. I’m also interested to see if any additional emerald pieces will be worn with it. The family has an emerald demi-parure, which seems to be a piece only selectively loaned out, but Queen Silvia also has a few sets of modern emerald jewels that would make a nice pairing (such as this one). As always, we also remain hopeful that more information about the tiara will come to light some day.

As a bridal tiara: yay or nay?

Photos: via Getty Images and SVT

Tiara Thursday: Queen Sophia's Diamond and Pearl Tiara

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The lone tiara belonging to Princess Christina of Sweden, one of the sisters of King Carl XVI Gustaf, was made by Ribbhagen from small old cut diamonds and small pearls. It was a petite diadem, but one with a strong family ties. Along with other pieces such as the Nine Prong Tiara and Queen Sophia's Star and Pearl Tiara, it came from Queen Sophia of Sweden and Norway (1836-1913), the wife of Oscar II. Sophia left the tiara to her granddaughter, Elsa Cedergren (1893-1996). Elsa then returned the tiara to the working royal family by giving it to her goddaughter, Princess Christina, as an 18th birthday present.
Queen Sophia's Diamond and Pearl Tiara
As the only one of King Carl Gustaf's sisters that continues to attend regular royal events, Princess Christina has plenty of tiara opportunities and she regularly wore Queen Sophia's small tiara, alternating it with tiaras borrowed from the family jewel stash. The tiara and the rest of Princess Christina's personal jewels were kept in a safe in the home she shares with her husband near the Royal Palace. In late May 2012, Christina went to the safe and made a startling discovery: the tiara, together with several other jewels, was gone.
The Nobel Prize Ceremony, 1964. Christina is far left in Queen Sophia's tiara, Queen Louise is center in the Baden Fringe Tiara, Princess Sibylla is to the right in the Connaught Tiara.
A couple years prior to that discovery, Princess Christina's husband, Tord Magnuson, had made the acquaintance of a 19-year-old refugee. The boy arrived in Sweden without family, and Tord had become his mentor. The couple welcomed him into their home, even at times inviting him to stay with them. While alone in the apartment in April 2012, he stumbled upon the secret compartment that held the key to their safe.
The theft came in two waves. He first removed a bounty that included a gold bracelet given to Princess Christina by the Emperor of Ethiopia during a 1956 state visit, two rings (an aquamarine from Christina's great-grandmother, Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont, valued at 25,000 SEK, and a large diamond royal heirloom valued at 450,000 SEK), and a pair of gold cufflinks that belonged to Gustaf VI Adolf (30,000 SEK). These items, he later said, were sold for a measly 9,000 SEK (just over $1,000) to a pair of drug dealers apparently intent on melting them down . On May 18th, he was at the home to help serve at a private party the couple were throwing, and used the opportunity to reenter the safe. This time, he took the tiara. He later stopped at a bridge and tossed the tiara - still in its black storage bag - into the water.
Nobel 2010
The theft was discovered a few days later. The thief tearfully confessed his crime to Princess Christina and her husband, but efforts to recover the jewels sold to the drug dealers were unsuccessful, as were all efforts by divers to recover the tiara. The tiara's value was placed at 350,000 SEK, bringing the minimum total value of the theft to 855,000 SEK (over $100,000).
Nobel 2011, the tiara's last big appearance
It was a small tiara that tended to disappear in her hair even with a tall base, but it must have been light and easy to wear and I would imagine Princess Christina misses having it at her disposal. Since it went missing, she has continued her frequent use of the Six Button Tiara (she also happens to be the best wearer of that tiara, so that works out well). She has also begun to borrow her sister Princess Margaretha's tiara, the Swedish Aquamarine Kokoshnik Tiara, and it's been nice to see her with an additional option after losing her own.

Where did this one rank on your list of favorite small tiaras?

Photos:  Kungahuset / via Getty Images

Tiara Thursday: The Dutch Ears of Wheat Tiara

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Last week, Queen Máxima dipped into a part of the Dutch jewel collection she had previously left untouched, wearing a few of the family's diamond ears of wheat as hair ornaments. These may be small jewels, but they have a big history.
The Dutch Ears of Wheat Tiara
They are thought to have a Russian origin and are traced back to Queen Catherine of Württemberg (1788-1819, born Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna of Russia). Catherine's daughter Sophie (1818-1877) was the first wife of King William III of the Netherlands, and she brought the set of diamond ears of wheat to their Dutch home. They have remained in the royal family ever since, and are part of the family foundation.
Princess Margriet (left), Princess Irene (right)
Queen Máxima's use of three in barrette style was a reminder that they haven't always been set in tiara form. Using them in traditional tiara style became the norm during the reign of Queen Juliana (1909-2004; reign 1948-1980), and the tiara was worn particularly by Juliana's three youngest daughters (Princesses Irene, Margriet, and Christina). The current tiara frame allows for four, six, or eight ears of wheat to be set in two piles on either side of the head. The two lowest ears nearly join in the middle, but apart from that, there is no center design element.
Princess Laurentien
Princess Margriet used the tiara as a young princess and has continued to be the royal family member that uses the tiara most frequently for gala occasions. Princess Laurentien has also given it a try, but the Ears of Wheat have found their greatest recognition as a bridal tiara.
Princess Anita
All four of Princess Margriet's daughters-in-law (Princesses Marilène, Annette, Anita, and Aimée) wore the Ears of Wheat Tiara for their religious wedding ceremonies. Princess Irene's daughter, Princess Margarita, wear the tiara for her first wedding. And it's most recent bridal outing was on Irene's daughter-in-law, Princess Viktória, who wore it for her 2013 nuptials.
Princess Viktória
The brides have used the tiara with varying numbers of diamond elements, sometimes ending up hiding those elements with the pouf of a veil, which is one downside to using this as a bridal diadem. But the upside is that a veil can even out the somewhat sparse middle section of the tiara, helping avoid the unfortunate squaring off of the head that this tiara can cause when not backed by enough hair. Ears of wheat are a recurring motif in jewelry of the time and in tiaras, even though the long and skinny shapes aren't necessarily easy to adapt to a tiara design. It's always a surprise to be reminded that there are pieces in the royal collection that haven't been touched by Máxima's quest to leave no stone unturned (literally), but at the same time, I can't blame her for leaving this tiara alone.

Who do you think wears this one best?

Photos: via Getty Images and gahetNA//Fotocollectie Anefo/Nationaal Fotopersbureau

Tiara Thursday: The Roxburghe Tiaras

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A while ago I mentioned a Sotheby's sale including pieces from the estate of Mary, Duchess of Roxburghe, which included three tiaras. The sale was on May 12. Today, we're taking a closer look at those diadems. Buckle up, you're in for a triple tiara treat...
Our three tiaras in action, modeled before the sale
Born in 1915, Mary was the daughter of the Marquess of Crewe and his second wife, Lady Peggy Primrose. She was named after her godmother, Queen Mary. In 1935, she married George "Bobo" Innes-Ker, the 9th Duke of Roxburghe. Society life rolled on as usual for the couple, including a role for the Duchess as a trainbearer to Queen Elizabeth at the 1937 coronation, until 1953. Eighteen years after their marriage, her husband abruptly (and apparently without stated reason) tried to have Mary evicted from Floors Castle, his ducal seat. Thus began a marital feud that lasted six long weeks, Mary refusing to leave the castle while the Duke shut her out of as many amenities as he could, including telephone, electricity, and gas. She survived with the help of sympathetic neighbors including the Earl of Home, future prime minister, who stepped in to negotiate an end to the standoff. The Duchess of Roxburghe was granted a divorce in London. The couple had no children. (The Duke swiftly remarried and had two sons by his second wife.)

Video: On Mary and some of her auctioned jewels, including unrelated jewels at the sale. For a video showing West Horsley Place, click here.
Mary made her life in London after the divorce and eventually inherited a country estate, West Horsley Place, when her mother passed away. She did not remarry and did not have children of her own. When she died in 2014 at the age of 99, her estate passed to her nephew, television presenter Bamber Gascoigne. West Horsley Place is in desperate need of extensive repairs, and she assumed he would end up selling the mansion and estate. Mr. Gascoigne, however, decided to go the opposite route. The Sotheby's auction was designed to raise funds to keep the house and make the necessary repairs. It reminds me of the strategy Princess Gloria of Thurn and Taxis used to keep the family fortune afloat in the 1990s, selling things that can reasonably be bought again (such as jewels) and keeping those that can't (such as historic estates), which seems quite smart to me. As an added bonus for those that love jewels, this brings several wonderful pieces to our attention.

Among other gems, the auction included three tiaras:

The premiere piece in the collection is a unique diamond tiara by Cartier that dates from the 1930s. An Art Deco geometric treasure, it is set with circular-cut diamonds and topped by a series of 31 collet-set diamonds. The case from Cartier is stamped with the monogram and coronet of Mary, Duchess of Roxburghe. This is the most expensive of the three tiaras, selling for more than $2.5 million.

A more imposing diamond tiara went for nearly $850,000, a piece that dates from the last quarter of the 19th century. The design features 20 swinging pear-shaped diamonds dangling amidst rose and cushion-shaped diamonds forming scroll and fleur de lys motifs and a base with lozenge and trefoil motifs. It feels like a cross between the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara, with its lozenge base, and the Fife Tiara, with its dangling pear drops, which is a very good thing by my book. And this one has added flexibility: the tiara detaches from the bandeau base to become a necklace, while the bandeau itself breaks down into two separate sections.

The last of the three tiaras is a ruby and diamond diadem of a similar age to the older diamond tiara, dating from the later half of the 19th century. The tall piece features rose, cushion, and circular-cut diamonds in foliate motifs over ruby baselines, with a central lyre design set with diamonds and rubies. The older pieces in the collection, including this ruby tiara and the diamond tiara above, possibly belonged to Mary's maternal grandmother, Hannah Primrose, Countess of Rosebery (you may remember her from our recent discussion on the Rosebery Pearl and Diamond Tiara). A matching ruby and diamond bracelet is inscribed on the back with a memorial to "my beloved grandmother Sara Cohen." This tiara brought in the lowest price at auction, just over $100,000. (See? You don't need a house. Or part of a house. You could have a tiara instead. Your loss.)

Which of these three would you most like to take home?

Photos: via Getty Images and Sotheby's video

Tiara Thursday: Queen Amélie's Diamond Tiara

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Queen Amélie's Diamond Tiara
In 1886, Princess Amélie of Orleans (1865-1951) married the Duke of Braganza, later King Carlos I of Portugal. Gifts of jewelry poured in, among them this important tiara, a present from her father-in-law King Luís I. Commissioned for the occasion by Portuguese crown jewelers Leitão & Irmão, it is made from hundreds of diamonds set in silver and gold and features fleur de lys motifs separated by rows of diamond collets, the largest of which top the tiara. It's an impressive piece, and it was a fitting tiara for a future queen consort.
Wedding gifts including this tiara (center). At right is a matching necklace given by Queen Maria Pia.
As it turned out, Amélie was to be the last queen consort of Portugal. Her husband and eldest son were assassinated in 1908. Her younger son became king, but his reign lasted only until 1910, when the monarchy was overthrown. The royal family went into exile, and this tiara went with them, basically disappearing for decades.
Video: Part of the 1995 Braganza wedding
When Queen Amélie died, she returned the tiara to the line of claimants to the Portuguese throne by leaving it to her godson, Duarte Pio, the current Duke of Braganza. Still, the tiara would not be seen again until the Duke married Isabel de Herédia on May 13, 1995, more than 40 years after Amélie's death. The new Duchess of Braganza perched the grand diadem on top of an elaborate hairstyle with flowers tucked all around for their wedding, the first royal wedding in Portugal since Amélie wed Carlos in 1886.
Amélie (left) and Isabel (right)
The Duke and Duchess of Braganza continue to have close ties to certain monarchies in Europe, and they do attend large royal gatherings. But this is not the tiara we see on the Duchess at those events; so far, she has just worn it in Portugal for their wedding and for official portraits. Luckily, she has others to pick from when a tiara is required (a small diamond bandeau that belonged to the Duke's mother is one option). And though I wish we could see this one more often, the way she uses it does seem a fitting tribute to the tiara's heritage.

Does this earn a spot on your list of favorite diamond tiaras?

Photos: Cardoso/Portuguese Royal House, Leitão & Irmão, Wikimedia Commons

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