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My Top 10 Favorite British Royal Tiaras
10-Strathmore Rose Tiara; This is the Strathmore Rose Tiara. Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (the future Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother) received it as a gift from her father, the Earl of Strathmore, for her wedding in 1923. The piece itself is likely older than that; it may have already been an antique when the Earl purchased it. The tiara features a garland of wild roses in diamonds mounted in silver and gold. Suzy Menkes states in The Royal Jewels that the individual elements can be removed and worn separately. 09-Delhi Durbar Tiara; The circlet was made by Garrards, especially for Queen Mary during the Delhi Durbar on December 12,1911 - hence its name. Durbar is Hindi, for a ‘ceremonial gathering to pay homage’. The gathering was to install King George V and Queen Mary as Emperor and Empress of India. King George V admired this piece and referred to it as “May’s best tiara”. It was originally worn with detachable emerald drops and at the Durbar, Queen Mary wore it over a crimson velvet cap. 08-Duchess of Teck Rose Crescent; The Teck Crescent Tiara came into the British royal family by way of Queen Mary’s mother, Princess Mary Adelaide, the Duchess of Teck. This diamond diadem, featuring three wild roses separated by crescent shapes, is thought to have been a wedding present for her marriage in 1866. ary Adelaide wore the tiara atop two rows of diamond rivieres for additional height. She’s also demonstrating that the individual elements can be removed. Mary Adelaide’s daughter-in-law, the next Duchess of Teck, was also seen wearing the tiara (above), but at some point it passed into the hands of Queen Mary, who gave it to Queen Elizabeth (the future Queen Mother). Somewhere along the road, the two rows of diamonds from the bottom were removed.
07-1936 Cartier Halo Scroll Tiara; Originally worn by the Queen Mother, Lady Elizabeth. The tiara was purchased by the Duke of York (King George VI) for the Duchess of York (the Queen Mother) in 1936. It is a rolling cascade of scrolls that converge in a central ornament surmounted by a brilliant diamond. The tiara was most recently worn at the wedding of Catherine Middleton and Prince William, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The Queen loaned the tiara to Miss Middleton for the day.
06-Lady Mountbatten’s tiara; Thought to have been made around 1910 by a leading French jeweller, possibly Chaumet or Cartier, it is pierced and millegrain-set with circular-cut diamonds in a design of meandering scroll and trefoil motifs. Set in platinum, the tiara has a distinctly modern feel - its fluid symmetry setting it apart from the more formal designs associated with heavier and earlier pieces set in silver and gold. The tiara and jewels were passed on to Lady Mountabatten’s daughter, Lady Pamela Hicks nee Mountbatten, who was a bridesmaid in her cousin Duke Philip’s wedding to the future Queen Elizabeth in 1947.
05-The Vladimir Tiara; This tiara is a genuine Russian article, made by a Russian jeweler for the Grand Duchess Vladimir. During the Russian Revolution, the Duchess moved with her family to safety while her jewels were hidden in a vault in the Vladimir Palace. The looters never found the treasure, and a member of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service friendly with the Duchess’ family managed to rescue the jewels and send them back to her. The Duchess commissioned the tiara to have Oriental pearl drops, as seen in the first image. This is the original design. When Queen Mary bought the tiara from Princess Nicolas of Greece, Duchess Vladimir’s daughter, she had the last of her Cambridge emeralds made into drops and set in the tiara (above). These emeralds are interchangeable with the pearls, and both styles are worn by Queen Elizabeth II.
04-The Fife Tiara; Given to Princess Louise (daughter of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra) on her marriage by her husband the Duke of Fife.
03-The Cambridge Lover’s Knot tiara; This crown consists of pearls that hang from 19 diamond arches capped with lover’s knots. The piece was composed with existing jewels that Queen Mary had in her collection. This tiara originated in 1913/1914 when it was commissioned from Garrard by Queen Mary. She modeled it from a tiara owned by her grandmother, Princess Augusta of Hesse. After Mary died in 1953, the tiara was passed to Queen Elizabeth II who wore it regularly throughout the 1950s. The crown, however, went back into storage until the marriage of Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer. Queen Elizabeth gave the lover’s knot tiara to Princess Diana as a wedding gift in 1981.
02-The Spencer Tiara; Although worn by several Spencer women, this tiara is most associated with Diana, Princess of Wales. Worn most famously at her wedding in 1981 as her something borrowed. She also wore it all through her official life as a member of the royal family, for state banquets, openings of Parliament, and diplomatic receptions. Diana regarded this tiara as her ‘spare’, the other being the Lover’s Knot Tiara, which she received as a wedding gift from the Queen.. Throughout the later part of her married life, she wore the Spencer tiara more often, taking pride in her Spencer heritage, and also because it wasn’t as heavy as the Lover’s Knot tiara.
01-Queen Mary’s Girls of Great Britain & Ireland tiara; One of Queen Elizabeth’s favourite pieces of jewellery is the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara which is also referred to as “Granny’s Tiara”. It was a wedding gift to Elizabeth by her devoted grandmother Queen Mary in 1947 along with a number of other pieces. However the tiara had originally been given to Princess Mary of Teck (later Queen Mary) as a wedding present in 1893 by a committee started by Lady Eve Greville. The committee was established to raise money to purchase a wedding gift from the ‘Girls of Great Britain and Ireland’. They collected over £5,000 and bought the diamond tiara from Garrard. 26 notes
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