The Ansorena Heart Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Queen Ena of Spain; tiara detail; tiara detail




Everybody's got a wedding gift from their mother-in-law that they hide in the attic, right? I'm guessing, though, that most of you have ugly lamps and passive-aggressive heirlooms, not elaborate tiaras.



The princess on the receiving end of this mother-in-law gift was Ena of Battenberg, a granddaughter of

The Patiala Lover's Knot Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Rajmata Mohinder Kaur of Patiala; tiara detail; Rajmata Mohinder Kaur of Patiala; tiara detail

I mentioned on Tuesday that there were several lover's knot tiaras floating around these days -- the more precise number is actually five. There's the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara in Britain, the Bavarian one we discussed earlier this week, one that belongs (belonged

The Manchester Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): tiara detail; tiara detail; Helena Montagu, Duchess of Manchester; tiara detail




If you're a fan of Downton Abbey or the novels of Edith Wharton, you'll be familiar with the stories of American heiresses who married titled, impoverished Englishman. This tiara belonged to an extremely rich American woman, Consuelo Ynzaga de Valle, who did just that.



Born

The Bavarian Lover's Knot Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Crown Princess Antonia of Bavaria; Queen Therese of Bavaria; tiara detail; Queen Therese of Bavaria; tiara detail




Tiara lovers these days are probably more familiar with another lover's knot tiara -- the Cambridge tiara from the Windsor collection -- but it was actually a copy made of a series of look-a-like tiaras from the nineteenth century. But more on

The Baden Palmette Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Queen Margrethe II of Denmark; Princess Benedikte of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg; Grand Duchess Louise of Baden; tiara detail




One of Queen Margrethe's favorite tiaras, the Baden Palmette, is just about the perfect sparkler for a late February Monday. Valentine's Day may have come and gone, but this tiara's heart-shaped motifs are always romantic!



The

Weekend Bonus: The Boucheron Honeycomb Tiara

Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom (1900-2002) wears the Boucheron Honeycomb Tiara

Weekend Bonus: The Turquoise Daisy Bandeau Tiara

Queen Ingrid of Denmark (1910-2000), then Princess Ingrid of Sweden, wears the Turquoise Daisy Bandeau Tiara

The Noor-ol-Ain Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Empress Farah Pahlavi; tiara detail; Empress Farah Pahlavi




You know you're an empress when you get to wear one of the largest pink diamonds in the world, the sixty-carat Noor-ol-Ain, in your wedding tiara. Such was the luck of Farah Diba, the last empress of Iran, at her wedding to Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi.



The Noor-ol-Ain was found in an Indian

The Savoy Tourmaline Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): tiara detail; Princess Marina of Savoy; Princess Clotilde of Savoy; tiara detail; tiara detail




I think it's long past time that we dipped into the jewel collection of the Savoys, don't you? The former royal family of Italy retains some significant pieces, not the least of which is the tiara from the pink tourmaline parure.



The stones in this piece are

The Hohenlohe Floral Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Princess Xenia of Hohenlohe-Langenburg; tiara detail; tiara detail; Princess Xenia of Hohenlohe-Langenburg




One of my very favorite floral tiaras is owned by the German house of Hohenlohe-Langenburg: this lovely diamond floral tiara with delicate pink stones. There are many mysteries around this piece: who made it, when it was made, precisely who owns it now

The Westminster Bagration Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Natalia Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster; tiara detail; Natalia Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster; tiara detail




The pink spinel tiara now owned by the Duke of Westminster has roots centuries and miles from present-day London. The tiara was created in the world of imperial Russia.



The Bagrations were the rulers of the kingdom of Georgia for centuries

The Württemberg Topaz Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): tiara detail; tiara detail; Princess Marie of Württemberg; tiara detail



Time for another whopper from Württemberg! This is the tiara from the family's pink topaz parure, a collection of jewels that also includes two bracelets, a pair of earrings, and a brooch. The large pink topaz stones apparently were sourced from Russia.

The wearer of the gems was

The Isenburg Floral Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Archduchess Katharina  of Austria-Este; Archduchess Katharina  of Austria-Este; Princess Sophie of Prussia; Princess Sophie of Prussia; Archduchess Katharina  of Austria-Este




Let's head to Germany to round out our week of recent royal brides and their tiaras, shall we? This lovely piece is the family tiara of the von Isenburgs, who used to rule a

The Khedive of Egypt Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg; Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden; tiara detail; Queen Ingrid of Denmark; Queen Anne-Marie of Greece




If there's a more romantic royal wedding tiara around today than the Cartier tiara given to the Swedish royals by the Khedive of Egypt, I've yet to stumble across it. A truly romantic backstory plus its use

The Lannoy Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): tiara detail; Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie of Luxembourg; tiara detail; Countess Christine of Limburg-Stirum




One of the world's newest royals wore this petite diamond tiara at her 2012 wedding. Countess Stéphanie of Lannoy chose to wear her family's tiara on the day she married Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg, rather than one of the

The Dutch Laurel Wreath Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Parma; Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands; Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands; tiara detail; Princess Margriet of the Netherlands; Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands




Many royal families have one dedicated wedding tiara. However, the Dutch royals tend to have a few tiaras that have graced the heads of royal brides.

The Small Nassau Floral Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Archduchess Adélaïde of Austria; Archduchess Marie Christine of Austria, Countess of Limburg-Stirum; Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg; Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg; Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg




Not much is known about the provenance of the smaller of the two floral tiaras owned by the grand ducal family of Luxembourg. The piece was worn by

The Niarchos Ruby Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Queen Sofía of Spain; tiara detail; Queen Sofía of Spain; Queen Sofía of Spain



If you're searching for a versatile tiara, look no further than the set of rubies owned by Queen Sofía of Spain. This tiara has been worn in two forms: with one strand of rubies set on a frame, as well as with two strands stacked to form a more substantial diadem.



The rubies,

The Milford Haven Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): tiara detail; Lady Penelope Mountbatten; tiara detail; Nadejda Mountbatten, Marchioness of Milford Haven




Rubies and intricate workmanship are the hallmarks of this kokoshnik tiara, which was once owned by the family of the Marquess of Milford Haven. But rather than originating from the Milford Havens' British home, this tiara is rooted in the Romanov

The Princess Ashraf Ruby Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Princess Ashraf Pahlavi; tiara detail; tiara detail; Princess Ashraf Pahlavi




When you're the twin sister of an emperor, you need a serious tiara. The ruby tiara owned by Princess Ashraf of Iran, sister of the last Shah, is no exception.



The tiara, which Ashraf wore at her brother's coronation in 1967, was made in France by Van Cleef & Arpels. Ashraf was

The Ruby Peacock Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Princess Máxima  of the Netherlands; Princess Máxima  of the Netherlands; Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands; Princess Irene of the Netherlands




Ever since the news of Queen Bea's abdication, I've been reading a ton about the Dutch royals -- and how better to feed that current obsession than to feature the family's unusual and striking Ruby Peacock Tiara today

The Rosenborg Kokoshnik Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Countess Ruth of Rosenborg; tiara detail; Countess Ruth of Rosenborg; tiara detail




Today's tiara is one that almost left a royal family last year -- and may end up on the auction block again in the future. It's the kokoshnik tiara owned by the Rosenborgs, a branch of the Danish royal family.



The tiara, which is studded with diamonds, garnets, and pearls,