The Congo Diamond Necklace Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg; necklace detail; Archduchess Marie Astrid of Austria; Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein; Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg


For our final convertible necklace tiara of the week, we've got one of the most important necklace/tiara combinations in any royal collection: the Congo Diamond Necklace Tiara,

The Grimaldi Sapphire Necklace Tiara

All photos: Princess Caroline of Monaco, Princess of Hanover (as tiara and necklace)


When you don't have a ton of tiaras at your disposal -- and the ones you do are sometimes loaned out for exhibits on your famous mother's life -- you have to get a bit creative sometimes. Princess Caroline provided an excellent example of tiara innovation when she put her diamond and sapphire necklace on a

The Norwegian Amethyst Necklace Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): necklace detail; Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway; Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway; Queen Sonja of Norway; Princess Martha Louise of Norway


Like many crown princesses, Mette-Marit of Norway has a slightly smaller tiara collection than her mother-in-law, Queen Sonja. We've already looked at the other two tiaras she wears -- her wedding tiara and Queen

The Pearl and Diamond Choker Tiara

All photos: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg (as tiara and necklace)


I know it probably seems like we've covered every diadem in the grand duchy of Luxembourg, but believe it or not, we're not done yet! Today's tiara, a convertible pearl and diamond necklace/tiara, is worn by the country's current grand duchess, Maria Teresa.



The sparkler, which is easily recognizable for its

The Dutch Sapphire Necklace Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Queen Máxima of the Netherlands; necklace detail; Princess Margriet of the Netherlands; tiara detail


One of my favorite things about the Dutch royal family is their willingness to innovate with their jewels. Today's tiara, one of the family's "newest" pieces, is actually composed of a sapphire necklace supplemented by elements from another dismantled sapphire

Weekend Bonus: The Pearl Button Tiara

Princess Margriet of the Netherlands (born 1943) wears the Pearl Button Tiara (click here for provenance info) at her wedding to Pieter van Vollenhoven in 1967

Weekend Bonus: The Spanish Floral Tiara

Queen Sofia of Spain (born 1938) wears the Spanish Floral Tiara (click here for provenance info). The black and gray pearl necklace was made by Mellerio and originally belonged to Queen Maria Cristina of Spain

The Queen Alia Cartier Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Queen Rania of Jordan; Princess Haya of Jordan, Sheikha of Dubai; Queen Alia of Jordan; Queen Rania of Jordan; Princess Haya of Jordan, Sheikha of Dubai


To wrap up Cartier Week, let's peek once more into the jewel cases of the glamorous women of the royal family of Jordan. Today's tiara, the Cartier tiara that belonged to the late Queen Alia, has been worn by

The Queen Elisabeth Cartier Bandeau Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Princes Lilian of Belgium, Princess of Réthy; tiara detail; Princess Lilian of Belgium, Princess of Réthy; Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians


Time for our fourth Cartier tiara of the week, dear readers! Today's tiara is a magnificent royal tiara with a rather complicated and even difficult story: the Cartier tiara owned by Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians.

The Cartier Wave Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Tsarina Marie Feodorovna of Russia; Tsarina Feodorovna of Russia; tiara (and necklace) detail; tiara detail

While jewelers like Bolin and Faberge may be more associated historically with the Romanovs, Cartier also supplied the Russian imperial family with jewels. One of the most striking of these pieces is today's sparkler, the Cartier Wave Tiara, which once

The Cartier Loop Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Queen Sofia of Spain; the Countess of Barcelona; Doña Simoneta Gómez-Acebo y de Borbón; Infanta Pilar of Spain, Duchess of Badajoz; Queen Sofia of Spain

For a royal family that has faced serious upheaval in the last century, the Borbóns of Spain have managed to hang on to some serious heirloom tiaras. That's been possible in part because the family has largely

The Bonaparte Olive Wreath Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Princess George of Greece and Denmark; tiara detail; Princess George of Greece and Denmark; tiara detail


What do you get when you combine a classic tiara design, a renowned jeweler, and one of the most fascinating princesses of the twentieth century? The answer, of course, is today's tiara: the olive wreath diadem created by Cartier for Princess Marie

Weekend Bonus: The Romanian Massin Tiara

Queen Marie of Romania (1875-1938) wears the Romanian Massin Tiara (click here for provenance info)

Weekend Bonus: The Cartier Indian Tiara

Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein (1872-1956) wears the Cartier Indian Tiara (click here for provenance info)

The Nassut Tiara

Photos (from left): Queen Margrethe II of Denmark; tiara detail; Queen Margrethe II of Denmark


Our final brand-new tiara of the week is yet another sparkler from Denmark, a country that's really cleaned up in terms of royal tiaras made in this century. Today's piece, the Nassut Tiara, is the newest tiara in the collection of the nation's current queen, Margrethe II.


Made of bright yellow

The Bäumer Aigrette Tiara

All photos: Princess Charlene of Monaco


Today's twenty-first century tiara belongs an equally new member of the Monegasque princely family, Princess Charlene. In fact, the diadem, the Bäumer Aigrette Tiara, is actually the only tiara that the princess has ever worn in public, much to the chagrin of tiara lovers 'round the world.



The tiara was made by Lorenz Bäumer in 2011 as a wedding

The Flora Danica Tiara

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


Like her sister-in-law, Crown Princess Mary, Princess Marie of Denmark also has both an heirloom tiara (the Dagmar Floral) and a new tiara. She may not have worn it yet, but Marie was instrumental in the design of this twenty-first century sparkler, the Flora Danica Tiara.



The tiara was made in 2011 by

The Asturias Ansorena Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): tiara detail; the Princess of Asturias (as a brooch); brooch detail; brooch detail


The Danish aren't the only royals who have twenty-first century tiaras tucked away in their vaults. Today's tiara, which we'll call the Asturias Ansorena Tiara, is a brand-new tiara owned by members of the Spanish royal family. But while the provenance and ownership details of

The Midnight Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Crown Princess Mary of Denmark; Crown Princess Mary of Denmark; Crown Princess Mary of Denmark


While the Danish royal jewel collection includes a number of antique heirloom tiaras, the women of the family also have a few contemporary diadems at their disposal. One of them, the Midnight Tiara, is worn exclusively by the nation's future queen.


Crown Princess

Weekend Bonus: The Princess Andrew Meander Tiara

Princess Anne, the Princess Royal (born 1950) wears the Princess Andrew Meander Tiara (click here for provenance info) in a portrait by Norman Parkinson, taken in 1971 to mark her twenty-first birthday

Weekend Bonus: The Savoy Tourmaline Tiara

Princess Clotilde of Savoy (born 1969), better known as the actress Clotilde Courau, wears the Savoy Tourmaline Tiara (click here for provenance info) and matching earrings at her 2003 wedding to Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy

The Cartier Pearl Drop Tiara

All photos: Princess Caroline of Monaco, the Princess of Hanover


Rounding out our week of pearl tiaras is the grandest of all the sparklers in the Monegasque vaults: the Cartier Pearl Drop Tiara. But although it is the most intricate and sophisticated of the Grimaldi family's tiaras, it apparently actually belongs to the second lady of the land.


The intricate diamond, gold, and platinum

The Cartier Pearl and Diamond Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Queen Sofia of Spain; Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain; Infanta Cristina of Spain; tiara detail


If you've been a longtime reader of this blog, you may remember that earlier we talked about a royal Spanish mother-in-law gift that was dismantled rather than worn: the Ansorena Heart Tiara. Today, it's finally time to look at the tiara that was made as a result:

The Kent Pearl Festoon Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent; Princess Alexandra, the Hon. Lady Ogilvy; Princess Michael of Kent; tiara detail; Princess Michael of Kent


Today's pearl tiara comes from the collection of the (arguably) most royal of all the branches of the Windsor family: the Kents. This is the diamond and pearl festoon tiara that once belonged to Princess Marina.



Lots

The Mellerio Shell Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top): tiara detail; the Princess of Asturias; Queen Sofia of Spain; Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain; Infanta Isabella, Princess of Asturias


Of all the diadems in royal vaults, the regal tiaras created by Mellerio dits Meller frequently rank as favorites among the tiara lovers of the world. Today's diamond and pearl tiara, the Mellerio Shell Tiara, is one of the most

The Queen Marie José Seed Pearl Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Queen Marie José of Italy; tiara detail; Queen Marie José of Italy; tiara detail


Many royal tiaras feature stupendously large pearls -- think the pearl drops on the Vladimir, or the upright pearls on the Danish star and pearl tiara -- but others showcase the beauty of smaller pearls. Today's tiara, the seed pearl tiara that once belonged to an Italian queen,

Weekend Bonus: The Dutch Ears of Wheat Tiara

Princess Viktória of Bourbon-Parma (1982-present), née Viktória Cservenyák, wears the Dutch Ears of Wheat Tiara (click here for provenance info) at her wedding to Prince Jaime of Bourbon-Parma. Prince Jaime, who is a first cousin of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and a member of the extended Dutch royal family, married his fiancée on Saturday in Apeldoorn

Weekend Bonus: The Mellerio Ruby Tiara

Queen Emma of the Netherlands (1858-1934) wears the Mellerio Ruby Tiara (click here for provenance info) along with other coordinating pieces from the same parure. Later today, Emma's great-great-grandson, Prince Jaime of Bourbon-Parma, will marry his fiancée, Viktória Cservenyák, in Apeldoorn

The Maria Vladimirovna Kokoshnik Tiara

All photos: Maria Vladimirovna of Russia


Let's round out our week of kokoshnik tiaras with a look at a modern-day example, shall we? This is the kokoshnik worn today by Maria Vladimirovna, one of the pretenders to the Russian throne (and claimants of the headship of the House of Romanov).


Maria Vladimirovna is the granddaughter of royals we've talked about on the blog: Grand Duke Kirill 

The Blackened Steel Kokoshnik Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): tiara detail; tiara detail; Queen Marie of Romania; tiara detail


While most kokoshnik tiaras share the same familiar halo-esque shape, the twentieth century saw jewelers beginning to experiment with the traditional kokoshnik materials and form. One example of this kind of innovation is today's tiara: the Blackened Steel Kokoshnik.



The tiara was made in

The Marie Feodorovna Sapphire Kokoshnik Tiara

Images: Tsarina Marie Feodorovna of Russia; tiara sketch; Tsarina Marie Feodorovna of Russia


One of the most magnificent kokoshniks in the collection of Tsarina Marie Feodorovna of Russia was her diamond and sapphire tiara, a part of a larger diamond and sapphire parure. Like most of the rest of her grand jewels, this tiara no longer exists -- but perhaps not for the reason you might think.