Which Tiara would you like Kate Middleton to wear?
The Burmese Ruby Tiara
A little bit of history
The Burmese ruby tiara was ordered to be made by the Queen in 1973. The design of the jewel is in the form of a wreath of roses. It is co
nventional yet detailed.
There are clusters of rubies in the centre of each flower, and the petals are made using brilliant diamonds. The 96 rubies set into the tiara were a present from the Burmese people.
The number of stones represent the number of diseases that the Burmese people believe can afflict the human body. They credit the ruby with prophylactic properties guarding the wearer not only against illness, but also against evil.
The Boucheron Tiara
The Boucheron tiara was l
eft to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother by the Hon. Mrs Greville from Boucheron in London on 8th January, 1921. It was made up from the customers stones which were take
n from an old tiara.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother asked for the height of the tiara to be increased by adding a number of brilliant cut diamonds and a single marquise cut diamond in 1953
King George III Fringe Tiara
The diamond fringe tiara – a gradual cirle of verticle rown of diamonds was made in 1830 as a necklace from brilliant cut stones that belonged to King George III. Queen Victoria wore it as a tiara on an official visit to the opera in 1839.
It was inherited by Queen Mary when she became Queen Consort in 1910, and she in turn gave it to her daughter in law, the new Queen in 1937. Queen Elizabeth
The Queen mother loaned it to her daughter Princess Elizabeth as “something borrowed” for her wedding in 1947. She loaned it again to her granddaughter in 1973 for her marriage to Captain Mark Phillips.
The Cambridge Lover Knot Tiara
One of the most charming tributes that Queen Mary ever paid to the maternal side of her family was the tiara which she had made in 1914 to her own design and from pearls and diamonds that were already in her possession.
It was a copy of one which was owned by her grandmother, Princess Augusta of Hesse, who married the first Duke of Cam
bridge, seventh son of King George III in 1818.
She had been given it by her family prior to her marriage. There was a strong French influence in the design of the 19 openwork arches, each enclosing an oriental pearl from a diamond lover’s know bow and surmounted by single diamonds and upright pearl spikes.
The Spencer Tiara
The Spencer Tiara is mounted in gold in the form of stylised flowers decorated in diamonds in silver settings. The tiara is en
tirely composite and not an heirloom as has been previously suggested.
The central element was a gift from Lady Sarah Spencer to Cynthia, Viscountess Althorpe as a wedding present in 1919.
It was later remounted. Four other elements were made to match it in 1937. Only the two elements at the end are old and are said to have come from a tiara owned by Francis, Viscountess Montagu and left to Lady Sarah Spencer in 1875.
It was worn by Lady Diana Spencer when she married the Prince of Wales in 1981 and was subsequently used by Victoria Lockwood when she married the 9th Earl in 1989 (The Earl Spencer)
The Girls of Gt. Britain and Ireland Tiara
In 1893 a committee was formed by Lady Eve Greville to raise money for the “Girls of Great Britain and Ireland” to pu
rchase a wedding gift for Princess May of Teck, the future Queen Mary.
They collected more than £5000, and after buying the diamond tiara, the surplus money was given, at the request of Princess May, to a fund that had been set up to aid the widows and orphans of the men lost after the sinking of HMS Victoria.
In her thank you letter which was dated 4th July, 1893 the Princess wrote:
“I need scarcely assure you that the tiara will ever be one of my most valued wedding gifts, as a precious proof of your goodwill and affection”
Queen Mary’s Honeysuckle Diamond Tiara
Queen Mary’s diamond tiara is decorated with a graduated frieze of styled
honeysuckle.
The central ornament is made to be detachable. It was made before or during Febuary 1914. HRH Princess Alice – Duchess of Gloucester was given the tiara by Queen Mary.
The Holy Diamond Tiara
this one of a kind tiara is designed by the Italian artist A.A. Meli. The peculiarity for this one of a kind exquisite work of art is the special setting of diamonds. Stones cut and special placement are studied with a view to create an authentic and natural halo over the crowned head. For sure a special gift for the most beautiful princes of the Century: Kate Middleton the First.
