Floral Tiara Tournament: Danish Ruby vs Bonaparte Olive

Which wreath tiara will win the day?

This tiara began its life as a series of hair combs, purchased by Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte for his wife, Desiree, to wear at Napoleon’s coronation in 1804. When Bernadotte was elected King of Sweden, the rubies became royal jewels. The combs were made into a bandeau by Queen Alexandrine of Denmark, who had received them from her mother-in-law, Lovisa of Sweden. Queen Ingrid turned the bandeau into a grand wreath tiara, which is now worn by Crown Princess Mary of Denmark.

This diamond tiara was designed around 1907 by Cartier for Princess Marie Bonaparte, who married a Greek prince. The wreath of pave-set diamond olive leaves is studded with eleven cushion-shaped diamond “olives,” which can be swapped for other stones. The wreath design, popular during the reign of Napoleon, and the olive motif, so connected to the Greeks, united Marie’s French imperial heritage with her new Greek royal status. Today, the tiara belongs to the Albion Art Institute.