The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Diamond Tiara Tournament: Girls of Great Britain vs Josefina’s Diamond

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Two delicate diamond sparklers are matched up in this contest!

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The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara vs. Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara
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One of the most classic and beautiful tiaras in the British collection, Queen Mary received this one as a wedding present in 1893. And although it is an all-diamond tiara today, it was originally topped by fourteen large pearls. Mary later had those pearls replaced with diamonds and used the pearls on her new Lover’s Knot Tiara. Mary gave the tiara to her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II, as a wedding present, and it’s still one of the Queen’s most-worn tiaras today.
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One of the grandest and most intricate tiaras in the Norwegian royal vaults, this early nineteenth-century sparkler first belonged to Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway, a granddaughter of Empress Josephine. The tiara took an interesting path to Norway: Queen Josefina left it to her granddaughter, Queen Lovisa of Denmark, who willed it to her son, Prince Gustav. In turn, he bequeathed the tiara to his niece, Crown Princess Martha of Norway. Today, it is worn exclusively by Queen Sonja.

Diamond Tiara Tournament: Imperial Chrysanthemum vs Connaught Diamond

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Will it be the Japanese floral sparkler or the delicate Swedish tiara?

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The Imperial Chrysanthemum Tiara vs. The Connaught Diamond Tiara
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This all-diamond tiara features one of the most important symbols of the Japanese imperial family: the chrysanthemum flower. The piece was a favorite of Michiko’s mother-in-law, Empress Nagako, who wore it on Akihito and Michiko’s wedding day in 1959. Michiko has often chosen this piece for banquets. She also wore the tiara on the wedding day of her younger son, Crown Prince Fumihito, in 1990.
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This floral diamond tiara was Crown Princess Margareta of Sweden’s wedding gift from her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Connaught. The piece is endlessly convertible, able to be worn as a tiara or in two different necklace settings. After her death, the tiara was inherited by her eldest son, Prince Gustaf Adolf. It became the favorite tiara of his wife, Princess Sibylla, and the family still sentimentally associates the tiara with Sibylla. Today, it remains in the royal vaults, and you’ll often see it worn by Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Princess Madeleine, and Princess Christina.

Diamond Tiara Tournament: Brabant Laurel vs Japanese Crown Princely

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Our first match of the week is a sparkling one!

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The Brabant Laurel Wreath Tiara vs. The Japanese Crown Princely Tiara
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This antique diamond laurel wreath tiara, made in England in 1912, was given to Queen Mathilde of the Belgians by a group of aristocrats as a wedding present in 1999. She has worn the lovely convertible jewel often over the last two decades, both as a tiara and a necklace.
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Two Japanese crown princesses — Empress Michiko and Empress Masako — have worn this tiara on their wedding days. The impressive diamond scroll and ribbon tiara is part of a mirrored parure that includes a coordinating necklace. Today, the tiara is worn by Crown Princess Kiko.