The Brunswick Tiara (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images) |
The Bejeweled Splendor of Princess Grace
Getty Images |
Wearing an elaborate necklace while filming To Catch a Thief (Keystone/Getty Images) |
Wearing pearl earrings at a reception with Alec Guinness, 1955 (Keystone/Getty Images) |
One of Grace’s final studio portraits (Hulton Archive/Getty Images) |
Showing off her original engagement ring to her mother at her parents’ home in Philadelphia, January 1956 (AFP/Getty Images) |
With Jean Simmons and Gregory Peck at the 1956 Golden Globe Awards, where she won the “Favorite Actress” trophy (AFP/AFP/Getty Images) |
Wearing delicate jewelry at her wedding, April 1956 (AFP/Getty Images) |
Simple pearls in Paris with Rainier, July 1956 (STF/AFP/Getty Images) |
For an October 1959 dinner at the Elysee Palace in Paris, the Bains de Mer Tiara and the diamond festoon necklace (STF/AFP/Getty Images) |
Wearing drop earrings and jewels in her hair with Vittorio De Sica and Maria Callas at the Television Festival, January 1962 (Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) |
Wearing a mystery tiara (perhaps the artist’s invention) in a portrait (Michael Steele/Getty Images) |
Wearing a set of gold jewels, now worn by Princess Caroline, at a bullfight in Seville (STF/AFP/GettyImages) |
For a 1967 Knights of Malta gala in Paris, her small diamond tiara (Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) |
A borrowed diamond and ruby tiara from Van Cleef and Arpels for a gala at Versailles, 1973 (DSK/AFP/Getty Images) |
Layered necklaces at a Monaco Literary Council in Paris, 1973 (AFP/Getty Images) |
Wearing a long necklace and a cocktail ring for a 1976 family portrait (AFP/Getty Images) |
Wearing Prince Rainier’s wedding gift pearls to hand out Christmas presents in 1976 (RALPH GATTI/AFP/Getty Images) |
Gold jewelry at the annual Circus Festival, 1977 (RALPH GATTI/AFP/Getty Images) |
For a 1981 interview, pearls and layered necklaces (JAN DELDEN/AFP/Getty Images) |
Gold earrings for a theater gala in honor of Gene Kelly in Paris, 1981 (PIERRE GUILLAUD/AFP/Getty Images) |
VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images |
The Bains de Mer Tiara
STF/AFP/Getty Images |
It’s Oscar weekend, which means it’s time for a weekend of posts celebrating the only princess to have won her very own Academy Award! During her tenure as Princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly was no stranger to tiaras. One of the most unusual pieces from her own collection was this one: the Bains de Mer Tiara.
AFP/Getty Images |
Made by Cartier, this tiara gets its name from the company who gave it to the Monegasque princess: the Société des Bains de Mer. SBM owns some of the most important institutions in the principality, including the casino in Monte Carlo and the Hôtel de Paris, seen in two James Bond films. The government of Monaco owns 35% of SBM; the Grimaldi family owns another 35%. Not at all surprising that they’d want to offer a tiara as a wedding gift to the famous actress who was becoming their new first lady!
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images |
The tiara itself is made of three ruby and diamond elements set on a thin diamond-studded frame. The three upright elements can be removed and worn as brooches or as pendants on a necklace. Supposedly the rubies can be swapped out for diamonds, making the piece even more adaptable. I’ve said it once, and I know I’ll say it again: if you’re not going to have a large tiara collection, you need to have one that is versatile and innovative.
In the photo above, Grace wears the brooches at the neckline of her gown. At some point, a pair of ruby and diamond earrings and a ruby and diamond ring were added to the set to make it into a small parure. Many think that Grace’s husband, Prince Rainier, was the person who supplied the extra pieces. The Grimaldis retained possession of the tiara after Grace’s untimely death in 1982, although Grace remains the only person to have been photographed wearing the piece as a tiara. Today, you’re much more likely to see her daughters, Caroline and Stéphanie, wearing the brooches in various configurations. I’m crossing my fingers that one day we’ll see the current Princess of Monaco, Charlene, wearing this particular tiara.
Hulton Archive/Getty Images; John Shearer/Getty Images |
But the tiara — or, to be more precise, a copy of the tiara — has made another splashy appearance in recent years. It was prominently featured in Grace of Monaco, the biopic starring Nicole Kidman as the late princess. Cartier actually made an exact reproduction of their original tiara especially for the film. But although the famous jeweler signed on to the production, the Grimaldis themselves were less invested in the project; in fact, they have publicly denounced the film, calling it “pure fiction.” (I’ve seen the film, and I have to say — it wasn’t anything to write home about!)
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