The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

The Top Ten: Sapphire Tiaras

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September’s birthstone is the gorgeous sapphire — as a December baby, it’s the one that I secretly covet, because it’s just so rich and beautiful. Since I can’t have a September birthstone, I’ll console myself with a cavalcade of royal sapphire tiaras. This is a list of my top ten favorites — be sure to chime in with your own list below!

10. The Belgian Sapphire Tiara

Originally a necklace worn by a Belgian princess, this pieces was acquired by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom to match the sapphires given to her by her father. She set it on a tiara frame, and for years, it was one of her most-worn pieces. If you can’t have the ill-fated Cambridge sapphires, I suppose this is the next best thing?



9. Princess Caroline’s Sapphire Necklace Tiara

Princess Caroline of Monaco selected this necklace/tiara conversion for her brother Albert’s wedding reception in 2011. It’s on the simple side as convertible tiaras go, but I really kind of love it, especially as a sort of petite version of a traditional kokoshnik.

8. The Dutch Sapphire Necklace Tiara

Made by cobbling together a necklace from the family’s sapphire parure with extra bits from Queen Wilhelmine’s wedding gift parure, this tiara gives the Dutch royal family an easier-to-wear sapphire alternative to their big-gun sapphire diadem. It still manages to be classic and elegant on wearers like Queen Maxima and Princess Margriet.

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7. Queen Victoria’s Sapphire Coronet

This little sapphire and diamond tiara was designed for Queen Victoria by Prince Albert in the early years of their marriage. Winterhalter immortalized it in a portrait of the young Victoria. It eventually found its way into the collection of the Lascelles family, the descendants of Victoria’s great-granddaughter, Princess Mary. They still own it today, and you’ll occasionally see it make an appearance on a family bride.

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6. The Grand Duchess Adelaide Tiara

The grand ducal family of Luxembourg’s jewelry vault is so extensive that it actually contains multiple sapphire pieces that can be worn as tiaras, but my favorite among them is the heirloom tiara that features a single gorgeous sapphire nestled among diamond leaves. Lately, this one has become a favorite of Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie as well — she’s worn it at a few events in recent years, including this year’s National Day gala.

5. The Cartier Indian Tiara

An absolute masterpiece of Cartier design, this diamond, pearl, and sapphire tiara was made for Princess Marie Louise, one of Queen Victoria’s granddaughters. The design was inspired by Indian art and architecture, and the final result is rather weighty and imposing, but the tiara’s current wearer, the Duchess of Gloucester, manages to pull it off elegantly.

4. The Portland Sapphire Tiara

Speaking of imposing tiaras, here’s a big one: the diamond, pearl, and sapphire tiara made for the wife of the 6th Duke of Portland. The magnificent piece dates to extravagant end of the nineteenth century, and its sheer size makes it a major challenge for a wearer. The family sold the tiara in 2010, and I still live in hope that it was purchased by the Prince of Wales for the one woman who could do it justice: the Duchess of Cornwall.

Image © RMN, Musée du Louvre [source]

3. Queen Marie Amelie’s Sapphire Tiara

This is only one of two magnificent sapphire sparklers owned by Queen Marie-Amélie, wife of King Louis Philippe I of the French. It’s my favorite of the two, in part because you can go visit it at the Louvre! The Orléans family managed to hold on to the piece until the 1980s, when they sold it to the museum. It’s on display there now with the rest of the gorgeous pieces of the parure.

2. The Leuchtenberg Sapphire Tiara

With enormous sapphires perched atop a flexible wall of diamonds, the sapphire tiara in the Bernadotte vaults is a true classic of the art form. It also has an impressive legacy, with origins in the imperial court of Napoleonic France. It’s one of Queen Silvia’s favorites, and it’s easy to see why!

1. The Dutch Sapphire Parure Tiara

One of the biggest and most impressive royal sapphire tiaras around, the grand tiara from the Dutch sapphire parure was constructed in the nineteenth century. It’s been worn by a number of Dutch queens over the past century, but it made one of its grandest appearances yet on Queen Maxima at the inauguration of her husband, King Willem-Alexander, in April 2013.

The Top Ten: Queen Elizabeth II’s Legacy Jewels

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She’s now the longest-reigning monarch in British history and the longest-reigning female monarch of all time. Because we’re witnessing that important historical milestone this week, there’s been lots of discussion of Queen Elizabeth II’s legacy.

I’m not particularly qualified to speak on where she belongs in the list of great kings and queens, but I do feel able to chime in on one important aspect of Elizabeth II’s historical legacy: her contributions to the Windsor jewel vaults. Here’s my list of the ten most significant pieces that the Queen has brought to the British royal collection — pieces that I think are so timeless and gorgeous that they will be used for centuries to come. (Feel free to add your own list in the comments below!)

10. The Carrington Feather Brooch

This gorgeous diamond and sapphire brooch was one of the wedding gifts received by the Queen in 1947, given to her by the company that made it, Carrington. The lovely natural feather design of the piece is both delicate and substantial, and the sapphire stone pairs well with lots of different colors.

9. The Australian Wattle Brooch

As long as there is a Queen of Australia, there will be an important role for this beautiful brooch, made of white and yellow diamonds set in platinum. The piece was made in Melbourne by William Drummond in 1954 and presented to the Queen during her Commonwealth Tour in Canberra the same year. It will obviously be useful for wear in Australia in the future, but its design lends it well to everyday use, too.

8. The Nizam of Hyderabad Necklace

Part of a suite that was the Queen’s wedding gift from the Nizam of Hyderabad, this Cartier-made necklace is a glittering marvel in diamonds and platinum. Especially suited for evening wear, the necklace has already been loaned out once to a future queen consort, the Duchess of Cambridge. And the piece is versatile, too — the double-drop pendant is detachable.

7. The Jardine Star Brooch

Classic, traditional, and still sharp and interesting, this brooch was left to the Queen in the 1980s by Lady Jardine. She’s worn the diamond brooch frequently ever since, and it’s easy to see why. The piece not only coordinates well with daywear but is also perfectly suited to secure the sash of an order for a state banquet.

6. The King Khalid Necklace

One of the many jewelry gifts the Queen has received from the Saudi royals, this necklace was a present from King Khalid of Saudi Arabia in 1979. The piece looks extremely traditional, but it’s actually modern, commissioned by the Saudis from Harry Winston in the late 1970s. It’s looked beautiful so far on both of its wearers: the Queen and the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

5. The Godman Necklace

Once thought to be from the collection of Josephine de Beauharnais, this diamond and emerald necklace was left to the Queen by the Godman sisters in the 1960s. Even without a French imperial provenance, it is absolutely stunning, with the kind of presence that suggests it’s meant to be worn by a queen.

4. The Diamond Festoon Necklace

In 1950, King George VI instructed Garrard to construct a necklace for his daughter, then Princess Elizabeth, out of 105 loose collet stones in the royal vaults. The result was this gorgeous diamond festoon necklace, which features distinctive triangular motifs on each side. The piece has become one of the workhorses of the Queen’s evening collection, and it’s easy to see why: it has more visual interest than your average collet necklace, but it’s also simple to coordinate with other jewels.

3. The George VI Sapphires

George VI was also the source of the lovely Victorian-era sapphire suite in the Queen’s jewelry box. He gave her the necklace and earrings, and she later supplemented the set with a bracelet and (less successfully) a converted tiara. The necklace is especially lovely, and an important addition to a collection that had lost its major sapphires (the Cambridges) a generation earlier.

2. The Brazilian Aquamarines

The tiara from this parure is an especially controversial one, but the size and quality of the aquamarines makes the set one of the most important additions to the royal collection over the past half century. The set was a gift from the people of Brazil (in various stages), and the Queen herself had the tiara made by Garrard. The necklace, earrings, and bracelet are particularly lovely, and the tiara has fabulous stones that would be great candidates for another tiara designed by a future queen!

1. The Williamson Brooch

Queen Victoria brought the Koh-i-Noor Diamond into the royal collection; King Edward VII brought the Cullinan Diamond; and Queen Elizabeth II has contributed the Williamson Diamond, the finest pink diamond ever discovered. The diamond was given by Dr. John Williamson (its discoverer) to the Queen as a wedding present, and she had Cartier set it in the center of this delicate floral brooch. She usually saves it for important day events, including royal weddings, and I think British royal women will be wearing it for such occasion for years to come.

The Top Ten: Lost Tiaras

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As I’m doing historical research for the blog, I’m constantly running into the stories of gorgeous tiaras that were once in royal hands but have since, for various reasons, left their owners behind. Whether they were dismantled, stolen, or sold, these lost tiaras are fascinating to me. Who wears them now? Will we ever see them in public again? Here’s my list of ten of the most interesting lost tiaras — feel free to add your own list in the comments below!

10. Princess Christina’s Diamond and Pearl Tiara

It may not look like much, but the small diamond and pearl tiara that was once worn by Princess Christina of Sweden had a major royal pedigree. The tiara once belonged to Christina’s great-great-grandmother, Queen Sofia of Sweden. She probably left the tiara to her second son, Prince Oscar, who had to give up his title to marry one of the royal ladies-in-waiting, Ebba Munck. Oscar and Ebba’s third daughter, Elsa Cedergren, was Princess Christina’s godmother; she gave Christina the tiara. But sadly, the piece was stolen from Christina’s home in 2012. The thief threw the tiara from a bridge in Stockholm, and although divers searched for it, it was never recovered.

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9. Maria Alexandrovna’s Diamond Fringe Tiara

When Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia married the Duke of Edinburgh (a son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert) in 1874, her father offered her a traditional Romanov wedding gift: a kokoshnik-style diamond fringe tiara. The couple had four daughters, but the imperial fringe ended up with their granddaughter, Queen Maria of Yugoslavia. After the abolition of the monarchy in Yugoslavia and Queen Maria’s death, her descendants sold the tiara at auction in 1960.

8. The Bavarian Sunburst Tiara

Most of the tiaras that go on the auction block have been in dusty cabinets for years, but this tiara was worn at royal events until shortly before it was sold. The tall, intricate diamond tiara was a wedding gift from Queen Isabella II of Spain to her daughter, Infanta Maria de la Paz, who married Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria in 1883. The fleur-de-lis design at the center of the piece is an important symbol of the House of Bourbon, which still reigns in Spain today. The current generation of Bavarian royal women wore the piece up until 2013, when it was sold at Sotheby’s for more than $180,000.

7. Queen Maud’s Pearl Tiara

The Norwegian royal ladies are still wearing a diamond and pearl tiara just like the one owned by Queen Maud, but it’s actually a very careful copy of the original. In 1995, the Norwegians sent their jewels to Garrard in London to be cleaned and repaired. (Many of their pieces were created by Garrard, the former British crown jeweler, because Queen Maud was born a British princess.) And then, tiara tragedy struck: thieves broke into the Garrard workroom and stole Queen Maud’s elaborate diamond and pearl tiara. It’s never been recovered. As a mea culpa, Garrard created a replica of the original tiara, diamonds, pearls, and all, and that’s the one you’ll see the Norwegian queen and princesses wearing today.

6. The Harewood Scroll Tiara

When Princess Mary, the daughter of King George V and Queen Mary of the United Kingdom, married Viscount Lascelles (heir to the Harewood earldom) in 1922, her wedding present haul was massive. Among the gifts was this enormous diamond scroll tiara, which could be worn with either a diamond or a sapphire central element. (Some have posited that the sapphire piece was actually one of the copies of the Prince Albert Brooch.) When Mary died in 1965, almost all of her jewels were sold at auction. The tiara fetched about £10,000, and the sapphire alone was sold for an additional £10,500.

5. The Nizam of Hyderabad Tiara

Every time I look at Queen Elizabeth II’s Burmese Ruby Tiara, I growl a little internally, because it was made with diamonds taken from this glittering Cartier diadem. The ’30s-era floral tiara, which included three removable brooch elements, was the Queen’s wedding gift from the Nizam of Hyderabad. It was dismantled in 1973 by Garrard to create the (in my opinion, subpar) diamond and ruby tiara that the Queen wears today. (At least the necklace survives.)



4. The Rosenborg Kokoshnik

There aren’t many tiaras around that feature garnets, wonderfully rich and varied semiprecious gemstones, and there are even fewer that are lovely, balanced garnet, pearl, and diamond kokoshniks. This tiara was commissioned in the 1930s by Prince Viggo, the son of Prince Valdemar of Denmark, for his American-born wife, Eleanor. Viggo and Eleanor didn’t have children, so the tiara ended up with their nephew, Count Flemming of Rosenborg. His wife wore it at several major royal events in Denmark and Norway. The family sold the piece in May 2014 at Sotheby’s for more than $275,000.

3. The Poltimore Tiara

It was only owned by one royal woman, but the enormous diamond Poltimore Tiara has become a favorite among royal jewel lovers. Princess Margaret purchased it herself and then wore it at her wedding in 1960. The tiara was the perfect complement to her ’60s beehive, but after her death, her children had to sell it to help pay estate taxes. It fetched an astonishing $1.7 million in the 2006 auction at Christie’s.

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2. Queen Elisabeth’s Cartier Bandeau

Once upon a time, the royal vaults in Belgium held more tiaras than they do today. One of the most sparkling of all of the old pieces was the diamond and platinum bandeau created by Cartier for Queen Elisabeth, wife of King Albert I. Elisabeth often wore the piece low across her forehead in ’20s style; later, her daughter-in-law, Princess Lilian, wore it more traditionally. Lilian’s sister was married to Jean-Jacques Cartier, and in 1987, she sold the tiara back to the firm — a decision that apparently caused some problems within the family. Nevertheless, Cartier’s acquisition of the tiara means that you actually can still see this one today, as it’s often included in exhibitions.

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1. Queen Alexandra’s Wedding Gift Tiara

For years, royal watchers hoped that this tiara (often called the “Rundell” tiara because of confusion about its maker) was simply hidden away in the vaults at Buckingham Palace — but alas, that’s not the case. The piece was a part of the suite of jewels ordered by King Edward VII from Garrard as a wedding present for his bride, Alexandra of Denmark, in 1863. The Queen still owns the necklace and brooch from the set, but Alexandra left the tiara to another branch of her family; her unmarried daughter, Princess Victoria, who unfortunately “disposed” of the piece, according to Hugh Roberts’s The Queen’s Diamonds.