To Crown It All
June 21, 11
Prince Charming? Check. Glass slipper? Check. Tiara? Check. Okay, so every girl wants to feel like a princess on her wedding day, but since Kate Middleton snapped up Prince William, princes are getting kinda thin on the ground, and glass shoes just sound downright uncomfortable. Fortunately for the type of girl who dreams of having a fairytale wedding, tiaras are not just for the realms of fantasy land and are coming soon to a wedding near you.
There is certainly nothing new about wearing wedding tiaras, but like everything in fashion, trends come and trends go. With the increased interest in the royal wedding and the whole “would she, wouldn’t she” wear a tiara debate, it is a trend that is firmly back on the fashionistas’ radar.
While tiara means a form of crown, (and was originally known as a diadem) modern day tiaras are a far cry from the high crowns the word used to denote. Today’s tiaras are decidedly feminine and highly decorative.
 Kate Middleton's Tiara By Reena Ahluawalia for Royal Asscher |
Designed to be worn around the head or even on the forehead, these semi-circular or circular jewel-encrusted bands are cropping up with ever more frequency (and not just to crown the winners of beauty pageants). Over the past decade or so, the modern royals – beloved celebrities – have been saying “I do” with the aid of a sparkling tiara in their up do.
In 2000, when Madonna married British director Guy Ritchie at Skibo Castle in Scotland, she did so wearing a 1910 Edwardian diamond tiara costing $250,000, which she borrowed from the august jewelery house Asprey & Garrard. (The pair later divorced.)
Another bride who opted for the glamour of a tiara was Liz Hurley for her 2007 marriage to Arun Nayer (the couple is in the midst of divorce proceedings). For the English part of the nuptials, she matched her Donatella Versace dress with a Chopard diamond tiara.
A bride and groom who have managed to stay married despite everything the Hollywood and the hands of fate have thrown at them are Welsh-born actress Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas. The pair wed in 2000 in a wedding that supposedly cost more than $1.5 million. Zeta Jones wore a long sheath ivory Duchess satin gown by Christian Lacroix. But it was the tiara that was the piece de resistance of her whole ensemble. Borrowed from Fred Leighton, the tiara featured delicate marquise-cut diamonds in a curved design, which took its inspiration from the ornate design sensibility of the Edwardian era.
While many jewelers offer “ready to wear” tiaras, brides looking for something really special for their wedding day need look no further than sales houses such as Christies and Sotheby’s. According to both auctioneers, tiaras are currently doing very well in the auction market.
On May 17, Sotheby’s Geneva offered what it called the most important emerald and diamond tiara to come to auction in 30 years at its Magnificent and Nobel Jewels sale in Switzerland (it last offered the piece in 1979). The diadem was estimated to bring in $5-$10 million when it came under the hammer. It actually raised $12,736,927, the highest price very achieved for a tiara at auction, and also an auction record for a piece of emerald jewelry.
The tiara, which was made around 1900, possibly by Chaumet by Guido, was created for Princess Katharina Henckel von Donnersmarck, but its provenance is even more impressive than just one royal owner. The 11 rare Colombian emerald pear-shaped drops that make up the bulk of the headpiece weigh more than 500 carats in total and may well have originally adorned the neck of a Maharajah. According to the auction house, the emeralds are also believed to have been in the personal collection of Empress Eugénie.
At a sale at Christies in London in December 2010, the Portland antique sapphire, diamond and natural pearl tiara was sold for way above its reserve price. The piece, which had an estimate of £250,000-£300,000 ($388,750-$466,500) realized a final price of £763,650 ($1,188,239).
The stunning silver and gold tiara, which was made around 1890, was designed as a series of 12 graduated cushion-shaped sapphire and old-cut diamond clusters in an openwork frame of diamond-set swag and husk motifs. It is embellished with bouton-shaped pearls and diamond line borders to the pear-shaped pearl finials and sapphire collet accents.
According to its provenance, as listed by Christies, the tiara is thought to have been made by E. Wolff & Co. for Garrard shortly after the 6th Duke's marriage in 1889.
Garrard has long been involved in creating royal headpieces, with its first royal commission dating back to 1735. The royals have been back plenty of times since, which is why if you want to borrow something sparkly to wear in your hair, you should turn to the Queen of England.
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Elizabeth II is believed to have the largest and most valuable collection of tiaras in the world; many of which have been passed down through the generations. Others, such as a diamond and aquamarine tiara from the people of Brazil, were received as gifts. But, the monarch knows it is only fair to share and, in fact, the reigning queen traditionally gives royal brides a tiara to wear as the “something borrowed” part of their outfit.
In 1914, Queen Mary commissioned the jeweler to create the '”Cambridge 'Lover's Knot' Tiara,” which was inspired by one worn by her grandmother, Princess Augusta of Hesse. Queen Mary left it to her granddaughter Elizabeth and in 1981, the Queen gave it to Lady Diana Spencer as a wedding present.
Garrard is also credited with creating the “Girls of Great Britain and Ireland” tiara, which in 1947 Queen Mary gave to her granddaughter, Princess Elizabeth as a wedding present. However the Princess chose to wear another Garrard tiara, the “King George III Tiara,” which belonged to her mother, as her “something borrowed.”
Proving that misfortune can occur even to the most royal of royals, as the princess was getting dressed at Buckingham Palace, the tiara snapped. Luckily the Crown Jeweller was on hand to be rushed to his workroom by a police escort.
The Queen Mother later loaned the same tiara to her granddaughter Princess Anne for her marriage to Captain Mark Phillips in 1973.
In 1986, the Queen – possibly seeing that the marriage was not designed to last – purchased a tiara from Garrard for Sarah Ferguson's wedding to her son Prince Andrew. The diamond diadem, which was hidden by a garland of flowers, was revealed only after the signing of the register when the former Miss Ferguson became Her Royal Highness the Duchess of York.
In 1999, for the wedding of Sophie Countess of Wessex and Prince Edward, the Countess wore a tiara from Queen Elizabeth's personal collection, designed and remodeled by Garrard. This one has, fortunately, remained in the family.
Getting in on the royal wedding trend, a number of jewelry designers were asked to create tiaras for Catherine Middleton to celebrate the royal wedding. Among them were Chopard, Van Cleef & Arpels and Royal Asscher Diamonds, another company that has had a long royal connection.
Royal Asscher, which was established in 1854, is famed for having polished the Cullinan diamond, which is the largest rough gem-quality diamond every found, at 3,106 carats, as well as the Cullian II stone. Both stones are to be found in the British Crown Jewels.
Cullinan II is found in the Imperial State Crown, while the Cullinan stone is mounted atop the Sovereign’s Sceptre. (Conveniently, it can be removed from the scepter to be worn as a brooch, making it almost as practical as it is awe-inspiring.)
The Royal Asscher Diamond’s headpiece, which was created by jewelry designer Reena Ahluwalia for Royal Asscher, is set with 36 Royal Asscher-cut diamonds, as well as pear and round shaped white diamonds. The vintage-inspired tiara is designed to be placed on the forehead.
The tiara takes its inspiration from nature's most beautiful creations – flowers and buds. They are universal symbol of love, beauty and growth,” says Canadian designer Reena Ahluwalia. Flowers and buds represent nature's most beautiful creations and here they symbolize the blossomed love between Catherine and Prince William. We have imbued the tiara with romance and wishes for love that is long-lasting.”
In a press release, Lita Asscher and Mike Asscher, sixth generation Asscher diamantaires of the Royal Asscher Diamond Company, said the idea behind the tiara was to, "bring back the love for royal pieces and show that the tiara does not have to be old fashioned, but can be beautiful, romantic and modern all in one."
Concerning the design process, Ahluwalia said the journey was “long and exciting, with a lot of research!” “Lita Asscher (president of Royal Asscher of America) and I spent time studying British royal tiaras to understand their story and history. To design a proposed jewel of such high symbolic significance was exciting. We wanted to make sure that our tiara design is distinct, romantic and a forever classic,” she said.
As for the future of tiaras, Ahluwalia is hedging her bets. “Ms. Middleton has already become fashion's most watched [person] and if she decides to wear a tiara on her wedding day, tiara fashions will follow. In royal context, tradition states that a royal bride wears a tiara on her wedding day and later, on various state visits. It is an essential part of the royal wardrobe.”
Concerning the trickledown effect to other, more regular weddings, the designer opines that wearing a tiara is a bride’s personal choice, some love it, others don't. “The wedding day is one of the most special day in a person's life, the crowning of a tiara on a bride’s head will certainly make her feel like a princess.”