Tiara Tuesday - Blog Posts

𝒯𝒾𝒶𝓇𝒶 𝒯𝓊𝑒𝓈𝒹𝒶𝓎

𝒯𝒾𝒶𝓇𝒶 𝒩𝒶𝓂𝑒

The Cambridge Sapphire Parure

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𝒪𝓌𝓃𝑒𝓇𝓈/𝒲𝑒𝒶𝓇𝑒𝓇𝓈:

♕ 1818 - 1843: Her Royal Highness Augusta The Duchess of Cambridge: The Duchess received the Cambridge Jewels when she married her husband His Royal Highness Adolphus The Duke of Cambridge.

♕ 1843 - 1916: Her Royal Highness Augusta The Dowager Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz: The Grand Duchess was passed down these jewels through her mother Her Royal Highness Augusta The Duchess of Cambridge when she married her husband His Royal Highness Friedrich The Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

♕ 1916 - 1934: Her Majesty Queen Mary: The Queen inherited these jewels through her aunt Her Royal Highness Augusta The Dowager Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. 

♕ 1934 - 1968: Her Royal Highness Princess Marina The Duchess of Kent: The Duchess was passed down these jewels through her godmother Her Majesty Queen Mary when she married Mary’s son His Royal Highness George The Duke of Kent.

♕ 1968 - ???: Her Royal Highness Katharine The Duchess of Kent: The Duchess inherited these jewels through her mother-in-law Her Royal Highness Princess Marina The Duchess of Kent when she Duchess Marina died as her husband is the duchess’s son His Royal Highness Edward The Duke of Kent.

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𝒞𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝒴𝑒𝒶𝓇:

The oldest parts of this tiara are from the 1800′s. The Current Duke & Duchess created another Cambridge Sapphire Tiara called the Sapphire Button Tiara.

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𝒟𝑒𝓈𝒾𝑔𝓃:

The oldest parts of this tiara are from the 1800′s. The set included a Tiara, a Necklace, & a Stomacher (this could be separated into 3 different brooches). Her Majesty Queen Mary added to the rest of the set, which increased the flexibility of the set. The tiara consisted of a tiara of graduated sapphires & diamond clusters that sit on top of sapphires & diamond scrolls. The number of sapphire elements have changed over time though. This tiara can be worn with a pair of earrings, a long necklace or a shorter choker necklace, a stomacher, smaller brooches, & bracelets. Some other pieces to be worn with the tiara include detachable pendants. 

The new Sapphire Button Tiara was created from the original necklace using the five large sapphire & diamond clusters from the long necklace & were arranged on a button style frame. The tiara can be worn with a shorter necklace, earrings, & a brooch. 

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𝑅𝑜𝓎𝒶𝓁 𝐸𝓋𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈

♕ 1861: A Portrait of Her Royal Highness Augusta The Dowager Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

♕ Date Unknown: A Portrait of Her Royal Highness Augusta The Dowager Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz wearing the tiara as a necklace.

♕ 1920′s: A Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Mary

♕ 1935: A Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Mary

♕ 1939 : A Portrait of Her Royal Highness Princess Marina The Duchess of Kent wearing the full parure: the original tiara, the long necklace, two brooches and two bracelets, a stomacher, & a pair of earrings

♕ 1960: Her Royal Highness Princess Marina The Duchess of Kent wore the tiara to the State Opening of Parliament.

♕ July 10th, 1962: Her Royal Highness Princess Marina The Duchess of Kent wore the tiara to a dinner at Buckingham Palace in London, England

♕ 1963 : A Portrait of Her Royal Highness Princess Marina The Duchess of Kent wearing the full parure: the original tiara, the long necklace, two brooches and two bracelets, a stomacher, & a pair of earrings

♕ April 1984: Her Royal Highness Katharine The Duchess of Kent wore the tiara to a State Banquet at The Guildhall in London, England.

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𝐹𝓊𝓃 𝐹𝒶𝒸𝓉𝓈:

♕ Katharine & Edward eventually sold the tiara after Katharine had inherited it from her mother in law. It went on the market as a necklace with seven tall sapphire elements. No one has an idea about the tiara/necklace’s whereabouts.

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𝒯𝒾𝒶𝓇𝒶 𝒯𝓊𝑒𝓈𝒹𝒶𝓎

𝒯𝒾𝒶𝓇𝒶 𝒩𝒶𝓂𝑒

The Modern Sapphire Tiara/George VI Sapphire Tiara/The Belgian Sapphire Tiara

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𝒪𝓌𝓃𝑒𝓇𝓈/𝒲𝑒𝒶𝓇𝑒𝓇𝓈:

♕ 1858 - 1924: Princess Louise of Belgium: It is unknown how the Princess acquired the necklace. 

♕ 1947 to Present: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II: Queen Elizabeth added the tiara separate from the rest of the George VI Sapphire Jewelry she owns. She used the George VI Sapphire jewels (which she received in 1947 as a wedding gift from her father) to create the tiara in 1963.

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𝒞𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝒴𝑒𝒶𝓇:

It is unknown about the date the original necklace was created, but the tiara was made in 1963 by Queen Elizabeth II. 

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𝒟𝑒𝓈𝒾𝑔𝓃:

Before the tiara was created into a tiara, the jewels were used as a necklace or as a dress ornament for Princess Louise of Belgium. When looking at the design of the tiara, you can see the point of the tiara which is the sign of a converted necklace. The jewels stand upright on the tiara, which would have been seen as drops on a necklace.

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𝑅𝑜𝓎𝒶𝓁 𝐸𝓋𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈

♕ 1870′s: Portrait of Princess Louise of Belgium 

♕ February 7th, 1966: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II wore the tiara at the Reception Dinner in Georgetown, British Guyana hosted by the Prime Minister of Guyana Linden Burnham during the Royal Tour of the Caribbean. 

♕ July 31st, 1968: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II wore the tiara for the The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael & Saint George Ceremony at St Paul's Cathedral in London. England.

♕ June 24th, 1971: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II wore the tiara for the opening of the Kingsway Road Tunnel part of the Mersey Tunnels in Liverpool.

♕ August 7th, 1979: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II wore the tiara for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Zambia, Africa.

♕ October 11th, 1989: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II wore the tiara for the State Visit to Singapore.

♕ October 16th, 1989: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II wore the tiara for the State Visit to Malaysia.

♕ June 25th, 1990: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II wore the tiara for the State Visit to Iceland.

♕ April 25th, 1991: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II wore the tiara for the State Banquet to celebrate the Poland State Visit. 

♕ May 14th, 1991: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II wore the tiara for the State Dinner to celebrate the United States of America Visit in Washington, D.C at the Whitehouse.

♕ June 11th, 1992: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II wore the tiara for the State Visit to France.

♕ May 5th, 1993: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II wore the tiara for the State Visit to Hungary for an opera performance.

♕ May 4th, 1994: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II wore the tiara for the D-Day Commemoration Banquet at Portsmouth Guildhall in Portsmouth, England.

♕ October 17th, 1994: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II wore the tiara for the State Visit to Russia for a theatre performance at Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia.

♕ May 25th, 1995: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II wore the tiara for The Amir of Kuwait Banquet at Claridge’s Hotel in London, England.

♕ November 10th, 1995: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II wore the tiara for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Auckland, New Zealand.

♕ March 27th, 1996: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II wore the tiara for the State Visit to The Czech Republic for a banquet at Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic.

♕ October 20th, 2015: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II wore the tiara for the State Banquet to celebrate the China State Visit at Buckingham Palace in London, England. 

♕ November 1st, 2016: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II wore the tiara for the State Banquet to celebrate the Columbia State Visit at Buckingham Palace in London, England. 

♕ December 8th, 2016: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II wore the tiara for the Annual Diplomatic Reception hosting the World’s Ambassadors at Buckingham Palace in London, England.

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𝐹𝓊𝓃 𝐹𝒶𝒸𝓉𝓈:

♕ Princess Louise of Belgium was a scandalous figure among the Belgium Royal Family. She had multiple lovers & left her husband, which left her in financial troubles due to being estranged from her family. She had to sell all her jewels to help her financial debt. The necklace ended up in the general marketplace, which is when it was acquired for the queen & turned from a necklace into a tiara.

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𝒯𝒾𝒶𝓇𝒶 𝒯𝓊𝑒𝓈𝒹𝒶𝓎

𝒯𝒾𝒶𝓇𝒶 𝒩𝒶𝓂𝑒

The Delhi Durbar Tiara

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𝒪𝓌𝓃𝑒𝓇𝓈/𝒲𝑒𝒶𝓇𝑒𝓇𝓈:

♕ Her Majesty Queen Mary (1910 - 1946): The tiara was designed for Her Majesty Queen Mary as a fitting celebration of His Majesty King George V new status as King and Emperor.

♕ Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (1946 - 2002): The Queen was loaned the tiara from Her Majesty Queen Mary. The only time the Delhi Durbar Tiara was seen with the Queen was during her South Africa tour in 1947.  It remained in her possession until her death.

♕ Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (2002 - 2005): The tiara was passed down to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II when her mother Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother passed away in 2002, along with the rest of the Queen Mother’s jewels. 

♕ Her Royal Highness Camilla The Duchess of Cornwall (2005): The Duchess was loaned the tiara from her mother-in-law Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for the Norwegian State Visit & also her first tiara appearance as a member of the British Royal Family. 

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𝒞𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝒴𝑒𝒶𝓇:

The Delhi Durbar Tiara was designed as a fitting celebration of His Majesty King George V new status as King and Emperor. The tiara was designed for Her Majesty Queen Mary in 1911 by Garrad.

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𝒟𝑒𝓈𝒾𝑔𝓃:

The Delhi Durbar Tiara was designed with remains of another tiara & some other smaller jewels - a tradition of Queen Mary when creating tiaras. The remains used were from a diadem tiara made for Queen Mary by Boucheron in 1901 after a visit to South Africa, when she had been given a present that consisted of diamonds from the De Beers Mine. The new Delhi Tiara was set in both platinum & gold but also had diamonds that formed lyres & s-scrolls that would overlap diamond festoons. The tiara is a complete circle that wraps around the head. The Delhi Durbar Tiara was originally set with 10 Cabochon Emerald Drops that are located on top of the tiara. These emeralds are a part of the famous Cambridge Emeralds set that once belonged to the grandmother of Queen Mary. Mary had acquire the emeralds after they were left to her late brother Prince Francis of Teck’s mistress Ellen (neé Constance) Needham. After Mary acquired the emeralds, they were used to create the tiara but were removed from the tiara in 1922. The emeralds were not sat aside though! The emeralds were used for the dangling emerald drops in the The Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara or they are used for uprights on The Kent Diamond and Pearl Fringe Tiara left to The Duchess of Kent. The Cullinan III & IV Stones were used as temporary centerpieces of the tiara. The 94.4 carat pear-shaped Cullinan III stone was an upright in the top center & the 63.6 carat Cullinan IV stone was placed in the front center. The tiara could have the 2 stones that could be worn or could be worn with 1 stone. There is another centerpiece for the tiara, as no one has used the Cullinan stones since Queen Mary. This tiara went under minor changes before Queen Mary loaned the tiara to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. While the tiara has not made an appearance after 60 years in the vault, it made a new appearance with Her Royal Highness Camilla The Duchess of Cornwall for the Norwegian State Visit. This tiara has always seemed in medium size when past queens have worn it, but it’s actually very large in size. The tiara has a layered effect that is created by the festoons on top of the scrolls.

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𝑅𝑜𝓎𝒶𝓁 𝐸𝓋𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈

♕ 1911: Her Majesty Queen Mary’s official portrait for the Coronation of her husband  His Majesty King George V. 2 Portraits of the Queen have been done wearing the tiara in 2 different styles: one portrait has the tiara with emeralds & the second portrait has the Cullinan Stones.

♕ 1947: South Africa Tour worn by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. 

♕ 2005: Norwegian State Visit worn by Her Royal Highness Camilla The Duchess of Cornwall

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𝐹𝓊𝓃 𝐹𝒶𝒸𝓉𝓈:

♕ In 1910, it was decided that the Crown Jewels were not allowed to leave the United Kingdom.

♕ Even though she had paid for her own hew crown his coronation, the Tiara was designed for Her Majesty Queen Mary. This meant that this tiara was not a part of the Crown Jewels. 

♕ Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II allowed The Delhi Durbar Tiara to be exhibited. After 60 years in the vault, the tiara would make a new appearance on a new member of the the royal family.

♕ When The Duchess of Cornwall was seen wearing the tiara in 2005, it caused quite a problem with the public. 3 Queen’s have been possession of this crown & now a duchess marrying a prince (who is the heir to the throne) for both their 2nd marriages? The public did not agree & did not like the way the tiara look as people believed it had been altered. The tiara was not altered at all & is still a circlet style tiara.

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