Goodbye September

I think this is a beautiful way to start saying goodbye to September. The Dutch Sapphire Tiara: 655 South African diamonds, now set in platinum accented by 33 luxurious sapphires nestled at the bottom of the diadem. Some of the stones are en tremblant maximizing the sparkle factor. 
The history: The tiara was purchased in 1881 by King Willem III of the Netherlands for his wife, Queen Emma. It was next worn by Emma’s granddaughter Queen Juliana. Today it is worn by Juliana’s daughter, Queen Beatrix. In the course of its history, the tiara has gained some pieces to make up a parure: a necklace, two enormous bracelets, and a brooch. The necklace has been turned into a smaller sapphire tiara which was been spotted on Princesses Margriet and Máxima. 
This tiara was chosen by Queen Máxima to wear to King Willem-Alexander’s inauguration, April 30. 2013. (Seen in the photo)

Antique Tiara Adoration

Photo from Christies

An antique sapphire and diamond tiara/necklace.
This piece is very special.
The tiara as a whole is composed of a central floral and foliate spray, featuring cushion shaped foil backed sapphire and old-cut diamonds, raised stems and scrolling leaves lead to a series of graduated diamond fleur-de-lys panels.
The magic happens when you realize that the central spray detaches to form a brooch and the fleur-de-lys panels form the necklace! It's three stunning pieces in one. Made circa 1890 and was sold by Christie's in 2014.

Marie-Louise Emerald and Diamond Diadem

Today’s Tiara Tuesday comes from the Smithsonian Museum and does double duty by intro'ing us into May's spectacular birthstone, Emerald.
The Marie-Louise Emerald and Diamond Diadem. 
But wait? Why am I seeing two diadems and one of them clearly does not contain emeralds! 
Well my sparkles you can blame Van Cleef & Arpels...Well you could have in the 50’s. 
The whole story:
“Napoleon gave the Diadem to his second wife, the Empress Marie-Louise, on the occasion of their marriage. Originally the diadem, commissioned in 1810, was set with emeralds, which were replaced in the mid-1950s, with turquoise. It was made by Etienne Nitot et Fils of Paris. The diadem was one piece of a parure that also included a necklace and earrings (now in the Louvre) and comb (disassembled), all in emeralds, diamonds, silver and gold. Marie-Louise bequeathed the diadem and accompanying jewelry to her Hapsburg aunt, Archduchess Elise. The jewelry was acquired by Van Cleef & Arpels from one of Archduchess Elise’s descendants, Archduke Karl Stefan Hapsburg of Sweden, in 1953, along with a document attesting to their provenance. During the period from May 1954 to June 1956, the emeralds were removed from the diadem by Van Cleef & Arpels and sold individually in pieces of jewelry. A newspaper advertisement placed by the company in 1955 promised: “An emerald for you from the historic Napoleonic Tiara…” Sometime between 1956 and 1962, Van Cleef & Arpels mounted the turquoise into the diadem. In 1962, the diadem, with turquoise, was displayed in the Louvre Museum in Paris along with the necklace, earrings, and comb, as part of a special exhibition on Empress Marie-Louise. Marjorie Merriweather Post purchased the diadem from Van Cleef & Arpels and donated it to the Smithsonian in 1971.” source

The diadem definitely is beautiful with the turquoise, and I am so glad that VCA kept the tiara intact! I can hardly imagine how stunning it must have been before the emeralds were pulled (the depiction with the emeralds is a facsimile.)

Kathleen Marino M.A, G.G., AJP, NAJA