The Swedish Diamond Bandeau Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Princess Madeleine of Sweden; Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden; Princess Madeleine of Sweden; Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden

The diamond bandeau often worn by the Swedish princesses at events like the Nobel Prize dinner is a bit of a mystery. The piece looks to be made of two matching diamond necklaces arranged on a basic frame, but there's never been any information released on the provenance of the diamonds.

Regardless, I think this is one of my favorites -- it's delicate, and the way the diamonds are together yet separate in the hair is unusual and perfect for modern princesses like Victoria and Madeleine. If anyone knows more about the necklaces (if that's indeed what they are), please feel free to let us all know!

For more on this tiara:
Mad Hattery's TiaraPedia (Sweden)

The Dutch Diamond Bandeau Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Princess Margriet of the Netherlands; Princess Máxima of the Netherlands; Princess Máxima of the Netherlands; Queen Juliana of the Netherlands; Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands

One of the most stunning bandeaux in a royal collection today, the diamond bandeau belonging to the Dutch royals wasn't always a tiara.

The giant diamonds that make up this bandeau were originally a part of a necklace. In 1879, the necklace was given by the Dutch people to Princess Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont on the occasion of her marriage to King William III of the Netherlands. And reportedly she deserved major diamonds for marrying the old king; he was apparently quite the bon vivant. Several other princesses, including Emma's sister Pauline, had turned him down, and he'd even tried to marry a French opera singer before settling down with Emma.

Emma's daughter, Queen Wilhelmina, had her mother's diamond necklace remade into this stunning bandeau tiara in 1937. She only wore the tiara in public once, and after her death, it was inherited by her daughter, Queen Juliana. Juliana was one smart cookie when it came to royal jewels: she started a family trust, which ensured that the pieces left to the collection would not leave the family. The bandeau tiara is a part of the collection today, and it's worn regularly by both Queen Beatrix and Princess Máxima.

(I wrote this post pre-abdication announcement, so perhaps now it's more appropriate to say that it's worn regularly be the soon-to-be Princess Beatrix and the soon-to-be Queen Máxima? What a week in royal news!)

For more on this tiara:
Mad Hattery's TiaraPedia (Netherlands)
Diamond Bandeau

The Sapphire Oak Leaf Bandeau Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): tiara detail; tiara detail; Princess Margarete of Thurn and Taxis

Fellow magpies, you've all just barely missed your chance to be the owner of this unusual tiara: the sapphire bandeau once owned by the German princely family of Thurn and Taxis. (Well, unless the buyer just happens to be reading this blog, in which case -- congrats!)

The tiara, which includes three large diamond oak leaves studded with large central sapphires, was a wedding gift to Prince Raphael and Princess Margarete of Thurn and Taxis in 1932. The tiara was a new piece, reportedly dating from approximately the same period of time. The name of the giver has never been clearly stated, but as the tiara's ornate box was hand-painted (and dated) by the groom's mother, Princess Margrethe, it seems logical to assume that she was the one behind the present.

I haven't been able to track down any photos of Princess Margarete wearing the bandeau, unfortunately, and no member of the family will likely be wearing it any time soon. In May, Sotheby's sold the tiara at auction in Geneva for the equivalent of approximately $300,000.

For more on this tiara:
Lot 591: Attractive Sapphire and Diamond Bandeau

The Marie Feodorovna Sapphire Bandeau Tiara

Photos: Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon; tiara detail; Queen Mary of the United Kingdom; Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon

Here's one of the long-lost British tiaras that's probably simply gathering dust somewhere deep in the royal vaults: the Marie Feodorovna Sapphire Bandeau.

The name of the tiara suggests that it comes from the Romanovs -- Marie Feodorovna was, after all, Tsarina of Russia. But she had even wider royal connections that that. She was born Princess Dagmar of Denmark; her siblings included Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, King Frederik VIII of Denmark, and King George I of Greece. Her jewel collection was outstanding, and after the Russian Revolution, pieces began to pop up at sales and auctions all over Europe.

And no one liked a jewel sale more than Queen Mary. She bought the piece in 1921 at a Paris auction, where it had been offered for sale by the exiled Princess Nicholas of Greece. No one's quite sure how Princess Nicholas (who was born Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna) got the tiara, but it is possible that Marie Feodorovna was involved. After all, Prince Nicholas was one of the empress's Greek nephews. Perhaps she had given the tiara to the Nicholases when they married in Russia in 1902? Some have also suggested that Princess Nicholas inherited the tiara from her mother, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, but ultimately, the provenance is unclear.

Regardless, the tiara was now Mary's. (Had Princess Nicholas held on to it just a bit longer, it might have made its way to Britain anyway -- one of her daughters was Princess Marina, who later married Queen Mary's son, the Duke of Kent.) After Mary's death, the tiara was left the the current queen, who (at least to my knowledge) has never worn it. It was last seen adorning the head of Princess Margaret, and since then has disappeared into the tiara mists...

For more on this tiara:
Weekend Bonus: Queen Mary wears the tiara

The Romanov Ruby Lotus Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): tiara detail; tiara detail; Princess Margarita of Hohenlohe-Langenburg; tiara detail; Princess Margarita of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

Let's round out the birthday week of the future Duchess of Edinburgh with a look back at a tiara once worn by an earlier holder of that title. This is the Romanov Ruby Lotus Tiara, a nineteenth-century piece once owned by Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Duchess of Edinburgh.

The floral-motif tiara was made in Moscow by Russian court jeweler Bolin in 1874, the same year that it was given to Maria Alexandrovna. The tiara was a present from Maria's father, Tsar Alexander II, in honor of her wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh, who was a son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

Maria bequeathed the tiara to her daughter Alexandra, who married Prince Ernst II of Hohenlohe-Langenburg in 1896. Through Alexandra's son, Gottfried, the tiara came close to the Edinburgh title once again. He married Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark, who was the elder sister of Prince Philip, the current Duke of Edinburgh. 

Margarita was the last royal wearer of the tiara. After her death in 1981, the piece was sold at auction. Intriguingly, the auction catalogue revealed that there may have been alterations made to the tiara at some point during its history; it noted that the original faceted rubies set in the piece by Bolin might have been replaced by less perfect stones at some point after the tiara's creation.

The Canadian Aquamarine Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): the Countess of Wessex; tiara detail; Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom; Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Last autumn, the Countess of Wessex opened up yet another tiara can of worms when she donned a long-lost British aquamarine tiara at the wedding of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg. It's just mystery tiara after mystery tiara with this countess!

At least with this aquamarine sparkler, we've got some background to go on. The tiara was worn by Queen Elizabeth II on a visit to Canada in 1970 (hence my name for the piece). It hadn't been worn in public again until Sophie's 2012 outing. Many royal jewel experts thought that it had been one of the pieces broken up and used to form the queen's larger Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara.

But now, that theory seems to be false, because the tiara does not appear to have been altered from its 1970 form. Even the tiara's frame appears to be identical. Is it a totally independent piece and not a part of the series of aquamarines the queen received from Brazil during the 1960s? Or were other stones used to flesh out the Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara, leaving this one in its original state? The plot thickens...

For more on this tiara:
Weekend Bonus: The Countess of Wessex wears the tiara

The Aquamarine Necklace Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): tiara detail; the Countess of Wessex; the Countess of Wessex; the Countess of Wessex; the Countess of Wessex (as a necklace)

With its wave-like diamond pattern and its seafoam-colored central aquamarine, the Countess of Wessex's convertible tiara is a striking piece. The tiara made its debut during the coronation festivities for Prince Albert II of Monaco in 2005.

We know that the tiara can also be worn as a necklace -- Sophie has also worn the diadem in that form at a public appearance. Initially, there was speculation that Prince Edward designed the tiara for his wife (as he did the necklace she wore at their wedding in 1999). But the piece was reportedly made for Sophie by Collins & Sons, the crown jewelers, who also had a similar piece available for sale to the public a few years ago.

The Battenberg Button Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): the Countess of Wessex; the Countess of Wessex; Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark; the Countess of Wessex; Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark

Although the Countess of Wessex usually wears her own wedding tiara when attending foreign events, in 2004 she debuted a new sparkler at the pre-wedding gala in honor of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark. As of today, it's the only time she's been photographed wearing the tiara.

The provenance of this new tiara, composed of small button-like diamond elements, remained a mystery for a time. However, it is now generally agreed that, based on photographs, this tiara is a new one made of the button-like elements from a tiara once worn by Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark (née Princess Alice of Battenberg), the late mother of the Duke of Edinburgh.

It makes sense that Sophie would wear a tiara that once graced Alice's head. Although they are now the Earl and Countess of Wessex, Edward and Sophie will one day be the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. When they married, it was agreed that Edward would eventually be given the Edinburgh title (that is, after Prince Philip's death and Prince Charles's ascension to the throne). It seems only right, then, that Sophie would wear jewelry once owned by her father-in-law's family.

(PS -- as we've not heard from the royals on the provenance of this piece, the above is obviously a theory. Anna of My Small Obsessions reminded me of another compelling one -- that the piece was borrowed for the occasion -- this morning. Here's a link to her page!)

For more on this tiara:
Mad Hattery's TiaraPedia (UK)

The Wessex Wedding Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): tiara detail; the Countess of Wessex; the Countess of Wessex; the Countess of Wessex

Some royal brides wear historical tiaras, some get new tiaras on their wedding days, and others, like Sophie Rhys-Jones, get a combination of the two. For her 1999 wedding to the Earl of Wessex, Sophie (who celebrates her birthday this week) was gifted a new tiara made from antique pieces.

The tiara is composed of four scroll elements, or anthemions, that were originally pieces of Queen Victoria's Regal Circlet. The circlet was made with a set of detachable fleur-de-lys, maltese cross, and scroll elements that could be swapped out and rearranged. Although there is no photo of the Regal Circlet with the scroll anthemions attached, the case for the diadem includes spaces for elements identical in shape and size to those on Sophie's wedding tiara.

Since her wedding day, Sophie has worn the tiara several times, including at many European royal weddings. She and Prince Edward are the queen's go-to representatives at these events abroad, so this wedding tiara has seen many more weddings since its initial outing.

For more on this tiara:
Mad Hattery's TiaraPedia (UK)

The Boucheron Honeycomb Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): the Duchess of Cornwall; Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother; tiara detail; the Duchess of Cornwall; the Duchess of Cornwall

It takes a lady with serious tiara hair to pull off one of the biggest sparklers in Britain: the Boucheron Honeycomb Tiara, which was a favorite of the late Queen Mother.

The tiara was originally not a royal piece at all. It was made in the 1920s by Boucheron for the Hon. Mrs. Greville, a society hostess who was a friend of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. When Mrs. Greville died in 1942, she left a boatload of jewels to the queen, including this tiara.

The tiara originally lacked the diamond clusters that sit atop the piece -- those were one of the Queen Mum's later additions, made possible by Cartier. She wore the tiara up until her death in 2002, when her entire collection was inherited by the current Queen. Elizabeth II has never worn this particular tiara, however; it is now frequently sported by the Duchess of Cornwall at major state events.

For more on this tiara:
Weekend Bonus: Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother wearing the tiara
Mad Hattery's TiaraPedia (UK)

The Queen Josefina Diamond Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Queen Sonja of Norway; Queen Sonja of Norway; Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway; tiara detail

There are lots of royal Josephines floating around with tiaras, but this lovely diamond tiara comes from Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway (née Princess Joséphine of Leuchtenberg), the wife of King Oscar I and the granddaughter of another famous Josephine (that would be Napoleon's Empress Joséphine). So many Josephines!

Although some have suggested that this tiara first belonged to Queen Désirée of Sweden, most seem to agree that Queen Josefina was actually its first wearer. Some think it may have been a wedding present to Josefina, and maybe even worn by her on her wedding day, though no one knows precisely who the giver might have been. When Josefina died, the tiara was inherited by her granddaughter, Princess Louise, who married King Frederik VIII of Denmark.

The tiara adorned various Danish royal heads until it was gifted to Louise's granddaughter, Princess Märtha of Sweden, who married Crown Prince Olav of Norway in 1929. Märtha died before she could become queen of Norway herself, but her daughter-in-law, Queen Sonja, wears Josefina's diamond tiara on a regular basis these days.

For more on this tiara:
Weekend Bonus: Crown Princess Märtha wearing the tiara
Mad Hattery's TiaraPedia (Norway)
Trond Norén Isaksen: Royal jewels: Queen Josephina's diamond tiara

The Luxembourg Empire Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg; tiara detail; Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg; Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg

If there were a contest for "biggest tiara in Europe," I'd be hard pressed to think of another sparkler that could best this one. The Empire Tiara owned by the grand ducal family of Luxembourg is a massive diamond fortress of a tiara.

But even though it's such a knockout, its history and provenance are a bit of a mystery. This tiara gets its name from its empire style, not necessarily because it came from imperial vaults -- that would make it an early nineteenth-century piece. There are two major theories about how it arrived in Luxembourg. One traces it back to Romanov Russia via Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna, the first wife of Grand Duke Adolphe. The other points to Adolphe's daughter, Grand Duchess Hilda of Baden, who died without descendants and may have left jewelry to her nieces.

It's certain, however, that one of those nieces, Grand Duchess Charlotte, wore this tiara on her wedding day in 1919. That occasion was the first time that the tiara popped up on a Luxembourgish grand ducal head, but it's been worn since by Charlotte's daughter-in-law, Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte, and the current grand duchess, Maria Teresa. And as for the other guests at any event where this tiara shows up -- I'd advise a good pair of sunglasses!

For more on this tiara:
Weekend Bonus: Grand Duchess Charlotte wearing the tiara
Mad Hattery's TiaraPedia (Luxembourg)

The Braganza Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): tiara detail; Queen Louise of Sweden; Queen Victoria of Sweden; Queen Silvia of Sweden; Queen Silvia of Sweden

One of the most impressive tiaras in the Swedish royal vault, the Braganza Tiara is another sparkler whose name doesn't quite match with its current geographical home. The Duke of Braganza, after all, is Portuguese -- but this tiara doesn't come from Portugal at all. Instead, it can be traced all the way to South America: Imperial Brazil, specifically, which explains the Portuguese connection.

The tiara was originally made in France with Brazilian diamonds; it was reworked in 1820 into the gigantic, leafy tiara we recognize today. The piece belonged to Empress Amelie of Brazil, whose sister, Josefina, was queen of Sweden. When Amelie died, she left the tiara to Queen Josefina, and it's been worn by Swedish queens ever since.

Today, the whopper of a tiara is worn by Queen Silvia. It's perfect for her, not only because it's a tiara befitting a queen but also because Silvia's mother, Alice de Toledo, was born in Brazil.

For more on this tiara:
Weekend Bonus: Queen Silvia wearing the tiara
Mad Hattery's TiaraPedia (Sweden)

The Württemberg Empire Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): tiara detail; tiara detail; Queen Pauline of Württemberg; tiara detail

Today's tiara is the first strictly historical sparkler of the year: a nineteenth-century piece from the crown jewels of the former kingdom of Württemberg. In German, it's called the "Reiches Diadem," which we'll translate here roughly as the Empire Tiara.

In 1820, the widowed King William I of Württemberg was on the hunt for a new queen and a new step-mother for his two daughters (one of whom, Sophie, would eventually marry the king of The Netherlands). He didn't look very far -- he married Duchess Pauline of Württemberg, his first cousin, that same year. Because a new queen deserves a new tiara, William commissioned August Heinrich Kuhn to make this brand-new diadem for Pauline, even using some of the large diamonds from the Württemberg crown in the design.

Württemberg ceased to be a kingdom in its own right in 1918, and the crown jewels stayed with the state. Today, you can see Queen Pauline's impressive diamond tiara up close and personal on display in the State Museum at Stuttgart.

For more on this tiara:
Reiches Diadem: Landesmuseum Württemberg

The Thai Fringe Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Queen Sirikit  of Thailand; Queen Sirikit of Thailand; Queen Sirikit of Thailand; Queen Sirikit of Thailand

I love when royals are inventive with their jewels, and Queen Sirikit of Thailand's use of her gorgeous diamond fringe tiara definitely fits that bill. Over the years, the queen has worn the fringe both in halo form, stretching around her head, and bunched tightly atop her head like a crown (which I believe is a traditional Thai way of wearing a diadem).

Although, like many other Asian royal families, the Thai royals jumped on the Western-style tiara bandwagon fairly recently, the family today has an extensive and impressive collection of jewels. If I've got my history right, this particular tiara, one of the most important pieces in the vaults, was owned by Queen Saovabha Bongsri, who became the first female regent of the country in 1897.

The Princess Charlotte Fringe Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Princess Charlotte of Monaco; Princess Caroline of Monaco; Princess Caroline of Monaco; tiara detail (as necklace)

Sometimes called the "Russian Tiara" (or, because the Grimaldis speak French, the "Tiara Russe"), this fringe tiara has only been photographed on the head of one Monegasque princess: Charlotte, mother of the late Prince Rainier and grandmother of Caroline, Albert, and Stephanie. Princess Charlotte's history is complicated to say the least -- born illegitimate, she was legally adopted by her father, Prince Louis II, as a way to continue the Grimaldi line. Louis is the one who gave his daughter this particular tiara.

The tiara is made like lots of other fringe tiaras from the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries -- to echo the style of a Russian kokoshnik (hence the piece's alternate name). But we haven't seen it in that form in nearly a century. Princess Grace never wore it at all. Today, the diadem is still a part of the Grimaldi collection, and Princess Caroline sometimes wears it -- but only as a necklace. Wouldn't it be great to see it in tiara form once again on the head of one of the princesses?

For more on this tiara:
Princess Charlotte wearing her Fringe Tiara

The City of London Fringe Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): tiara detail; Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent; Princess Alexandra, the Hon. Lady Ogilvy; Princess Michael of Kent

When Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark popped across the channel to marry the Duke of Kent in 1934, the wedding gifts were plentiful -- after all, it wasn't every day that a British prince married an actual, honest-to-goodness princess. One of the sparkliest of those presents was the City of London Fringe Tiara. (Can you guess who was behind the gift?)

Marina wore the tiara on her wedding day, and nearly 30 years later, her daughter, Princess Alexandra, also wore the tiara to her wedding. When Marina died, the tiara stayed with the Kents; it was inherited by her younger son, Prince Michael. Today, it's his wife, Marie-Christine, who wears the sparkler.

Although this particular fringe tiara can't be worn as a necklace (most can), Princess Michael has played about with it a bit anyway, adding a velvet backing and topping it with a diamond necklace so that it resembles a kokoshnik tiara.

For more on this tiara:
Weekend Bonus: Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent wearing the tiara
Mad Hattery's TiaraPedia (UK)
Wedding gift jewelry of the Duchess of Kent

The Habsburg Fringe Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein; Princess Gina of Liechtenstein; tiara detail; Princess Gina of Liechtenstein; Princess Gina of Liechtenstein

With a name like "the Habsburg Fringe Tiara," you'd be forgiven for thinking that this tiara was a part of the collection of the former imperial family of Austria. But ... you'd be wrong. This particular fringe belongs to the princely family of Liechtenstein. It's worn today primarily by Hereditary Princess Sophie, but the late Princess Gina was also frequently photographed in the diadem.

Specific information on the provenance of this tiara is a little tough to come by. It's possible that it was made in Austria by Köchert, the court jewelers of the Habsburgs, but nobody seems to know precisely when. The tiara has been worn by more than one bride in the family. Princess Marie Aglaë wore it to marry Prince Hans-Adam in 1967, and Princess Isabelle wore it in 1971.

But there is a Liechtenstein/Habsburg connection that could help clarify things. The current prince, Hans-Adam II, is the grandson of Archduchess Elisabeth Amalie of Austria, who married Prince Aloys of Liechtenstein in 1903. Most believe that this tiara was the property of Elisabeth Amalie's mother, who was born Infanta Maria Teresa of Portugal. Maria Teresa married Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria in 1873. The tiara itself was made in 1890.

For more on this tiara:
Weekend Bonus: Hereditary Princess Sophie wears the tiara
Mad Hattery's TiaraPedia (Liechtenstein)

The Baden Fringe Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): tiara detail; Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden; Queen Silvia of Sweden; Queen Louise of Sweden; Queen Victoria of Sweden

One of the sparkliest fringe tiaras in the business, the Baden Fringe Tiara is primarily associated with two Victorias. The first is Princess Victoria of Baden, who received the tiara from her parents, Grand Duke Frederick I and Grand Duchess Louise of Baden, when she married King Gustav V of Sweden in 1881. The lovely piece is made up of diamond sunray motifs (which is why it is sometimes called the "Sunray Tiara") mounted on a frame. When it is detached, it can also be worn as a necklace.

Since the time of Queen Victoria, the tiara has never left the Swedish royal family; Victoria made sure that it wouldn't by bequeathing the piece to the family foundation of the Bernadottes. (I wish more royal families would do this to keep collections intact!) It has been worn by many women in the family, including Crown Princess Margaretha, Queen Louise, and Queen Silvia. Today, its primary wearer is Crown Princess Victoria, who often sports the sparkler at events like the annual presentation of the Nobel prizes.

For more on this tiara:
Weekend Bonus: Princess Lilian wears the tiara
Mad Hattery's TiaraPedia (Sweden)

The Akishino Wedding Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): the Princess Akishino; the Princess Akishino; the Princess Akishino

If you've seen photos from the Japanese imperial family's New Year's celebrations, you'll recognize the tiara worn here by the Princess Akishino. This was Kiko's wedding tiara, but she wears it regularly for other tiara events held by her in-laws, the emperor and empress.

We don't know much of anything about the provenance of this tiara (the Japanese Imperial Household Agency is notoriously tight-lipped about details of the imperial family's lives and possessions), but it made its first appearance in 1990 at Kiko's wedding to Prince Fumihito, the second son of the emperor.

Like all other tiaras owned by the Japanese royals, Princess Kiko's tiara is all white -- you'll only find diamonds and the occasional pearl in these sparklers. White is considered a sacred color in Japanese culture, so it makes sense that they'd want their jewels to be equally blessed.

For more on this tiara:
Mad Hattery's TiaraPedia (Japan)

The Danish Ruby Parure Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Queen Ingrid of Denmark; tiara detail; Princess Benedikte of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg; Crown Princess Mary of Denmark; Queen Alexandrine of Denmark

The story goes that the rubies that make up the Danish Ruby Parure Tiara were first worn at the coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1804. The wearer in question was one Désirée Clary, who (drama alert!) had actually been engaged to Napoleon until he threw her over for Empress Josephine. By the time he was crowned, though, Désirée was married to General Jean Bernadotte, who gave her the ruby jewels ... and later became king of Sweden. Not a bad trade, in hindsight.

Désirée brought her rubies, which were eventually crafted into this berry wreath tiara, with her to Sweden and passed them on to her daughter-in-law, Queen Josefina (who, of course, was Empress Josephine's granddaughter). The tiara found its way to Denmark when Josefina gifted it to her granddaughter, Princess Louise, who married King Frederik VIII of Denmark.

The tiara then became a wedding gift several times over within the Danish royal family. Queen Louise gave it to her new daughter-in-law, Alexandrine, in 1898; Queen Alexandrine then gave it to her new daughter-in-law, Ingrid, in 1935. Queen Ingrid was one of the most famous wearers of the tiara. She altered it several times and wore it frequently during her lifetime.

But rather than passing it along to her daughter, Queen Margrethe II, Ingrid bequeathed the tiara to her grandson, Crown Prince Frederik, when she died in 2000. When Frederik married Mary Donaldson in 2004, she began wearing the tiara, and following in Ingrid's footsteps, had it altered to better fit her own royal crown.

For more on this tiara:
Mad Hattery's TiaraPedia (Denmark)

The Imperial Chrysanthemum Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): tiara detail; Empress Michiko of Japan; Empress Kōjun of Japan; Empress Michiko of Japan

This whopper of a diamond tiara is worn by Empress Michiko of Japan (ironically, one of the daintier royal ladies around, but she makes it work). It's difficult to say exactly when the tiara was made, but we know that it was previously worn by Michiko's late mother-in-law, the Empress Kōjun. It's likely that the tiara dates from no earlier than the late nineteenth century, perhaps even from the twentieth century.

The tiara is made of floral elements that mimic the emblem of the Imperial Household, a chrysanthemum with sixteen petals, each with a large central diamond. The element is repeated throughout the tiara, interspersed with leaf elements.

For more on this tiara:
Weekend Bonus: Empress Michiko wears the tiara
Mad Hattery's TiaraPedia (Japan)

The Pearl Poiré Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Queen Margrethe II of Denmark; tiara detail; Queen Alexandrine of Denmark; Queen Margrethe II of Denmark

It took one of the fanciest tiaras in the Danish royal collection, the Pearl Poiré Tiara (which takes its named from the pear-shaped pearls that are suspended en tremblant from the diamond arches), three Louises and three weddings before it arrived on Danish shores.

The tiara was originally made in Berlin in 1825 as a wedding gift for Princess Louise of Prussia. Louise married Prince Frederick of the Netherlands, and their daughter, also named Louise, inherited the tiara from her mother. The second Louise married King Charles XV of Sweden, and her daughter, named (you guessed it) Louise, took the tiara with her when she married King Frederik VIII of Denmark.

The tiara has been in the Danish royal family ever since, adorning the heads of Queen Alexandrine, Queen Ingrid, and the current monarch, Queen Margrethe II. (It's actually a part of the Danish royal trust, which means that it cannot leave the family.) Margrethe wears the tiara very frequently; here's a great video from Margrethe's 70th birthday celebration where you can see the tiara in motion (and, bonus, see the queen laughing hysterically about jokes involving Post-It Notes and slices of deli ham).

For more on this tiara:
Weekend Bonus: Queen Alexandrine wears the tiara
Mad Hattery's TiaraPedia (Denmark)

Trond Norén Isaksen: Royal jewels: Danish poiré pearl tiara