Crowning glories
POTENTIALLY Britain’s most famous piece of jewellery, the Diamond Diadem was created for George IV’S Coronation in 1821, but became familiar to the public when Victoria appeared wearing it on the Penny Black, then when The Queen wore it for official portraits taken after her accession to the throne (right). Now, the diadem, which has 1,333 brilliant-cut diamonds, takes centre stage in a Buckingham Palace exhibition of jewels from The Queen’s private collection, part of a series of Platinum Jubilee displays to be held at the Royal Palaces (July 22–October 2).
Meanwhile, Sotheby’s New Bond Street showroom will gather even more diamonds of the first water, with the largest tiara exhibition to be staged in the UK for 20 years. From May 28 to June 15, some 50 bejewelled headpieces are on display, including the Spencer Tiara, passed down through generations since 1767 and worn by Diana, Princess of Wales on her wedding day; a Gothic Revival emerald-anddiamond tiara designed by Prince Albert for Victoria; and Joséphine Bonaparte’s neoclassical gold-and-cameo diadem. Many headpieces worn at the 1953 Coronation are also on show, such as the Derby Tiara, created for the Duchess of Devonshire in 1893, and the Westminster Halo Tiara, made by Paris jewellers Lacloche Frères in 1930 for the Duke of Westminster’s bride Loelia Ponsonby.
‘The Queen’s Jubilee celebrations have given us the perfect opportunity to put on public display an outstanding selection of tiaras from noble and royal provenance, many of which haven’t been exhibited in decades,’ explains Kristian Spofforth, head of jewellery at Sotheby’s London. ‘The sourcing of these jewels has been a labour of love, resulting in an exhibition that showcases the best iterations within the tiara style register, through some of its most famous incarnations... This is also a wonderful moment for us to shine a special light on the dazzling craftsmanship delivered by generations of mainly British-based jewellers across several centuries of tiara making.’
Most of the tiaras are on loan for the show, but a small number are available for sale, including a Garrard coronet designed by the 1st Duke of Wellington, a 1920s Cartier amethyst, sapphire, onyx and diamond bandeau, contemporary pieces by Kiki Mcdonough and Christopher Thompson Royds and the Anglesey Tiara, of about 1890 (prices on request).