Archives for 2016

The Diamond Vine Leaves Tiara (Photo: Handout/Getty Images)

They may live in one of the tiniest countries in Europe, but the grand ducal family of Luxembourg has a jewelry vault that is absolutely enormous. Today, we’re looking at one of their two diamond floral tiaras: the Diamond Vine Leaves Tiara.

Princess Claire wears the tiara (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

As the lovely ladies over at Luxarazzi have observed, this tiara is “floral” largely because it includes natural elements and not because it specifically includes flowers in the design; we learned during Felix and Claire’s wedding festivities that the family refers to the piece as the “vine leaves” tiara. The all-diamond sparkler, set in yellow gold and silver, includes leaf and berry motifs.

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wears the tiara (Photo: LISE ASERUD/AFP/Getty Images)

The tiara was made in the second half of the nineteenth century, but the palace has never confirmed by or for whom it was created. It’s possible, given its stated creation date, that it entered the collection around the same time as the Marie-Adélaïde tiara, which also features diamond leaves and berries in its design.

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wears the tiara (Photo: ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP/Getty Images)

It’s also possible, however, that the tiara was acquired by the family at a later date, perhaps during the reign of Grand Duchess Charlotte, the grandmother of the current grand duke. The statement released by the royal court noted that Charlotte never wore the tiara herself, although other family members wore it during her tenure as grand duchess. Her daughter-in-law, Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte, apparently only wore the tiara once. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, however, has made the tiara one of her go-to diadems.

Like the smaller floral tiara, this one has been worn at a number of Nassau family weddings. The information released by the royal court also mentioned that it was worn by all four of the daughters of Grand Duchess Charlotte at their weddings: Princess Alix in 1950 (pictured above), Princess Marie Gabrielle in 1951, Princess Elisabeth in 1956, and Princess Marie-Adélaïde in 1958. (You can see photos of all the brides wearing the tiara at Luxarazzi.)

Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie wears the tiara (Photo: Grand-Ducal Court/Christian Aschman/Getty Images)

The tiara also made a significant appearance during the 2012 wedding of the hereditary grand ducal couple; Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie chose to wear the tiara at the gala held the night before her religious wedding ceremony. It was the first tiara from the Luxembourg collection that she wore.

Princess Claire wears the tiara on her wedding day (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Claire followed in her sister-in-law’s footsteps, choosing this sparkler for her own royal wedding in September 2013. Given Felix and Claire’s current occupation — managing a vineyard in the south of France — a tiara with vine designs was an especially appropriate choice!