Archives for 2017

The Daily Diadem: The Mike Todd Diamond Tiara

07.09.2017 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Elizabeth Taylor wears a diamond tiara given to her by her husband, Mike Todd, as the couple attends the Golden Globe Awards at the Coconut Grove nightclub in Hollywood, 1957; read all about the history of this nineteenth-century tiara over here!

Jewels in Motion: Diana’s Wedding Jewels

07.09.2017 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

AFP/Getty Images

Our month-long series on the jewels of Diana, Princess of Wales continues today with one of her most famous jewelry outings of all: her wedding day. Here’s a look at the jewels that Diana wore to her royal wedding. Enjoy, and remember — we’re celebrating Diana’s life here, so we’re not going to argue about long-past events in the comments. Thanks in advance!

Diana arrived with her father, Earl Spencer, at St Paul’s Cathedral in the Glass Coach, one of the royal family’s state carriages

Many were shocked at the creased state of her wedding gown, which was designed by the Emanuels, when she stepped out of the coach…

…but the fabric of the dress quickly settled into a smoother state as she walked down the lengthy aisle of St Paul’s

Diana wore one of her family’s diadems, the Spencer Tiara, as her bridal tiara. The tiara is a family possession, and today, it belongs to Diana’s brother

The glittering diamond tiara was assembled in the 1930s using a set of diamond elements given to Diana’s grandmother, Cynthia, Countess Spencer

The tiara was worn by several other family brides in Diana’s generation, including both of Diana’s sisters and her brother’s first wife, Victoria Lockwood

The tiara was especially sparkly because it was positioned atop Diana’s veil, which was also scattered with crystals

During the wedding ceremony, we got a glimpse of another famous jewels: Diana’s diamond and sapphire engagement ring, which is now worn by her daughter-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge. (Read more about the ring over here!)

The Queen was radiant on her son’s wedding day, wearing heirloom family pearls and the astonishing Williamson Diamond Brooch

The Queen Mother also wore pearls and Queen Victoria’s Diamond Fringe Brooch. (Read more about that brooch over here!)

After the wedding (and the removal of the blusher veil), Diana’s diamond wedding earrings were more visible. These were another “something borrowed” — they belonged to her mother, Frances Shand-Kydd

Television cameras juxtaposed images of the newlyweds with the throngs of well-wishers gathered on the Mall

Diana’s wedding ensemble was, without a doubt, one of the most influential of the decade, and she borrowed her wedding tiara from her father numerous times during her tenure as Princess of Wales

Where does the Spencer Tiara fall in your all-time best wedding tiara rankings?

Royal Wedding Jewels in Hanover

07.08.2017 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

JULIAN STRATENSCHULTE/AFP/Getty Images

Against the wishes of his father, the younger Ernst August, Prince of Hanover married his fiancee, Ekaterina Malysheva, in Hanover on Saturday, and there were some major royal jewels on display.

JULIAN STRATENSCHULTE/AFP/Getty Images

The bride, a fashion designer with Russian roots, wore one of the Hanoverian family’s tiaras with her Sandra Mansour. The Hanoverian Floral Tiara has been in the family for years, but we don’t know much about its provenance.

RONNY HARTMANN/AFP/Getty Images

We also got a good look at Ekaterina’s gorgeous engagement ring, which is set with diamonds and a blue sapphire.

RONNY HARTMANN/AFP/Getty Images

Profile views of the bride showed the unusual height of the central part of the family’s floral diadem.

Getty Images

The floral tiara was last worn in public in 2004, when Ernst August’s stepmother, Princess Caroline of Monaco, wore it for a pre-wedding gala for Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark in Copenhagen.

RONNY HARTMANN/AFP/Getty Images

The tiara was also previously worn by the groom’s mother, Chantal Hochuli. Today, she wore a colorful blue and gold brooch for her son’s wedding. She and the elder Ernst August (who is the pretender to the throne of Hanover) divorced in 1997, and he married Princess Caroline in 1999. The elder EA and Caroline have been separated for almost a decade, and she did not attend her stepson’s wedding. (Neither did the groom’s father; the two are in the middle of a complicated dispute. I’ll direct you to Marlene Koenig’s blog for more.)

RONNY HARTMANN/AFP/Getty Images

But although Caroline did not attend, the wedding very clearly had her family seal of approval. All of her children attended, along with their spouses. Above, Ernst August’s half-sister (and Caroline’s younger daughter), Alexandra, Princess of Hanover, served as a bridesmaid. She wore round pearl stud earrings and a beaded necklace.

RONNY HARTMANN/AFP/Getty Images

His elder stepbrother, Andrea Casiraghi, was in attendance with his wife, Tatiana. Their two children, Sasha and India, served as a page boy and a flower girl.

Photograph © Svenja from Confessions of a Castleholic. Do not reproduce.

Pierre Casiraghi, the groom’s younger stepbrother, also attended with his wife, Beatrice.

RONNY HARTMANN/AFP/Getty Images

Beatrice wore her pale pink drop earrings, plus a necklace with a floral pendant and a rather, er, unusual hat.

JULIAN STRATENSCHULTE/AFP/Getty Images

Charlotte Casiraghi, the groom’s stepsister, opted to leave her jewelry at home for the day.

RONNY HARTMANN/AFP/Getty Images

The groom’s younger brother, Christian, Prince of Hanover, attended the wedding with his fiancee, Alessandra de Osma. Her engagement ring glittered on her left hand.

There were numerous other royal and noble guests at the wedding. George Friedrich and Sophie of Prussia, pretenders to the throne of Germany, were there.

Sophie wore a pair of dramatic diamond and pearl earrings.

RONNY HARTMANN/AFP/Getty Images

Alexander of Schaumberg-Lippe attended with his partner, Mahkameh Navabi, who wore a glittering lariat-style necklace.

From the Greek royal family, Crown Prince Pavlos attended with his wife, Marie-Chantal, and several of their children. Pavlos’s grandmother, Queen Friederike of the Hellenes, was born a princess of Hanover.

Marie-Chantal wore a long pearl necklace with an evil eye pendant, a pearl bracelet, and sparkling hoop earrings.

Andres and Lauren Santo Domingo, brother and sister-in-law of Tatiana Casiraghi, were there, too.

Lauren wore an interesting pair of pearly drop earrings.

Note: some of the photos from this post were generously provided to us by a longtime friend of the blog, Sydney, who writes for both Luxarazzi and Confessions of a Castleholic. Read her posts on the wedding over here!