New Tiara for an Italian Princess

The tiara comes to us from a family that once reigned over part of Italy. Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies is the great-great-great-grandson of Francis II, the last King of the Two Sicilies (Sicily and Naples). He reigned until Italian unification in 1861, and since then, the family has been without a throne. Today, Prince Carlo is one of two members of the family to claim the position of head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. He’s married to an Italian heiress, Camilla Crociani, and has two daughters, Princess Maria Carolina and Princess Maria Chiara. (Camilla has recently been in the news because of an inheritance dispute.)

You’ll often see Prince Carlo and Princess Camilla (who also use the titles of Duke and Duchess of Castro) out and about at functions with members of reigning royal families. The family lives in Monaco, so they’re fixtures on the social circuit in Monte Carlo, and can often be seen mingling with the Grimaldis. They’re also good friends of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark; Prince Carlo is even one of the godfathers of Princess Josephine of Denmark.

The couple’s daughters, Maria Carolina (left) and Maria Chiara (right), pictured above at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival in the summer of 2019, are glamorous teenagers. They were recently photographed wearing jewelry made by Generoso Gioielli 1970, a company headquartered in Italy that advertises itself as an “official supplier for the Royal House of Bourbon Two Sicilies.”

Camilla often wears a pair of glittering tiaras: the Ancona Tiara and the Ruby Dragonfly Tiara. Now, it’s her elder daughter’s turn to sparkle in diamonds. In a new portrait released to celebrate Maria Carolina’s upcoming 18th birthday, she wears a diamond tiara for the first time. The tiara, described by the firm as a tiara of “jasmins des Bourbons,” made of diamonds set in white gold. Maria Carolina wears the tiara with a coordinating pair of diamond floral earrings, which are advertised for sale on the company’s website for €8,900. (I’m not familiar with a specific connection between the Bourbons and jasmine, but the larger family is famously associated with lilies [or irises].)

The piece is convertible and can also be worn as a necklace. At least some parts of the tiara are set “en tremblant,” so they should shiver and move a bit as the wearer moves. The company explains that the tiara was made to mark the 50th anniversary of the firm, which was founded in 1970.

Another birthday portrait of Maria Carolina was also released. This image features her wearing another demi-parure of jewels made by Generoso Gioielli.

This set, the “Pianeti” (or “Planets”) suite, is made of rose and white gold and set with diamonds and red coral. Here’s a look at the necklace as pictured on the brand’s social media accounts.

And here are the earrings and bracelet that coordinate with the necklace. In the portrait, Maria Carolina also wears one more coordinating piece: a ring.

Maria Carolina’s younger sister, Maria Chiara, was also featured in a new portrait wearing jewelry from the same firm. This set, which includes a necklace and a matching cocktail ring, appears to be set with amethysts and topazes.