The Swedish Four Button Tiara (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

The Bernadottes of Sweden have two significant tiaras made of round diamond “button” elements placed on rather simple tiara frames. One of the tiaras has six buttons, and the other has four. Today, we’re taking a closer look at the Four Button Tiara.

Left: the Four Button Tiara; Right: the Six Button Tiara (Photos: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

The buttons on the tiaras look extremely similar, especially from a distance, but each tiara features a different kind of floral button. The six button elements are rosettes, featuring ten small round diamonds hugging a larger floral cluster of seven additional diamonds. The four button elements are more complex (and, I think, more beautiful); they feature seven round diamonds encircling a central diamond in a sunburst design. The edges of the buttons include tiny diamond “leaves” between the “petals,” making the buttons look a little bit like Tudor roses.

Crown Princess Victoria wears the Six Button Tiara (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

While the Swedish royals have an array of heirloom jewels with impressive provenances, these buttons are possibly some of the most significant ornaments in their collection. We know where the diamond rosettes from the Six Button Tiara originated: the Swedish royal court has confirmed that the buttons from the Six Button Tiara are the same “diamond rosettes” that were attached to the crown worn by King Carl XIV Johan, who was born Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, at his coronation in 1818.

Crown Princess Victoria wears the Four Button Tiara (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

The Four Button Tiara’s ornaments, however, have a less clear provenance. One theory suggests that the buttons also first belonged to King Carl XIV Johan. He was a Maréchal d’Empire under Napoleon I in France, and some have speculated that these buttons may have adorned his gala uniform. The other theory on the origin of these buttons suggests that they originated not in France but with an even older generation of Swedish royals. Queen Louisa Ulrika, who was the consort of King Adolf Fredrik, had a set of diamond buttons that she wore in her hair; she also had a stomacher that included elements similar to the tiara’s buttons.

Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Here’s a portrait that shows her wearing some of these pieces. If these are the same ornaments worn by Louisa Ulrika, that would mean they were created at some point in the middle of the eighteenth century, and it would also mean that they’re rare examples of jewels in the current Swedish royal collection that pre-date the Bernadotte dynasty.

Princess Margaretha wears the Four Button Tiara (Photo: Express Newspapers/Getty Images)

While the buttons themselves are antique, both tiaras are apparently twentieth-century creations. The current king’s sisters began wearing the Four Button Tiara in the 1950s. Above, you see Princess Margaretha wearing the tiara at the Nobel Prize ceremony in 1959.

Princess Christina wears the Four Button Tiara (Photo: Central Press/Getty Images)

And here’s Princess Christina, the youngest of the Haga princesses, wearing the Four Button with the family’s magnificent pink topaz suite at the Nobels in 1970.

Princess Lilian wears the Four Button Tiara (Photo: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The Six Button was apparently assembled later on for the use of the late Princess Lilian, but she also wore the Four Button. Above, she dons the tiara during the Spanish state visit to Sweden in 1979. The Six Button is a more elaborate piece overall; the Four Button has a much simpler frame, and it sits lower on the wearer’s head. Occasionally the base is supplemented by an extra row of diamonds.

Princess Madeleine wears the Four Button Tiara (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Both of the button diadems tend to be some of the more controversial sparklers in the Swedish jewel foundation among royal jewel lovers; I’ll admit that I’ve been guilty of calling the Four Button the “Jeep” tiara more than once in the past! The Four Button in particular is generally used by the more junior members of the family. (To my knowledge, Queen Silvia has never been photographed in the Four Button.) Today, Victoria and Madeleine are the usual wearers of the Four Button Tiara, but I think this is also a good candidate for Princess Sofia when she finally starts delving into the Bernadotte tiara stash. (Which will hopefully be soon!)

The Modern Fringe Tiara (Photo: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

While the Swedes are well-known for draping themselves in historic jewels, there are also slightly newer tiaras in their collection. This one — the Modern Fringe Tiara — was an unexpected surprise at the wedding of Princess Madeleine and her financier husband, Christopher O’Neill, which took place three years ago today.

Silvia wears the tiara in 2006 and the necklace in 2011 (Photos: Pool/Getty Images, JASON SZENES/AFP/Getty Images)

The piece made its first public appearance in the late 1980s. It’s often said that the diamond tiara may have been a tenth-anniversary present from King Carl XVI Gustaf to Queen Silvia in 1986, but that has never been confirmed. The Swedish court generally refers to the piece only as “a private tiara,” making it clear that it is a personal possession, not one of the pieces in the Bernadotte jewel foundation.

Madeleine wears the tiara at the 2005 Nobel Banquet (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

The internet long ago christened this one the “Modern Fringe Tiara” (because it’s a newer addition to the Bernadotte vaults) or the “Carl XVI Gustaf Fringe Tiara” (because it was probably acquired by — you guessed it — Carl XVI Gustaf), but it seems that the tiara may have a longer legacy. Eagle-eyed jewelry fans have scouted out photographs of the Countess of Tankerville (wife of a British aristocrat) wearing a visually identical tiara. (Here’s a thread from the Royal Jewels of the World Message Board with tons of photos.) Either the Swedes somehow acquired the Tankerville tiara, possibly via auction, or more than one tiara was made in this style (also possible, given the popularity and ubiquity of diamond fringe tiaras back in the day).

Madeleine wears the tiara at the 2006 Nobels (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Even though it may not be new or unique, the sparkler is something of an innovative fringe tiara. Rather than simple vertical spikes, or slightly tapered “sunray” spikes, this tiara features geometric fringe pieces that resemble stylized fleur-de-lys elements. Each large spike also has three diamonds radiating from its peak: two smaller circular diamonds extending from each side, and one large round diamond affixed to the top of the fringe.

Victoria wears the necklace at Versailles in 2002 (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

When worn as a tiara, the piece has a rather unusual frame. It is mounted on a base that make the tiara appear to hover, halo-like, above the wearer’s head. But, like many fringe tiaras, this one is convertible, and the tiara often pops up at royal occasions as a necklace. Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, and Princess Madeleine have all worn the fringe necklace.

Madeleine wears the tiara at the 2007 Nobels (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Although the tiara was first worn by Queen Silvia, over the years it has been worn with increasing frequency by her younger daughter, Madeleine. She’s made numerous appearances in the tiara, both in necklace and in tiara form, at state banquets, at the annual Nobel Prize ceremony, and at royal weddings.

Madeleine wears the tiara on her wedding day (Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Madeleine even surprised many royal watchers by eschewing the traditional Cameo Tiara and wearing this tiara at her wedding to Christopher O’Neill in June 2013. On that particular occasion, she embellished the piece by covering the floating base of the tiara with orange blossoms. But while the Swedish royal court sometimes provides tantalizing tidbits of jewel history to coincide with major occasions like royal weddings, we sadly learned little new information about the fringe on the day — the wedding press release from the court still described the piece only as “privately owned.”

Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Some have speculated that this tiara has been given by Queen Silvia to Princess Madeleine, although there’s been no announcement of such a gift, and Queen Silvia has continued to wear it occasionally over the years. Above, she wears the tiara as a necklace during Queen Margrethe II’s ruby jubilee celebrations in 2012.

Madeleine wears the tiara at the 2014 Nobel Banquet (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Even so, I think we can expect to see Madeleine continue to wear this tiara at royal events in the years to come. A classic, convertible piece like this is an asset to the jewel collection of a younger royal daughter — and it will also be perfect one day for Princess Leonore to wear at events when her aunt and cousin reign in Sweden.