9 Famous Royal Pieces of Jewelry That Hide the Secrets of Many Generations

The history of some royal jewelry is more fascinating than that of Queen Anne’s diamond studs from The Three Musketeers, like the haunted tiara, which is rumored to kill any beauties who wear it. Or there are Empress Sisi’s diamond stars that attract the attention of filmmakers, even now.

At Bright Side, we want to explore the “royal jewelry box,” and invite you to join us.

The haunted tiara

This is known as the Haunted Hesse Strawberry Leaf Tiara. This jewelry piece was designed by Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria, for the wedding of his daughter, Princess Alice, who was marrying Prince Louis of Hesse. But Albert died before the wedding, and the ceremony was more of a funeral than a wedding.

The tiara didn’t bring happiness to its owner: Alice died at the age of 35, and her 3 daughters also died under tragic circumstances.

Having changed many owners whose lives were full of misfortune, the tiara was inherited by the sister of Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. They say that the Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark often wore this tiara that once belonged to her great-grandmother, Alice. But in 1937, the princess was on a plane with other members of the royal family and the plane crashed. Since then, the tiara has never been worn by any royal women.

Empress Sisi’s diamond stars

Sisi, the Empress Elisabeth of Austria, wasn’t loved at court, but she was adored by the common people. Sisi had charisma and bright beauty, and her long thick hair delighted people. For her curls, the empress ordered 27 diamond stars.

At that time, this jewelry was considered modest, but the Empress made a splash, and other royal women also began to wear such stars. These diamond stars are depicted in Sisi’s famous portrait. Nowadays, stars like Cara Delevingne have recreated this look for Chanel.

The Portuguese Star Tiara

The Portuguese queen, Maria Pia, was known for her extravagance and charity work. The Queen ordered a star tiara, with stars that were set “en tremblant,” meaning they twinkled slightly when the queen moved. The crown was inherited by the queen’s daughter-in-law.

The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara

The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara was presented by Mary of Teck’s maids of honor for her wedding to George V. It’s worth noting that this piece of jewelry can also be worn as a necklace. In 1947, the queen presented the tiara to her granddaughter, Elizabeth II.

This is one of Elizabeth II’s most recognizable tiaras — she has worn it for various portraits that have been imprinted in coins and copied onto banknotes and stamps.

The Iron Crown

The Iron Crown is called this because it has a one-centimeter-wide metal band inside. The crown is made of gold and decorated with precious stones. Napoleon I was crowned in it, and now the piece of jewelry is kept in the Cathedral of Monza near Milan.

The wreath of orange blossoms

Queen Victoria broke a few wedding traditions at once. It was she who introduced the tradition of getting married in white. The color white was not entirely new at weddings, it was a kind of symbol of wealth: this way the family demonstrated that it could provide the bride with a clean dress.

But royal brides used to choose silver and gold fabrics to show their royalty status. Contemporaries, by the way, found Victoria’s wedding gown too simple. One guest even complained that the bridesmaids looked like country girls.

Victoria chose to adorn her head with a wreath of orange blossoms, the Queen’s favorite flowers. Earlier, the groom gave her a brooch in the shape of an orange blossom, which became a symbol of the couple’s love. Even though some of the court found the wreath too modest, the queen’s subjects appreciated this romantic gesture. Later, other royal brides began to include an orange blossom in their wedding attire.

For their sixth wedding anniversary, the husband gave Victoria a headdress made from porcelain orange blossoms set in gold leaves and 4 oranges covered with green enamel, which symbolized the couple’s children.

The Oriental Circlet Tiara

The Oriental Circlet Tiara is decorated with lotus flowers, a design that was personally dreamed up by Prince Albert for his wife, Queen Victoria. Albert loved opals, which was why it was these stones that adorned the tiara.

His daughter-in-law, Queen Alexandra, didn’t share this love for opals. Moreover, she believed that opals were bad luck. When the crown was passed down to her, she ordered the stones to be replaced with rubies. The amended tiara can be seen on Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the mother of Elizabeth II.

The Spencer family tiara

Elizabeth II offered Princess Diana Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot tiara on her wedding day, but Diana opted for her Spencer family tiara. Though the piece was once said to date back to the eighteenth century, the Spencer family tiara is actually made up of other pieces of jewelry of varying ages.

The central element of the tiara is a diamond brooch that Lady Di’s grandmother received for her wedding. The tiara gained its final look in 1935 and became a family heirloom. Diana’s sisters also got married wearing it.

The Koh-i-Noor

The Koh-i-Noor diamond has a dismal reputation. It was most likely found in Southern India between the years 1100 and 1300. The diamond changed its owner many times, and rulers of ancient times fought to possess it. The diamond is claimed by both India and Pakistan, but the British Royal family is its current owner.

Therefore, there is a belief that the Koh-i-Noor brings bad luck to men and can only be worn by women. Anyway, Elizabeth II was crowned with a headdress adorned with this diamond, and her reign has been long and successful. The next owner of the crown will likely be Kate Middleton because she is preparing for the role of the future queen.

Do you have any memorable pieces of jewelry of your own? Show them in the comments below.

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