Spotlight On: Cartier Tiaras

Throughout time, Cartier tiaras have been woven into a history full of romance and glamor. For decades, they have graced the crowns of celebrities and royals. The new Duchess of Cambridge, Catherine Middleton, is the most recent royal head to don the glitz and glamor of a Cartier tiara. It was Kate’s “something borrowed” item at the wedding of the century. Queen Elizabeth loaned the prospective daughter-in-law and future Duchess her 1936 Halo tiara. The Queen Mother acquired the beautiful tiara as a gift. She herself has worn the tiara for many occasions. She has also loaned the tiara in the past to Princess Margaret and Princess Anne.

The wearing of the royal tiara by the lovely Kate for her marriage ceremony to Prince William has renewed an interest in Cartier tiaras. Cartier, known as the ‘Jeweler of Kings’, began designing elegant and exquisite tiaras at the turn of the nineteenth to the twentieth century. Crafted of lustrous platinum and encrusted with precious stones such as diamonds and pearls, these tiaras will endure through generations. Cartier chose platinum for their tiaras because it would wear lightly and last through many ages. It is inevitable that some royally worn Cartier tiaras will be collected and displayed in museums.

European Queens and other ladies of royalty are not the only ones to ever wear Cartier tiaras. Celebrities and heiresses around the world have worn them. Barbara Hutton has been seen wearing an interesting Art Deco design that transforms into a necklace. Perfect for the occasion when a tiara may be too much. Grace Kelly wore a Cartier tiara when she turned from a mere celebrity into the Princess of Monaco. One of Elizabeth Taylor’s husbands, the gracious Mike Todd, presented her with a tiara from Cartier.

Cartier is truly the ‘Jeweler of Kings”. Or perhaps we should say, the “Jeweler of Queens”.

1936 Halo Tiara