I say replica only because I am not certain if the stones were faux or not and I would not want to go out on a limb in either direction without knowing. They could be white topaz or white sapphires, rather than paste or diamonds. Again, I am not certain.
--Previous Message-- : There's indeed a difference in the number of : diamonds featured in the top clusters - : great observation. : I think your suspicion that Princess Grace : wore a replica could be rather correct. : But when using the term 'replica', you mean : a replica in real stones, not faux, I : figure? : : By the way: The upcoming big Van Cleef & : Arpels exhibition in Paris apparently : includes several pieces which belonged to : Princess Grace; as there was never a : reliable source of who has inherited which : jewels, it might be very interesting to take : note of who supplied these pieces to the : exhibition. : : : --Previous Message-- : If you look at the first element along the : top : of the diadem Princess Grace is wearing, the : one to the left (if facing the picture), : there are more stones around that element : than there are in the Josephine diadem. : : There is at least one replica of that : diadem, and I rather suspect that Princess : Grace might be wearing it. : : --Previous Message-- : "On another note (non-jeweled) I : noticed : some ladies curtseying. Does a Fürstin have : rank high enough to warrant a curtsey?" : : As this particular Fuerstin was wife of a : Head of State and the curtseying ladies not, : I should think so…? : : The tiara worn for the ‘Century Ball’ in : 1966 with its theme of fashions from a : century before is indeed a piece which : formerly belonged to Empress Joséphine. : It was at one point bought by Van Cleef : & Arpels and loaned to Princess Grace : for that night, along with the other jewels : she wore – therefore, the sparkle (though : not the amount of hair... ) is very real: : : : : : --Previous Message-- : Hm, and here I thought that the diadem Grace : wore in her appearance as 'Sissi' was once : part of the French crown jewel collection. : I will agree that the sparkle does seem a : bit shallow and overly...sparkly. But : perhaps it is just a trick of the lighting, : which seems very bright on her at that : entrance moment. : : On another note (non-jeweled) I noticed some : ladies curtseying. Does a Fürstin have : rank high enough to warrant a curtsey? : : --Previous Message-- : It is hard to say, but when the stories are : true about the cold war between the Château : de Marchais (Charlotte) and the Palais : Princier (Gracia) then your theory of : Princess Gracia wearing her fringe collier : as a diadem sounds more plausible. : : The "Sissi" entrance was really : overpowering but I am not sure the diadem : was real. The glitz and glam coming from : that diadem was a bit different, less : "depth" and less sparkle than real : diamonds would do in my imagination. : : It has never struck me, but now I think : about it: Princess Gracia really had : fantastic diadem-hair. In that department : she easily was on the same level as Queen : Silvia. Also funny to know that the : wonderful Château de Marchais (around 60 km : from the Belgian-French border) and its : domains, still privately owned by the : Prince, is six to seven times bigger than : the whole principality itself. : : : : : : : : : : :