Agree! Thank you Arthur and thank you all very much for the interesting discussion. It turned out to be one of my favourite tiaras, such a timeless beauty this piece has.
--Previous Message-- : Arthur, I agree with Nellie and think you've : solved the puzzle. Thanks for another : well-thought-out, informed, interesting (and : most pleasantly written) message! You're : only a couple of days around here on this : board and I'm already your die-hard fan! : : Thanks also to Bob for raising the question. : : : --Previous Message-- : Hello Bob and Ursula, : : could it be that the Princess Louise in : question is not Princess Louise (1848-1939), : duchess of Argyll and daughther of Queen : Victoria, but her niece, also named Louise : (1867-1931), Princess Royal and Duchess of : Fife, daughter of King Edward VII? : : We know that this latter Princess Louise, : Duchess of Fife, got the emerald and diamond : tiara which had belonged to Queen Victoria, : and had been made by Joseph Kitching in 1845 : after a design by Prince Albert himself. I : have not counted all the diamonds and : emeralds, but the pear-shaped emeralds on : the top of the tiara could be the : "solid drop emeralds" described in : Bob's book. : : : : It was worn by Queen Victoria on : Winterhalter's famous painting The Royal : Family in 1846 : : : : : It was later lent by Queen Victoria to her : grand-daughter, Princess Victoria of Hesse : and by Rhine, maybe for a fancy-dress ball : to celebrate the wedding of Prince Leopold, : Duke of Albany, to Princess Helena of : Waldeck-Pyrmont in 1882: : : : : Decades later, it was seen in 1960 at the : State Opening of Parliament, worn by the : then Duchess of Fife (née Caroline Dewar), : who was married from 1956 to 1966 to James : Carnegie, 3rd Duke of Fife and 12th Earl of : Southesk (Princess Louise's grand-son): : : : : As a side-note: we can see on this : double-portrait that there was not only a : tiara, but a full parure, with matching : necklace and brooch, which were inherited by : the Duchess of Fife too. : : It seems that the tiara has been shortened : at some time (don't know when exactly, but : probably after the 1960 picture), turning it : from a coronet-style to a more traditionnal : tiara-style diadem. : : More info can be found on the "Royal : Order of Sartorial Splendor" website : : (http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.fr/2012/12/my-ultimate-tiara-collection-queen.html) : (all the above pictures come from this : website), as well as in Geoffrey Munn's book : Tiaras, A History of Splendour (pages : 72-76 of the "mega-Munn" version). : : : --Previous Message-- : Hello Bob, : thank you for sharing your informations. : It's a lifetime puzzle, so if we found some : news we can correct the old, hidden or : public tales and stories. : Much better are pictures of course :-), well : probably there is anything in that archives : it would be fine to found more about it. : When it is given to Princess Louise? : : : : : --Previous Message-- : The Royal Collection recently released : "Treasures of the Royal Archives", : and interesting book with many tidbits of : information on the content of the Royal : Archives. : : One item discussed in the book is Queen : Victoria's inventory of jewels. This refers : to an emerald tiara given by QV to Princess : Louise. It is described as: : : "A rich diamond and emerald diadem with : solid drop emeralds, containing 1,248 : brilliants, 116 rose diamonds, 102 emeralds : and 23 solid emeralds." : : : : : : : :
on July 10, 2014, 1:32 pm, in reply to "