Tiaras collecting guide

Are tiaras only for royals and aristocrats?

In ancient Greece, garland-like hair ornaments were used to adorn the heads of sacred statues. They were also given to athletes and warriors to honour victories, and worn by people of high rank at weddings and feasts. These early examples often took the form of gold bands, known as ‘fillets’, or foliate wreaths composed of ears of wheat, laurel leaves and flowers.

The Romans continued the Greek tradition, but with the eventual demise of their world and the rise of Christianity, the wearing of classical wreaths and diadems declined and almost disappeared.

In the medieval period, crown-shaped jewels, or coronals, were worn by brides of all ranks, but it wasn’t until the 18th century that tiaras as we know them today became more widely worn. This was probably due to advances in the cutting of gemstones, meaning that head ornaments became less the concern of goldsmiths and more the preserve of lapidaries to show off their gem-setting skills. Relatively simple gold bands made way for highly impactful and elaborate examples set with diamonds and coloured stones.

This resurgence of elaborate head ornamentation, displayed principally to denote status and affluence, was also associated with the emergence of a new class of wealthy individuals who were awarded titles and elevated into the aristocracy, as well as a renewed interest in classical art.

Although many of these 18th-century examples have not survived, the tiara of Queen Charlotte, consort of King George III, was offered at Christie’s after her death in 1818. It was described as ‘a superb tiara composed of sprigs of flowers and brilliants, transparent, in setting of bold design, from which are suspended seven large emerald drops, in brilliant frames, a very large white round brilliant in the centre, the border of the whole of rose diamonds’.

Perhaps the peak of the tiara’s popularity, however, was from the 1870s to just before the First World War, when diamonds were plentiful following the discovery of new sources in South Africa, and hairstyles were suitably voluminous.

Throughout the 20th century, the wearing of tiaras fluctuated in line with changes in prosperity and fashion. Since the turn of the millennium, there has been a renewed appreciation for this type of jewel, fuelled by various high-profile exhibitions and celebrity weddings. Wearing a tiara today is not a question of rank, but a matter of judging whether it is appropriate for the occasion.

When should they be worn?

Weddings, white-tie dinners and balls and occasions of state are all traditional events to which one might wear a tiara, though the boundaries are now increasingly blurred. Customarily, tiaras were only worn by married women and so were given to a bride on her wedding day, but rules are made to be broken — and they frequently are.

Similarly, some say that tiaras should only be worn in private residences — and not in hotels, for example — but again, this seems outmoded in today’s more relaxed age.

What is the difference between a tiara, a circlet, a bandeau and a diadem?

‘Tiara’ is the overarching term for a number of different styles of headdress, including diadems, circlets and bandeaux.

Aigrette: a type of hair ornament worn centrally above the forehead, designed to support a plume of feathers or itself depicting a gem-set feather motif. The word is derived from the egret, the feathers of which were often used to adorn these pieces.

Bandeau: a headband-style ornament of low profile, usually without a graduation in height from one side to the other, most often worn on the forehead, and prevalent during the early 20th century.

Circlet: a tiara that extends all the way around (or nearly all the way around) the circumference of the head.

Coronet: a miniature or simple crown, especially as worn by lesser royalty and peers or peeresses. Often made of gilded silver with velvet denoting rank: a viscountess’s coronet, for example, would have 16 ball or ‘pearl’ finials, whereas a countess’s coronet would have eight. Occasionally worn together with a tiara.

Diadem: there are differing opinions on the exact definition of this term. In ancient Greece, the word ‘diadem’ (from diadein, meaning to bind around) denoted several different types of head ornament. Later, the term was used to describe a band worn over the headdress of a king — it was the headdress itself that was called a tiara.

Kokoshnik: a style of embellished cloth-covered head ornament, often very broad and sitting high on the forehead, from the Russian national costume and folklore tradition. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Fabergé and other jewellers were inspired to produce tiaras in the Russian taste. Kokoshnik tiaras are often designed as a fringe of tapering diamond-set bars or a continuous chevron-shaped panel.

Besides diamonds, which gems are used?

In the late 18th and early 19th century, tiaras were set with a wide variety of gemstones, including coral, pearls, amethyst, turquoise, topaz and citrine — sometimes with diamonds and sometimes without. Cut steel and Berlin iron, although of low intrinsic value, were still of high status, and cameos and intaglios in all their forms were popular throughout the Napoleonic period.

In the later 19th century, diamonds dominated but were often combined with sapphires, emeralds, rubies and pearls. By the 20th century, the emphasis was more on design, resulting in the use of less precious but still beautiful stones such as aquamarines, onyx, citrine and rock crystal.

Who buys tiaras?

We see a variety of tiara buyers, but primarily they are private individuals who are purchasing a tiara for the first time, usually for a wedding. In the context of the overall cost of a wedding, a tiara or hair ornament does not need to be a wild extravagance: one can be purchased for as little as £5,000 to £10,000. Another attraction is that these pieces can often be kept in the family and lent to other family members for their weddings.

Other buyers include jewellery connoisseurs who wish to crown their collections with a jewel epitomising royal splendour, and professional dealers who wish to have tiaras available for loan to their clients.

We also see buyers collecting tiaras of various styles to be displayed in their private exhibition spaces. Similarly, museums and galleries occasionally purchase pieces to add to their existing collections. From time to time, when an extraordinary signed tiara — most often from the Art Deco, Art Nouveau or Belle Epoque periods — comes to the market, the same jewellery house that created it all those years ago may buy it back, either to sell it on or to keep it as part of its archive collection.

Are they difficult to wear?

Many tiaras, particularly 19th-century examples, are highly versatile and can be worn not only as a headpiece for a very formal occasion, but also as a necklace for less formal events, such as the opera or a black-tie party.

Some examples can further dismantle to form brooches, hairpins, earrings or bracelets that can be worn in a much more relaxed environment. This means that if you are attending a social occasion that does not quite call for the full regalia, you can wear an arrangement of diamond-set brooches on your lapel or waist, or perhaps a couple of diamond pins in your hair.

Another common misconception is that all tiaras are heavy, old-fashioned or fussy in design. Of course, some antique examples are highly elaborate and were made during a period when women wore high pads of false hair. Such examples (known colloquially as ‘fenders’) can be disproportionately high, and are not as easy to wear with modern hairstyles. There are, however, many tiaras from the early 20th century that have a fresh, modern aesthetic and could easily be worn as an accompaniment to a modern gown or dress.

Is it possible to find affordable examples at auction?

Absolutely. Over the years, we have offered many beautiful tiaras in Christie’s Jewellery sales, with estimates starting from approximately £5,000 for smaller antique examples. Unsurprisingly, as the gemstone content increases so does the price, but it is still possible to find more significant examples for under £20,000.

What are some of the most important examples Christie’s has sold?

In 2006, Christie’s was entrusted with selling The Collection of Princess Margaret. Among the beautiful pieces in her collection was the Poltimore Tiara — an elaborate late-19th-century jewel of impressive scale. It had been bought in 1959, just prior to the announcement of her engagement to Mr Antony Armstrong-Jones. The princess wore the transformable tiara as a necklace on many state and official occasions, but most famously on her wedding day at Westminster Abbey in 1960.

In 2007, we sold a Fabergé tiara set with diamond briolettes. Important antique jewels by the house of Fabergé are very rare, and tiaras are rarer still since relatively few were produced. Contributing greatly to the importance of the piece is its well-catalogued provenance, which includes Queen Maria José and the King of Belgium. Furthermore, the briolette-cut diamonds were said to have been a gift from Tsar Alexander I of Russia to the Empress Josephine.

More recently, in 2015, Christie’s in Geneva offered a beautiful Belle Epoque blue enamel and diamond tiara by Chaumet, which was originally bought by the Duke of Westminster for his wife on the occasion of the coronation of George V and Queen Mary in 1911. The plique-à-jour enamelling, giving the appearance of a glowing stained-glass window when held up to the light, is very delicate but has remained in immaculate condition despite its age, making the piece a very rare survival.

What other jewels can be worn in the hair?

If you do not own a tiara but have in your jewel box a pretty pair of double-clip brooches, these can be used to adorn the hair, perhaps pinned in to either side of a chignon, or used as clips to keep loose hair back. Pins can be used in the same manner, to best effect with three or four slid into an up-do.

If you have a bracelet or necklace that you would like to wear as a tiara, a good jeweller may be able to produce a discreet frame so that it can be worn in the hair. This could work well with a diamond rivière necklace, for example.

It is worth mentioning that great care must be taken when wearing jewels as hair accessories if they are not designed as such: ask your hairdresser how to secure them firmly in place to avoid them coming loose or slipping out.

Elizabeth Taylor knew how to make an entrance, and would often wear brooches from her extensive jewellery collection in her bouffant-style coiffure to draw attention and to add height. Diana, Princess of Wales, also famously employed an Art Deco bracelet as a bandeau worn on her forehead.

What does a Christie’s specialist look for in a tiara?

Ideally, it would be a diamond-set tiara from the Art Deco period or early 20th century — something light in appearance that does not sit too high on the head, with an elegant and understated design. Perhaps an example that transforms into a pair of bracelets or a necklace — that would be very chic.

Jewels Online: The London Edit is live for bidding until 6 June 2025, and on view at Christie’s in London until 5 June