(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- When King Charles was crowned monarch of the UK on May 6, there were plenty of dazzling headpieces in Westminster Abbey: St. Edward's Crown, the placement of which officially marks the moment of coronation; the Imperial State Crown worn by King Charles; and Queen Mary's crown, worn by Queen Camilla.
There weren't many tiaras.
In keeping with the king's vision of a pared-down, less costly monarchy, tiaras were as unwelcome at the ceremony as Meghan Markle. Only Catherine, Princess of Wales, and her daughter, Charlotte, wore tiara-like headpieces from Alexander McQueen, with silver bullion and crystal leaves.
Lovers of regal glamour need not fear. A few weeks after the coronation, tiaras were out in force at the opulent wedding of Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein. They appeared woven into the hairstyles of female members of the royal family of Jordan, as well as Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and the Princess of Wales, who sported the Lover's Knot Tiara that Princess Diana favored.
In fact, tiaras are still worn proudly in the Middle East and at lavish weddings worldwide. A wide variety can be made to order at historic houses such as Garrard & Co. in London and Paris's Chaumet International SA, aristocratic go-tos for centuries. Many houses include them in contemporary high jewelry collections, including Boucheron and Harry Winston.
This month, De Beers included an avant-garde tiara in its new Metamorphosis Chapter Two collection. This one-of-a-kind modern interpretation features four diamond-set bands of platinum and colored titanium and seven significant diamonds—including a central 8.49-carat, pear-shaped stone. In total, it has more than 40 carats of eye-catching dazzle.
Although you may not see tiaras regularly in the wild, their enduring appeal is undeniable. Geoffrey C. Munn's , a weighty, 432-page coffee table tome first published in 2001, is in its eighth printing as of January. Social media accounts dedicated to royalty and jewelry find great success with tiara posts. Amanda Matta (@matta_of_fact) regularly receives hundreds of thousands of views for her style commentaries on TikTok; a video detailing the history of Princess Margaret's Poltimore Tiara drew more than 1.3 million views. On Instagram, @a.tiara.a.day posts a “tiara newsflash” to its 57,000 followers when there's a notable sighting.
Beyond the fascination, who's buying them? Gemstone and jewelry collectors, of course, says Claibourne Poindexter, vice president and senior specialist at Christie's, as well as clients who plan to wear them to weddings and special occasions, even sweet sixteens. A recent Christie's online auction featured three, and each blew past expectations. An early 20th century diamond tiara from Boucheron sold for £352,800 ($449,000), more than doubling its high estimate of £150,000.
The more impressive pieces are reserved for live events: In May's Magnificent Jewels auction, Christie's Geneva sold the Bessborough Diamond Tiara for 945,000 Swiss francs ($1.1 million). The 9th Earl of Bessborough had commissioned the art deco design from Chaumet for his wife. “Provenance is a driving factor in the purchase of tiaras at auction,” Poindexter says.
Garrard has created many tiaras for Britain's royal family, including the Lover's Knot. Special orders most frequently come from the Middle East, says design and development director Claire Scott, and the house offers a princess tiara to brides who can't wait as long as a year for a bespoke one. The ready-made designs have centerpieces that can be detached and worn as pendants. In June, Garrard introduced a rental service, so brides can now avoid spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on an adornment they might wear once or twice.
Today, when we see tiaras outside royal affairs and weddings, they're more like jeweled headpieces. Celebrities including Lady Gaga, Salma Hayek, Ruth Negga and Natalie Portman have worn “tiaras” on the red carpet, but they're nothing like the extravagant Mike Todd Diamond Tiara that Elizabeth Taylor wore to so many events, including the Academy Awards. The actress knew well that—unlike crowns, which are for kings and queens—tiaras are for when wearers decide that they deserve to be treated like royalty.
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