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Queen Mary. Tiara to identify
Posted by Beth on January 28, 2019, 6:45 pm
I would be interested in what others think about this tiara. The photo I have was published in May 1935 but, according to the Illustrated London News, the photo was taken in 1930.
I would bet on the second bandeau tiara with the sapphire in the center. The interesting detail about your picture is that it shows the side of the tiara. Older Belle Époque tiaras were positionned on masses of hair (false and real) and their bases were very flat. This made them much more difficult to wear on more modern hair do. The Durbar tiara is a good example of that. I am sure one of the reasons the duchess of Cornwall does not wear it very often is that it is not very safe on her head. Those bandeaux, on the opposite, seat flat on the central part of the head and then they turn on the side a bit like a ribbon. This makes them much easier and safer to wear. This might be one of the reason why queen Marg ordered a few of them in the 1930s and 1930s. They were surely more practical for less grander occasion like theatre or diner parties when you wanted to move your head a bit without risking to see your tiara falling.
Many thanks Vincent. I agree with you, that Queen Mary is wearing the bandeau which she used for the large sapphire brooch and the Ladies of India carved emerald brooch -- it it the tiara I refer to as the "wing tiara"
I suspect that the photo might have been taken at the same session as the photo below, as the sleeves and, more importantly, the pattern of the embroidery of the beading are the same on both dresses. It would be a simple matter for HM to change necklaces and earrings but a more complicated matter to change a tiara with the hair style Queen Mary favoured.
Comparison of dress from the two photos.
As a non-tiara wearer I was fascinated to read Vincent's insights into the differences in how tiaras are shaped (constructed), and the significance of hair styles. Thank you Vincent!
Hi guys, the tiara looks like the one worn by the DoS on her wedding day to Prince Harry of Wales.I believe same was made in 1932 but the photo with HM says 1930, so maybe QM has another bandeau in her collection we know nothing about.
Regards,
Dave.
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I would be interested in what others think about this tiara. The photo I have was published in May 1935 but, according to the Illustrated London News , the photo was taken in 1930.
This is such a puzzle that I would love to hear what others think.
I have done a couple of side by side images to help others decide what they think.
On the right hand side is the 1932 diamond bandeau which was worn by the Duchess of Sussex on her wedding day.
Queen Mary in 1930 on left. Princess Margaret on the right. One of the obvious issues is that Princess Margaret is wearing the tiara at a different angle and the spaces between the elements are more obvious. The other, of course, is that the photo of Queen Mary has been softened either by a filter or retouching.
In most of the photos of Queen Mary wearing the bandeau which was worn with the large sapphire or the Ladies of India carved emerald brooch, the wing shaped elements are not as clear as in the photos of Princess Margaret wearing the jewel. I suspect that, when Princess Margaret wore the jewel, it was on another base which opened up the tiara more and allowed it to be worn at a different angle - if so, the tiara must be flexible.
Dave mentioned the possibility that Queen Mary may have had a tiara which is unknown.
There is a high possibility of that as, obviously, we know only about her publicly worn jewels.
There is one tiara which Queen Mary wore in public which I have never been able to place.
Once again we are dealing with an imperfect photo taken from a distance but I don't think that this is what I call the wing tiara without a brooch in the centre. Although this tiara also reminds me of wings, the design is different from the tiara worn by Queen Mary and Princess Margaret.
Tiara worn to the Garrick theatre on 19 February 1937. On this occasion HM saw "Two Bouquets"
Daily Telegraph 20 February 1937
What I call the wing tiara with the large sapphire brooch.
I think that the curvature of the tiara would indicate it is the "wing tiara" which was worn in the photo in the original post by Beth. Of course I cannot be 100 % sure but that is my feeling, especially after having seen those great side-by-side comparisons
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This is such a puzzle that I would love to hear what others think.
I have done a couple of side by side images to help others decide what they think.
On the right hand side is the 1932 diamond bandeau which was worn by the Duchess of Sussex on her wedding day.
Queen Mary in 1930 on left. Princess Margaret on the right. One of the obvious issues is that Princess Margaret is wearing the tiara at a different angle and the spaces between the elements are more obvious. The other, of course, is that the photo of Queen Mary has been softened either by a filter or retouching.
In most of the photos of Queen Mary wearing the bandeau which was worn with the large sapphire or the Ladies of India carved emerald brooch, the wing shaped elements are not as clear as in the photos of Princess Margaret wearing the jewel. I suspect that, when Princess Margaret wore the jewel, it was on another base which opened up the tiara more and allowed it to be worn at a different angle - if so, the tiara must be flexible.
on January 28, 2019, 6:45 pm
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