Convertible Antique Diamond Tiara in Silver, c. 1880

“Rulers now wear crowns rather than diadems. Diadems have become the exclusive preserve of women, a symbol of beauty and luxury. And even if women of the hereditary aristocracy would like to believe they alone are entitled to wear this most striking of all pieces of jewelry, they cannot prevent every millionaire’s wife from weaving a fortune into her hair in this way as she pleases. The flattering silhouette it creates above the parting is too tempting for a society lady who wishes to shine in salons to pass up.” The tiara ranks among the masterpieces of goldsmithing. In the last third of the 19th century, it first became a adornment not only for the nobility but also for the bourgeoisie, who had attained wealth and prestige, as the above quote from 1906 notes. We owe all the wonderful variations of this type of jewelry to this popularization of the tiara: no longer strictly bound to historical patterns, but dedicated solely to beauty, a wide variety of designs incorporating contemporary influences were able to emerge. The tiara presented here features a naturalistic design with three-dimensionally modeled wild roses and delicate leaves, among which individually set diamonds rise like flower heads. We recognize similar blooms from the naturalistic corsage brooches of the 1880s, which depict delicate blossoms and bouquets. In total, this piece features 412 rose cut diamonds and cushion-shaped old mine cut diamonds weighing a combined total of approximately 18.18 carats. The stones are set in silver on a base of reddish gold. The style is typical of the era. However, all this luxury is not without a practical purpose, for the tiara can be transformed into a necklace in just a few simple steps! As a necklace, it can be worn either with all three roses or just the largest one; the length is also adjustable. The smaller roses can also be worn individually as earrings, and the large one as a brooch. This ensures that the precious diamonds can be worn as often as possible. And even as a necklace, the piece of jewellery was right on trend: the towering elements of the tiara become cascading fringes, much like those popular in necklaces from around 1880. When the tiara came into our possession, it was no longer possible to convert it; it had been improperly altered in the past. We have restored its convertible function and carefully restored all of its individual parts. As a result, it now offers many ways to wear it beyond its function as a tiara. Since it arrived without its original setting and earring mounts, we had a matching setting and all necessary components crafted in our workshop. We discovered this piece of jewellery in Scandinavia.

Estimate:£59,152.65

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