Click here to see the rings

To see the rings, click here to Read more…

Janice writes: “Do you know if the tiara Emily Blunt wears [The Young Victoria] is a replica of the one … King George III gave to his wife Queen Charlotte? If so, do you know if Queen Victoria would have ever worn it?”

The tiara worn by actress Emily Blunt in the film is indeed a replica of that fringe tiara. The real Queen Victoria wore the George III tiara for the famous Winterhalter portrait (seen below).

Thanks to Andrew Cusack, who explains it beautifully.

The Cullinan Diamond: discovered January 26, 1905

Just over a century ago in the town of Cullinan, South Africa, one of the world’s most famous diamonds was discovered.

Frederick Wells, surface manager of the Premier Diamond Mining Company, uncovered a huge diamond in a mine owned by Sir Thomas Cullinan. The stone was named for Cullinan and was purchased from him by the Transvaal government. It was then given to King Edward VII as a birthday gift and as a sign of loyalty from the newest portion of the British Empire. The Transvaal had been under Boer control, but at the conclusion of the Second Boer war in 1902, it became British territory.

The Cullinan was cut into three large parts by Dutch jeweler Joseph Asscher. The three big portions were eventually cleaved into 9 large gem-quality stones and small fragments. The largest polished gem from the stone is referred to as Cullinan I, or the Greater Star of Africa. It weighs in at a whopping 530.2 carats. The second largest gem, known as Cullinan II or the Lesser Star of Africa, weighs 317.4 carats.

These massive gems remained with the British Royal Family, and are still seen today. Cullinan II is mounted in the brow band of the Imperial State Crown, seen above. Cullinan I is mounted within the sceptre, which the Queen holds in her coronation photos.

The chips are worn as pieces of jewelry. The Queen wears a large pear-shaped ring that is a cleaving of the Cullinan, and Cullinans III and IV were worn as brooches by Queen Mary.

The Cullinan Diamond was discovered 105 years ago, and is still leaving people awestruck. Happy birthday to a legend.

This is an absolutely wonderful website about the Dutch royal jewels. There are tiaras, brooches, and entire suites for you to look at, and each piece is stunning!

http://www.royaldutchjewels.nl/index.htm – The historic jewel collection of the House of Orange-Nassau

Folks over at The Royal Forums enjoy tiara-swapping among royal women via Photoshop.

I, too, enjoy the combination of Photoshop and tiaras, so I thought I’d try my hand at it and see how it came out. Click here to see my attempts…

The two royal brides-to-be, sisters Victoria and Madeleine, will be in the process of choosing their gowns, flowers, and most importantly, their jewels.

Today we take a look at some of the fabulous tiaras and jewels the Crown Princess may wear for her wedding to Daniel Westling in June 2010. Princess Madeleine also has a stunning repertoire of jewels from which to choose in preparation for her wedding to Jonas Bergstrom.

With many thanks to The Royal Forums and Royal Jewels of the World, I present some of the most stunning items in the Swedish Bernadotte dynasty. What will the Princesses choose?

The Baden Fringe tiara
Many times princesses and queens will have a tiara converted. Fringe tiaras are popular as necklaces. The Baden fringe belonged to Princess Viktoria of Baden, later Queen Victoria of Sweden.

Read more…