Good Morning, Princesses! It’s Tiara Thursday….let’s learn about another stunning diamond confection! Today, we are going to learn a little about the Stuart Tiara. Currently, this amazing piece is owned by the Dutch Royal Family—in particular, the wife of King Willem-Alexander. I love Queen Máxima. I think she brings a breath of fresh air, fun, humor and uniqueness to her position as Queen. And she’s a stunningly beautiful version of a modern Queen. I just think she’s fantastic.
Queen Máxima of the Netherlands was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She married Prince Willem-Alexander in 2002 and became Queen Consort in April 2013. She happens to be the first Latin-American born Queen Consort in the history of the Netherlands.
The Stuart tiara has a central diamond weighing 29.75 carats. A pear shaped, rose cut diamond with a pale blue cast which had originally had belonged to England’s King William II and Queen Mary II. They were co-regents of England beginning in 1689. Mary was an English princess, the daughter of James II—who was a member of the House of Stuart. William was Mary’s husband and first cousin—Dutch-born Prince of Orange. After they both died, the Stuart tiara returned to the Netherlands in 1702.
The pale blue diamond which served as the focal point of the Stuart tiara originally began as a brooch, then became a pendant in a necklace. However, in 1897 the diamond became the stunning center of an already amazing tiara. Originally designed by the court jeweler, Eduard Schürmann & Co for Queen Wilhelmina—King Willem-Alexander’s great grandmother—for her coronation in 1898.
Recently, it appears the Stuart tiara has received another transformation. The enormous pale blue diamond and some subsidiary diamonds were removed and smaller ones served as replacements for this tiara. Still amazingly gorgeous, but it does give wonder as to why the exceptional stones were removed…and what plans lay ahead for their future use. Nevertheless, the Stuart tiara continues it’s transformational journey safely in the hands of the Dutch Royal Family collection.
Until next week, my friends, make yourself look dazzling—even if you don’t own a tiara!
—Leslie
