There’s an utterly exquisite, unusually glamorous tiara coming up for auction at Sotheby’s and the auction house has done something brilliant that will allow every single one of us to try it on! That’s right, every single one of us.
I promise this isn’t an April Fool’s joke. I would never lie to you about tiaras.
Here it is, in all of its glory!! It’s a delightfully large scale and especially fantastical piece. Let’s get the deets, straight from Sotheby’s:
Dating to the second half of the 19th century, the tiara hails an extraordinary provenance, having belonged to two Royal Collections of Europe.
Likely to have been presented to Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo as a wedding gift on the occasion of her marriage to Amadeo I of Savoy, Duke of Aoste, later King of Spain (1870-1873) in 1867, the tiara, which has remained with the family for over 150 years, is believed to have been created by Musy Padre e Figli – Court Jeweller of Turin, and one of the oldest goldsmiths in Europe.”
This magnificent tiara features a wonderfully majestic motif of graduated scrolls composed of luscious cushion-shaped, circular, and single-cut diamonds. Mmm, look at all of those chunky old cut diamonds! My favorite. This one is guaranteed to be a sparkler.
In the center of each of the graduated diamond scrolls is a drop-shaped natural pearl. Natural pearls of this size have long been prized for their rarity and luxury.
These particular pearls are described as “slightly baroque,” which is a reference to the slight irregularity of their shapes, a feature that I find particularly delightful.
Like many of the best tiaras, this magnificent thing can be removed from its frame and converted into a necklace. And WHAT A NECKLACE.
The dramatic diamond loops with their pearl drop centers are utterly perfect for a necklace. Glamour city! Imagine this with a gown at a fancy gala. Or a coronation in magical fairy tale court, because that’s honestly what I keep picturing.
Now, I mentioned up top that you’d be able to try this tiara on…and you can! Virtually.
Sotheby’s has created a custom Instagram filter featuring this exact tiara that lets you see what you’ll look like with it on your noggin. I played with it for a while yesterday and I had the most fun. I really miss going to places and trying on jewelry.
The filter isn’t quiiiiite the same as the real deal but it is very entertaining and delightful. I especially enjoyed that I got to see how my own jewelry looked with the tiara: I’m wearing my Rachel Quinn cloud earrings and a necklace with an antique emerald and diamond flower component.
The filter includes its own background: when you try on the tiara, you’ll be doing so in the virtual world of the Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi in Turin – formerly a royal hunting lodge for the House of Savoy. I recommend looking at the ceiling while you’re in there, it’s incredible.
All in all, a very fun innovation from Sotheby’s, perfect for a little jewelry treat in pandemic times. If you’d like to go directly to the Sotheby’s tiara filter, just scan the QR code below.
It filter is through Instagram, so you do have to have Instagram on your phone for it to work. Check out the Sotheby’s Instagram to see lots of other people trying on the tiara (and tag them in your selfie if you want a chance for them to share yours, too!
And in case you’re lucky enough to be able to consider bidding on bringing the real tiara home (or you’re like me and you just want to see all the pretty jewelry) please click here to see the upcoming Magnificent and Noble Jewels sales in Geneva. It’s a two-parter, so here’s Part Two also.
Want more tiaras? Visit my Tiara Archive here or my Tiara Pinterest board here.
Images c/o Sotheby’s.
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