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The Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara, Princess Eugenie Wedding
The Greville Emerald Tiara c1919
Like all great jewels, this tiara has been through several re-incarnations. It was originally made by Boucheron in Paris in the early 1900 for the heiress the Hon. Mrs. Greville as a circular crown of diamond-set papyrus leaves. As fashions changed, in 1910 Mrs Greville thought the tiara was too imposing and went back to Boucheron to have it remodelled into a lighter headband or bandeau shape tiara. In 1919 it was further adjusted so that it could be worn lower on the forehead. Its final tweak was in 1921 when the geometric pattern of diamonds and emeralds was added and this is the version we saw Princess Eugenie wearing it down the aisle. Unlike the tiara’s original crown design, the bandeau style is streamlined and geometric with no ornamental scrolls or twirls rising above the frame for a cleaner look in keeping with the 1920’s flapper-style fashion revolution. Mrs Greville was pictured in the piece just once, at a concert at the Austrian Legation in London in 1937.
For more history we have to thank Geoffrey C. Munn and his well-researched book: Tiaras, a History of Splendour. According to Mr Munn, the Hon. Mrs Greville had been a long-time friend of the Royal Family and the Duke and Duchess of York - who later became Prince Albert and Elizabeth, the Queen Mother – they spent their 1923 honeymoon at her home, Polesden Lacey. Famous for her honesty Mrs Greville was not shy of the fact that her wealth came from her father’s brewing business. She was known to state: ‘I’d rather be a beeress than a peeress.’ In her will, she bequeathed her entire jewellery collection to the Queen Mother, who, when she died in 2002 left her jewellery to be inherited by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, who in turn lent it to Princess Eugenie for the ‘something borrowed’ wedding item.
When Princess Eugenie of York married Mr. Jack Brooksbank, it was not only the first time that she wore a tiara in public, it was also the first instance when one of the British Royal Family’s most precious tiaras surfaced after being locked up in the royal vault for over seven decades. Contrary to popular speculation that Princess Eugenie would wear her mother’s York Diamond Tiara, the bride, instead, borrowed The Queen’s Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara. It is made up of brilliant and rose-cut diamonds that are pavé set in platinum. The delicate weave of the tiara highlights six emeralds that are inset to each side, although only four or five to a side are visible, with a massive stone in the centre. In the book Boucheron: The Secret Archives, it is revealed that the tiara’s oval central emerald is a whopping 93.70 carat. It features five horizontal bands of diamonds, set with six hexagonal emeralds on the third row, on either side. Centred on a large cabochon emerald surrounded by rose-cut diamonds. An elegant jewel such as this would be estimated to fetch £5 million to £10 million at auction, as of 2019.
To complete Princess Eugenie’s wedding day look, she wore a pair of diamond and emerald drop earrings given to her by her husband Jack Brooksbank which perfectly complemented the tiara.
THIS COPY comes from China. it is close but It only has 4 emeralds at each side instead of the six, so is shorter in length towards the back, where it should nearly join together. The earrings are close but of course the emerald stones are not faceted but cabochon.
The Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara, Princess Eugenie Wedding
The Greville Emerald Tiara c1919
Like all great jewels, this tiara has been through several re-incarnations. It was originally made by Boucheron in Paris in the early 1900 for the heiress the Hon. Mrs. Greville as a circular crown of diamond-set papyrus leaves. As fashions changed, in 1910 Mrs Greville thought the tiara was too imposing and went back to Boucheron to have it remodelled into a lighter headband or bandeau shape tiara. In 1919 it was further adjusted so that it could be worn lower on the forehead. Its final tweak was in 1921 when the geometric pattern of diamonds and emeralds was added and this is the version we saw Princess Eugenie wearing it down the aisle. Unlike the tiara’s original crown design, the bandeau style is streamlined and geometric with no ornamental scrolls or twirls rising above the frame for a cleaner look in keeping with the 1920’s flapper-style fashion revolution. Mrs Greville was pictured in the piece just once, at a concert at the Austrian Legation in London in 1937.
For more history we have to thank Geoffrey C. Munn and his well-researched book: Tiaras, a History of Splendour. According to Mr Munn, the Hon. Mrs Greville had been a long-time friend of the Royal Family and the Duke and Duchess of York - who later became Prince Albert and Elizabeth, the Queen Mother – they spent their 1923 honeymoon at her home, Polesden Lacey. Famous for her honesty Mrs Greville was not shy of the fact that her wealth came from her father’s brewing business. She was known to state: ‘I’d rather be a beeress than a peeress.’ In her will, she bequeathed her entire jewellery collection to the Queen Mother, who, when she died in 2002 left her jewellery to be inherited by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, who in turn lent it to Princess Eugenie for the ‘something borrowed’ wedding item.
When Princess Eugenie of York married Mr. Jack Brooksbank, it was not only the first time that she wore a tiara in public, it was also the first instance when one of the British Royal Family’s most precious tiaras surfaced after being locked up in the royal vault for over seven decades. Contrary to popular speculation that Princess Eugenie would wear her mother’s York Diamond Tiara, the bride, instead, borrowed The Queen’s Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara. It is made up of brilliant and rose-cut diamonds that are pavé set in platinum. The delicate weave of the tiara highlights six emeralds that are inset to each side, although only four or five to a side are visible, with a massive stone in the centre. In the book Boucheron: The Secret Archives, it is revealed that the tiara’s oval central emerald is a whopping 93.70 carat. It features five horizontal bands of diamonds, set with six hexagonal emeralds on the third row, on either side. Centred on a large cabochon emerald surrounded by rose-cut diamonds. An elegant jewel such as this would be estimated to fetch £5 million to £10 million at auction, as of 2019.
To complete Princess Eugenie’s wedding day look, she wore a pair of diamond and emerald drop earrings given to her by her husband Jack Brooksbank which perfectly complemented the tiara.
THIS COPY comes from China. it is close but It only has 4 emeralds at each side instead of the six, so is shorter in length towards the back, where it should nearly join together. The earrings are close but of course the emerald stones are not faceted but cabochon.