Vladimir Tiara: Last News

, these are the notable tiaras in the 's ample collection. Traditionally worn by the Queen to and from the State Opening of Parliament, this headpiece has been passed down to her through the generations, after it was originally made for King George IV’s coronation. Featuring almost 3,000 diamonds and 269 pearls, 17 sapphires and 11 emeralds, it weighs 2.3lb and was reportedly too heavy for the 96-year-old monarch to wear near the end of her life.

This is a charming and dazzling exhibition, featuring not just 24 of Wilding’s rarely or never before seen photographs of the Queen, but close-up views of the jewellery Her Majesty wore for the portraits. There is the Vladimir Tiara with its Bendick’s Mints sized emeralds, made for the Grand Duchess of Russia in 1874 and sold by her daughter to Queen Mary in 1921; Queen Mary’s Dorset Bow Brooch, presented to her by the people of Dorset in 1893 and The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara that was presented to Princess Mary of Teck (later Queen Mary) which became one of our current Queen’s more recognisable tiaras after its appearance on British Commonwealth coinage and banknotes. There is the 1911 Delhi Durbar emerald necklace with its centre-piece diamond, which was cut from the Cullinan diamond, then the world’s largest ever diamond which was split into nine smaller ones and countless shards.