Explainer / Why are wedding tiaras trending ... again? Meghan Markle, Kate Middleton and Queen Elizabeth donned high jewellery headpieces at their royal weddings – a centuries-old statement that endures today

Dec 8 , 2021

Royals like Meghan Markle still favour tiaras at their weddings today. Photos: Handout

Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Graff are all busy with tiara orders, while Chaumet has crafted 2,000 since 1780 – including one for Russia’s recent royal wedding

Princess Eugenie wore a Boucheron-designed kokoshnik-style tiara with an emerald – for hope – but diamonds, sapphires, pearls and floral motifs offer romantic symbols too

In the early autumn, Russia held its first royal wedding since the Bolshevik Revolution when Rebecca Bettarini married Grand Duke George Mikhailovich Romanov and joined the Romanov dynasty. It was a magnificent occasion, with royal guests gathered in the splendid St. Isaac’s Cathedral in Saint Petersburg.

The bride’s gown and its seven-metre train was by designer Reem Acra and her veil, embroidered with the Romanov family symbol of a two-headed eagle, was held in place by the 27-carat Lacis diamond tiara by Chaumet.

Chaumet’s kokoshnik-style Lacis tiara. Photo: handout

The sparkling Russian kokoshnik-style tiara was the showpiece from the Perspectives de Chaumet high jewellery collection. It is a delicate modern diamond-mesh design inspired by airy latticework, making it light for the bride to wear on her head.

The popularity of tiaras for brides shows no signs of waning because no piece of jewellery comes closer to a royal crown than a tiara. For centuries, tiaras have bestowed the wearers with an air of stratospheric status, and which bride doesn’t want that on her wedding day?

The tiara’s cachet has been further boosted in recent years by several British royal weddings. Meghan Markle, Kate Middleton and Princess Eugenie all wore tiaras for their nuptials. Jewellery houses like Chaumet, Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels are busy with orders. Chaumet has made 2,000 tiaras since it was founded in 1780. Ronald Abram is occasionally commissioned to make a tiara and favours white and yellow diamonds for its designs.

Kate Middleton arrives at Westminster Abbey for her London wedding to Prince William in April 2011. Photo: AFP

Graff always has a few in its collection, as does Japanese diamond and pearl specialist Tasaki. Garrard, holders of a Royal Warrant and makers of many tiaras for the British aristocracy over the decades, recently introduced the Princess Tiara collection of readily available options for clients.

These new designs have the advantage of being transformable into necklaces as well, as are many of the Victorian and Edwardian designs that come up for auction. The Graff Threads’ design is a particularly modern-looking option with a criss-cross pattern of diamonds. There are also sweet diamond Alice bands that nestle more discreetly in the hair or wedding veil.

“A tiara is a bold statement, while still being distinctly feminine,” says Anne-Eva Geffroy, design director at Graff. “We also take into consideration the need for the piece to be comfortable when worn.” Wearability is an important factor when choosing a design.