Princess Eugenie gave us all a surprise by not choosing her mother’s wedding tiara, the York Diamond Tiara, on her wedding day.
Instead, the Princess opted to borrow a diamond and emerald headpiece from her late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
To celebrate Eugenie’s 33rd birthday, leading diamond and engagement ring experts at Steven Stone have taken a close look at the stunning diadem that she wore for her wedding to Jack Brooksbank on 12th October 2018.
Made for Dame Margaret Helen Greville by Boucheron – a famous society hostess – in 1919, the tiara is called the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik.
Mrs Greville, a socialise who was close with the royal family, bequeathed the stunning piece to the Queen Mother in 1942, but until the day of Eugenie’s wedding, no member of the royal family had ever worn it in public. The Queen inherited the tiara when her mother passed away in 2002.
Made of rose-cut pave diamonds, set in platinum, the tiara is adorned with six emeralds. The centre features a 93.7 carat cabochon-cut emerald, which is what makes it so valuable.
It’s a fitting design for a wedding tiara as emeralds traditionally represent hope and diamonds mean forever.
Princess Eugenie was the last royal bride to borrow a tiara from Queen Elizabeth II for her nuptials, with Meghan Markle borrowing a diamond-encrusted bandeau tiara from the late monarch in May of the same year.
Our experts estimate the dazzling piece to be worth a staggering £10 million, making it the most valuable tiara to be worn at a royal wedding.
“The Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara is made of rose-cut pave diamonds set in platinum and is adorned with six emeralds. The centre features a 93.7-carat cabochon-cut emeralds, which is what makes it so valuable.
We previously estimated the distinctive diamond and emerald headpiece – made by the French jeweller, Boucheron in 1919 – to be worth £10 million, making it the most expensive of all the tiaras we’ve studied.
Wearing emeralds is said to promote friendship, peace, harmony, and domestic bliss by enabling the wearer to both give and receive unconditional love. In ancient Greece and Rome, emerald was said to be the gemstone of the goddess of love, Venus, which is perfectly fitting for a royal bride.
Its original owner was Dame Margaret Greville, a famous society hostess who, upon her death, left her jewels to the Queen Mother. When the Queen Mother passed away in 2002, much of that collection, including the Kokoshnik tiara, went to Queen Elizabeth. In 2018, the Queen lent it to Princess Eugenie for her wedding day—making it the most extravagant “something borrowed” in royal history.“
MAXWELL STONE, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, STEVEN STONE
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