Worst Royal Jewels 1

[Thomas Parkman]

Life is good again.

Dear Members,

I am delighted at the ressurection of the Worst Royal Jewels. I am now at liberty to wax venemous and acidulous and get away with it. One can say all kinds of nasty things without having the moderators-they who must be obeyed-come down upon one with righteous ire and damnation. In the case of the Burmese tiara my initial opinion was in agreement with the members.

Dear QEII bothched thought I. But over time it has grown upon me and I no longer look upon it as an unpardonable monstrosity, rather a sort of mediocre attempt at something Better. I do hope they did not up and take apart the Hyderabad tiara to make that then, but then one never knows.

The other two tiaras she has had created are the sapphire thingie, a flop and the aquamarine thingie, an absolute flop. The necklaces redeem the sapphire parure bit the aquamarine is a mess, just big clunky rocks strung together. which is such a pity as the aquamarine can be such a lovely stone.

It really is odd that rubies seem to bring out the worst possible designs. I refer the members to what I call the Wurtenberg Haloween Trick or Treat State Horror Tiara and the awful Swedish ruby poison pill contraption that should really be broken up and the pieces sold at auction to help the poor starving people of Darfur. But then of all the various gemstones I suppose the ruby is the one most difficult to handle with taste and balance-those supremely elusive qualities which on this thread are so gleefully conspicuous by their absence. Cheers.

 

[Marengo]

Dear mr. Parkman,
you certainly know how you make yourself apreciated here, I am looking forward to more simular posts

I just wondered what you meant with the Wurttemberg Ruby horror. As far as I know the Wurttembergs dont have any ruby tiaras and the only tiara which is referred to as the Wurttemberg tiara is (as far as I know) a pearl and diamond tiara worn by the Dutch royals (and not to ugly either, which makes an exception in this collection).

 

[Warren]

Thomas is referring to the Württemberg Ruby Star Tiara, which is probably pictured earlier in the thread. It scores about 3 out of 10 for artistic flair.

Found it, in the Star Tiaras thread, here.

 

[Marengo]

Ah, that one. It isn't property of the present Wurttemberg family, right? Didn't it belong to Duchess Vera maybe? Or at least some Wurttemberg family member with a close connection to the Romanovs?

 

[hofburg]

I hate Queen Rania's emerald tiara made by Boucheron. It's to dark and looks terrible on Rania's dark hair.

I totally agree. Although, I don't think it looks awful just on Rania's hair. It's absolutely hideous and tasteless. Utterly vulgar!

I have to agree. The poppy thing is a really ugly piece of jewelry...

Hear, hear!

Oh, My God!! My God!!! My God!!!! Where did you people get those awful pitures...

Brilliant post!!!

Maria-Teresa's necklace is quite ugly indeed!

indeed it is. Beoynd the reach of amendment.

...The Burmese ruby tiara of QEII is a perfect example.

I'm sorry, but QEII's Ruby tiara is, absolutely ghastly. Almost as ugly as her aquamarine one.

.. The more eleborate the tiara, the more elaborate the hairdo should be. That's why Queen Silvia for example manages very well wearing that not-so-beautiful massive 'whopper' wall of diamonds, the Braganca tiara.

Queen Silvia is, indeed, the most successful tiara's wearer!

Same goes for Queen Silvia's convertible Connaught ruby tiara - beautiful, but gathering dust in the vaults.

Well, that's due to the family feud over this piece.

Here's another pic for Boris. EIIR looks rather smart and glittering wearing the sapphire tiara. Is it time to reconsider?

Quite the contrary, it looks even more disastrous up close!

Madeline is the quintessential 5'8" long legged blond bombshell, only with class

Madeline?? 5'8???? How, exactly, did you figure this one out?

 

[MARG]

Brilliant post!!!

Ahhh....How wonderful to see that we are back to our vitriolic best. And my, my, my, don't some of these jewels give us such range and scope. Mmmmmmm... marvelous!

 

[Thomas Parkman]

Well, dear Members,

I guess it was bound to happen. Some industrious soul would go rummaging through the closets and find all sorts of skeletons with my name attached to them. I suppose I shall just have to sit here in silence (me ever silent????) and endure them, writhing all the time. I just shudder to think what somebody will drag out next. The worst of all the horrors is that the members discover that not only can I not type but I cannot spell. My fingers on a computer keyboard just go beserk!!! But there you are.

Thanks to Warren for dredging up the Wurtemberg State Ruby Tiara. I really think, based on that monstrosity, that it was a good thing that the Prussians annexed them. If only they had done it sooner. But if you take the thing and remove the ghastly stars, which look like fruit cake ornaments, and leave the rest, it really becomes a sort of mildly pleasant harmless Edwardian trinket. Perhaps one of our superb photoshopping artists would take up the challenge, to see if it were possible to redeem this aberration????

As for the Rania bauble. A very expensive and total flop. Black-BLACK????-Gold. Whoever heard of such. That really rather defeats the purpose I should have thought. One would have thought that Boucheron, of all people, would have known what to do with emeralds. They even designed a magnificent necklace, bracelet and earings for Elizabeth Taylor. If they could do that for ET why on earth could they not do at least as well for a real live queen. What makes it even sadder is that emeralds are such magnificent gemstones that you really have to work at making a mess with them. They have such beauty and power that they can overcome just about any bad or awful design, except that pigeon dropping plooped on the head of the Noble Queen of Jordan, it seems.

The only other awful thingie with botched emeralds I can think of, if my brain deterioration has not set in again, is that contraption that somebody cooked up for Zsa Zsa Gabor. Cheers.

 

[MissSaga]

Here are a few more that I just don't like.

1.Princess Maxima tiara, it looks fake to me and it reminds me of spears. I hope she doesn't poke an eye out with that thing.

http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=82214&d=1106178683

Absolutely . Most of the Dutch royal jewels are beautiful, but some are just hideous

 

[qui mal y pense]

I remember Queen Rania's tiara being in a Town & Country magazine years ago (During a season when the color green was IN), so I don't think Boucheron made it for her specifically. I can see them having made it as a show piece and not really expecting someone to wear the thing. I just don't understand why if you have all that money you'd spend it on something like that when there are so many gorgeous historic pieces for sale these days.

 

[Stefan]

...it was a good thing that the Prussians annexed them. If only they had done it sooner.

The country Württemberg was never annected by Prussia. it was a Kingdom until 1918 and then a federal State of Germany and in 1952 the Countrys Baden, Hohenzolern and Württemberg fusioned and became Baden-Württemberg a federal State of Germany.

 

[lamass]

Absolutely . Most of the Dutch royal jewels are beautiful, but some are just hideous

it reminds me of something a child would make to play dress up

 

[Henri M.]

Princess Mabel's wedding diademe: ugly but brilliant

On her wedding day, Princess Mabel wore a quite strange wedding diademe which was ugly in design but did, remarkably enough, beat all other wedding diademes of the recent royal weddings in what a diademe should do: zum Glitzen, zum Glammen, zum Glanzen und jetzt im Gloria.



The diademes worn by Laurentien, Mette-Marit, Máxima, Märtha-Louise, Letizia, Mary all were beautiful but had the same problem as all diademes in television lights: no refraction, hardly any glitter. That is because diademes are made for gentle candlelighting, then it gives them all the chance to sparkle and spread their magic splendour.

But there is one notable exception.... and that was, weird enough, the ugliest diademe of all.... Princess Mabel's wedding diademe. Due to the special and extremely open setting and because she wore by far the biggest diamonds of all named brides, she sparkled them all away, even in television lights.

You can see them glitter in Realplayer, see my post on the jewelry board (the link will not work in this forum). The diamonds pop up in a dull report on German media interest in Mabel, but you can see diamonds moving for a minute.

 

[Doña Alicia]

I've never been fond of this one

I adore Princess Grace and think she was very elegant most of the time. This tiara bothers me though.

http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=2135&d=1042969236

 

[foiegrass]

Well, that's due to the family feud over this piece.

Sorry but what family feud??? care to explain more? haha.

 

[wymanda]

I remember Queen Rania's tiara being in a Town & Country magazine years ago (During a season when the color green was IN), so I don't think Boucheron made it for her specifically. I can see them having made it as a show piece and not really expecting someone to wear the thing. I just don't understand why if you have all that money you'd spend it on something like that when there are so many gorgeous historic pieces for sale these days.

I honestly don't think that Rania purchased this piece. I think it was a loan from Boucheron. IMTS, how many times has she worn it? Only the once I think!

 

[Henri M.]

I honestly don't think that Rania purchased this piece. I think it was a loan from Boucheron. IMTS, how many times has she worn it? Only the once I think!

No, she has worn it a couple of times. It is a purchase of the Jordanian royal family indeed.

 

[jcbcode99]

Duchess of Kent

As I was browsing, gleefully looking for some ugly jewellery, I came upon the Duchess of Kent. Now, she has some beautiful pieces--very drool-worthy. However, I cannot figure out why she sold the original tiara/neclace that was originally Queen Mary's grandmothers--and Queen Mary gave Marina the whole parue. The tiara she created, while it consists of beautiful stones, is in that wretched button style. The original tiara--while a touch spikey for me--was an historic piece, and should have remained in the family.

Here is a link to the site that has both pieces:
Kent

Janet

 

[princess olga]

Interesting indeed. I think the Dutchess of Kent is one of the loveliest women of any royal family out there today, however I think breaking up old family heirlooms like this to create something new is never a good idea.

And the result is ugly to boot: I don't mind the 'button look' but why oh why couldn't she give this new tiara a decent base of sorts instead of a piece of wire with cloth over it? for shame, I say, for shame!

 

[Marengo]

Well, the Duke and she were probably having some hard times with the cashflow and needed to sell some of the jewels. I am happy that they spared these from the same fate.

 

[LadyK]

I've summed up some of the worst: Over 38 awful pieces of jewellery!
(by order posted)

Sophie, Countess of Wessex's wedding pearl necklace
Queen Rania's Emerald Boucheron tiara
Swedish 4-Button tiara
Swedish 6-Button tiara
Crown Princess Victoria's First Tiara
Swedish Napoleonic Steel-Cut Tiara
Crown Princess Maxima's Diamond Festoon Tiara (the fake-looking spiky one)
Crown Princess Sarah of Brunei's Yellow Diamond Tiara
Dutch Sunray Motif Tiara (Princess Mabel's wedding tiara)
Princess Madeleine's Aquamarine tiara (or as I like to call it, Cyclops)
Queen Sonja's modern Ruby Tiara (think Star Trek)
Queen Sonja's Maltese Cross Diamond Tiara
Queen Alia's Diamond Tiara (the tiara most often worn by Queen Rania, it is actually called Queen Alia's tiara, and belongs to Princess Haya)
Queen Margrethe's Golden Poppies (the Horror)
Crown Princess Mary's blackberry necklace and earrings
Duchess of Glouschester's tiara
Tiara from the Dutch Aquamarine Parure
Sarah, Duchess of York's tiara
Queen Elizabeth II's Australian Opal Necklace
QEII's Burmese Ruby Tiara
QEII's Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara
Queen Alexandrine's Diamond Drop Tiara (Princess Alexandra of Denmark's Tiara) (Alexandra wears it closed so tightly)
Queen Sofia's Niarchos Ruby Tiara
Lalla Asma's tiara
Lalla Meryem's Tiara
Wurttemberg Ruby Star Tiara
Princess Maxima's Diamond Stars Tiara (her wedding tiara)
Luxembourg Diamond and Sapphire Converted Tiara (as a necklace)
Luxembourg Diamond and Sapphire Converted Tiara (as a tiara)
Thurn und Taxis emerald choker
Princess Caroline of Monaco's Cleopatra-esque gold necklace
Dutch Ears of Wheat Tiara
Wurttemberg Sapphire Tiara
Sophie, Countess of Wessex's wedding tiara
Emerald Choker of Grand Duchess Wladimir
Swedish Cameo Tiara
Crown Princess Mathilde diamond "x" choker
Thurn und Taxis "Street Light Dog Collar"​

 

[jcbcode99]

Nice job, Lady K! I like having the list to refer back to, and Sophie's wedding necklace belongs at the top of the list! UGH!

Janet

 

[Humera]

I honestly don't think that Rania purchased this piece. I think it was a loan from Boucheron. IMTS, how many times has she worn it? Only the once I think!

She has worn it once to an actual event, Swedish state visit in 2003 and once for a Vanity Fair portrait around the same time. I dont think it belongs to the Queen either. The tiara was on the Boucheron website long after the state visit, which makes me think it was a loan. Unless ofcourse we see her wearing the tiara again which would prove that it belongs to her.

 

[rani]

I like Queen Sonja's modern set,especially the tiara. It is original and provides a warmth we don't often seen. I have seen photos where the stone was changed,and which I liked equally. As for Princess Madeleine's acquamarine tiara-it is lovely and unusual,but far better suited to a short hair style. In fact it is rather 20's.

 

[Jaya]

Well I saw this necklace and I believe it's right up there with the "street light dog collar" in the Thurn and Taxis collection, seen here Smaragd-Rubin-Diamant Halsband der Fürsten von Thurn und Taxis. Poor Princess Lilan had the wear the hanging street light necklace. Such a pretty tiara (but with a better hairstyle) but such a waste of good jewels on this necklace.

It's the first picture, you can't miss it.
lilian

The Von Turn And Taxis choker has the magnitude of presence.
That is an Indian "rani har"{sometimes worn at weddings} and does look incongruous with the Western jewellery.However the tiara is stunning and I find Princess Lilian a great beauty

 

[rani]

The last word is that many of the tiaras were made and worn in a different era with different tastes and very different hair styles. I agree that some of the modern pieces are hideous. QMII's poppies are beautiful if worn with less profusion,but I think QEII needs a better,less stodgy designer to judge by the ruby and acquamarine tiaras.

 

[wymanda]

• • • Queen Alia's Diamond Tiara (the tiara most often worn by Queen Rania, it is actually called Queen Alia's tiara, and belongs to Princess Haya)
    • Sarah, Duchess of York's tiara
    • Queen Elizabeth II's Australian Opal Necklace
    • QEII's Burmese Ruby Tiara
    • QEII's Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara

I have to disagree with these ones. I find all but the Australian Opal very attractive. The opal is a real "Statement Piece" which I think HM should look at resetting into a brooch with a simple platinum setting with perhaps 3 or 4 small diamonds top & bottom. It very much reflected the times in which it was made (1950's) and, just perhaps, someone like Zara or Beatrice might carry it off as it is.

 

[jcbcode99]

While this may not be considered a "royal" jewel, I can no longer restrain myself from including the OTHER Spencer family diamond tiara. I think it is a horrible design. It has some kind of Greek key motif as the base design, and then swaggy plumes or something above Since the Spencers have a lot of historical royal connections (including a certain Princess!) I thought we could add it in here.

The link--it is on a red cushion underneath a black and white portrait of Diana wearing the Lover's Knot Tiara.
Tbt: The real Princess diaries


By the way, THANK GOD the Spencers had the other tiara, or Diana may not have had a decent one to wear! Can you imagine those beautiful wedding pictures with THIS monstrosity on her head? Not quite fairy tale material, huh?

Janet

 

[Henri M.]

I've summed up some of the worst: Over 38 awful pieces of jewellery!

Happily the royals ignore us completely otherwise there was almost no any diademe left to be worn....

 

[LadyK]

Happily the royals ignore us completely otherwise there was almost no any diademe left to be worn....

Hahaha

I think a lot of them are worse than others, and some of them are just worn wrong, or worn on the wrong people. Others just need to be melted down and redone. (read: Margrethe's poppies)

 

[LadyK]

I agree with some people: some of the jewels on the list are not that bad.

Here's my personal not-that-bad list:
Swedish Napoleonic Steel-cut tiara (It's actually really pretty- if you look at the detailing)
Queen Rania's Emerald Boucheron Tiara (it was gorgeous, just not on Rania. I would love to see it on Mathilde, actually. I think it would be stunning. I'll have to see if I can find a good image to photoshop....PM me if you have one...)
Queen Alia's Diamond Tiara (I'm not 100% sure why this was on this list- it's a lovely tiara)
Queen Alexandrine's Diamond Drop Tiara (I just think Princess Alexandra wears it poorly. If you look at the pictures of Margrethe wearing it, it is really pretty)
Queen Sofia's Niarchos Ruby Tiara- I think I am the only person who likes it- it is really pretty. However, it is just not enough tiara for someone as regal as Sofia. I wonder what it would be like on Cristina (or Elena, with the right hairdo)?
Princess Maxima's Diamond Stars Tiara- another I was surprised about. So many people seem to like it! It is just so nice for Maxima, and I think it suits her.
Dutch Sunray Tiara- Again, I like it. It is such an improvement from the tiara that it used to be. I love the delicacy of it, and the lack of a heavy base is nice- it doesn't need it.

However, there are some that are just Bad:
The Swedish Jeep Tiaras- I know they have some historical provinence, but they're still just ugly. Maybe if they were reset so they wouldn't look so much like headlights?
Princess Victoria's First tiara- It is just wrong for a woman who is the Crown Princess, the future Queen, to be given a tiara that looks like the jeweller forgot to put the jewels in the prongs!!!
Swedish Cameo Tiara- It looks good on nobody. Combine it with a flat hairdo and have it ill-fitting, and it looks horrible. I have never seen it done well, and I'm not sure I ever will. Re"set it or forget it!"
Queen Sonja's modern Ruby Tiara: send it back to a galaxy far, far away.

And the worst of the worst, the one that just needs to melt down and make into something new:
Queen Margrethe's Golden Poppies!
(it looks like a brain wave torture machine!)(AAAAHHHHHHHH!)