For newcomers to the land of royal jewels, we’ll march through this sad sorry tale again.
The beautiful sparkling beginning: Then Princess Elizabeth received a diamond tiara and matching necklace from the Nizam of Hyderabad as a wedding gift in 1947. The set was made by Cartier, and it was reported that instructions were left for the London branch of Cartier that the Princess should choose the gift herself. The tiara that was delivered to the princess was a floral design, and had three detachable pieces that could be used as pins. An appropriate gift for a British royal, since the design was modeled after the English rose.
The sad, sorry end: The tiara was dismantled in 1973, and diamonds from it were given to Garrard, to be used in the Burmese Ruby tiara.
Trifles: The necklace is still intact, and has been worn by the Duchess of Cambridge relatively recently. It appears that at least one of the brooches is still in use as well.
Behold, the beautiful Nizam tiara:
The tiara that it gave its life up for, the Burmese Ruby.