Time to dive back into our Tiara Hall of Fame. This time we’re going to take a look at the tiaras from Cartier. I didn’t have a favorite floral tiara, but I definitely have a favorite Cartier tiara…The Cartier Diamond Loop Tiara from Spain.
This was was a wedding present for Archduchess Maria Christina of Spain from her husband King Alfonso XII in 1879. It’s got round pearls inside loops of round diamonds, those inside loops of smaller diamonds, and then topped with more round pearls.
On Maria Cristina’s death, the tiara was inherited by her son Alfonso XIII, but doesn’t seem to have been used by Victoria Eugenia. The tiara passed to Alfonso and Victoria Eugenia’s daughter-in-law, Princess Maria de las Mercedes, wife of Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona. Juan’s daughter Infanta Pilar, and Pilar’s daughter, Simoneta, both wore the tiara on their wedding days.
It showed up again on Queen Sofia during a state visit to Norway in 2006. No one is exactly sure of the path of ownership, but it’s back in the Spanish Vault for now.