Halo and Kokoshnik Tiaras

A diamond halo tiara

The diamond halo tiara of Loelia, Duchess of Westminster. The tiara can be heightened with the addition of a diamond strand around the outer edge of the tiara.

The diamond and cabochon emerald tiara of the Grand Duchess Yelisaveta of Russia. It later belonged to the Russian Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna the Younger, who was a first cousin to Tsar Nikolai II. She was forced to sell all her jewels after the Russian revolution, and she eventually settled in New York City.

A Cartier "diademe russe", a tiara in the Russian Kokoshnik style.

A unique diamond kokoshnik tiara, in which blue enamel has filled in the spaces in the floral design. This is by far my most favorite tiara.

A diamond mesh tiara.

A sunray style tiara, with a large gray pearl at its center.

A black steel, ruby and diamond tiara.

A large diamond sunray tiara, with a central sapphire stone.

One of my all-time favorite tiaras. This is a beautiful diamond floral style kokoshnik with a nice, openwork design. Unfortunately, it was unsold and taken apart in the early 20th century.

Unique Tiaras that don't fit into any category

A halo-shaped diamond tiara with its velvet wrapped base.

A classical tiara of olive leaf designs and interesting greek key patterns.

A tiara assembled out of separate diamond pins or pendants.

A more modern tiara of diamond arches.

A contemporary Hello Kitty tiara.

A rock crystal Lalique piece with carved parakeets. It's use seems to be more of an art piece than a wearable accessory.

A multi-colored stone tiara in the halo style.

A diamond tiara that comes apart and becomes 6 separate brooches.

Spike, Halo, and Kokoshnik Tiaras

Many tiaras are convertible to wear as necklaces, and many others come apart to form brooches, earrings, and bracelets. It was a way for ladies to change up their jewels, making it appear as if they owned far more pieces than they actually did.

A simple spike tiara with diamonds and seed pearls.

Most diamond spike tiaras convert for use as necklaces.

Nearly every royal family owns at least a couple of spike tiaras, as the design is so attractive. This necklace, if converted into a tiara, would make a lovely spike-style tiara.

A large pearl and diamond necklace. It probably came with a matching tiara, but the design itself could easily be converted into wear as a large diadem.

A tiara similar to the one that Princess Madeleine of Sweden often wears.

Tiaras are often raised up off of the frame, so that the hair does not cover the delicate features of the tiara. The band is usually wrapped in a soft velvet that matches the wearer's hair color, but sometimes this is not so. Search for images of Princess Victoria of Sweden, and one sees that she often wore tiaras in the past where the velvet covering the band was a blond color, when her hair color is a dark brown.

These types of halos are copied after the Russian kokoshnik headdress worn by peasant women.

A tiara that converts for wear as a necklace.

The tiara above, shown as a necklace.

A beautiful diamond necklace and brooch.

Another necklace that would make a lovely spike tiara.

This tiara flawlessly converts for wear either as a tiara or necklace.

Gold Tiaras Evoke the Ancient Past

A unique gold diadem set with cabochon semi-precious stones, housed in the Royal Danish Treasury at Rosenborg Castle.

An archaeological revival style tiara.

A truly fascinating Gold wreath that would encircle the head in an array of gold leaves.

A seed pearl and gold necklace.

The seed pearl diadem of Queen Marie-Jose.

A tiara reminiscent  of Galadriel's tiara from Lord of the Rings.