Happy Tiara Tuesday! This week's tiara is a stunner that did not come from royals! Rather, this tiara was made by E. Wolff & Co. for Garrard in 1889 and is known as the Portland Antique Sapphire, Diamond, and Natural Pearl Tiara. Quite the mouthful!This stunning tiara was made shortly after the marriage of the 6th Duke of Portland to his wife, Duchess Winnifred Dallas-Yorke, in 1889. The tiara consists of sapphires from Ceylon and Burma, old-cut diamonds, and natural saltwater pearls, all set in silver and gold. They broke down several other pieces of jewelry in the family's collection to get the jewels for this tiara, and it was well worth it! The tiara has a matching stomacher brooch, which predates the tiara and may have inspired the tiara's design.The only known image of a family member wearing the tiara is this painted miniature on ivory of Ivy, Duchess of Portland (1887-1982), when she was Marchioness of Titchfield (she was the 7th Duke's wife). The painting shows her wearing the tiara and the matching stomacher brooch.
The tiara went up for auction (along with a number of other family jewels) in 2010 though Christie's and was only estimated to fetch £250,000 - £300,000 ($388,750 - $466,500), but instead it raked in a whopping £763,650 ($1,188,239), over double the estimated value! The auction was anonymous so we don't yet know who has it now, but we can only hope it has settled into a loving home.
Thanks for reading and have a fabulous Tiara Tuesday!
