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Infanta Isabella of Spain, Princess of Asturias [1] |
Made in 1867, the shell tiara was purchased by Queen Isabella II of Spain the following year as a wedding present for her daughter, Infanta Isabella (pictured above). While Mellerio's headquarters were (and still are) based in Paris, they opened a branch in Madrid in 1850 and subsequently became a favorite with the royals and nobles of nineteenth-century Spain. This particular Mellerio creation features drop pearls and diamonds suspended from a diamond-encrusted frame that is designed to look like a shell. (Others have also noted the tiara’s resemblance to a cresting wave.) The tiara can be worn with or without an additional diamond drop suspended from the center of the tiara’s base.
The younger Isabella, known as “La Chata,” wore the tiara throughout her lifetime. On at least one occasion, she loaned the sparkler to her younger sister, Infanta MarĂa de la Paz. Isabella did not have any children, so when she died, she bequeathed the shell tiara to her nephew, King Alfonso XIII. His wife, the British-born Queen Ena, only wore the tiara a few times; she also loaned it at least once to her daughter-in-law, Maria, the Countess of Barcelona.
But Sofia has also continued the tradition of loaning this tiara to other women in the family. Both of her daughters have been depicted wearing the tiara, as has her sister-in-law, Infanta Margarita. More recently, she also loaned the piece to her daughter-in-law, Letizia, the Princess of Asturias. Even though this tiara is Sofia’s personal property, I wouldn’t be surprised if its lengthy family history makes it a prime candidate to remain with future Spanish queens — first Letizia, and eventually her daughter, Infanta Leonor [2].
NOTES, PHOTO CREDITS, AND LINKS
1. Cropped version of an image in the public domain due to its age; source here.
2. A version of this post originally appeared at A Tiara a Day in October 2013.
2. A version of this post originally appeared at A Tiara a Day in October 2013.