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Wedding Tiara History
The history of the wedding tiara is a long one. Tiaras can be traced back to ancient Egypt, where they were used to decorate the heads of royal mummies. In Greece, goldsmiths created tiaras to adorn the heads of statues of their Gods and priests. The Greeks also awarded tiaras to contest champions, and highly ranked individuals wore them during social functions and special occasions. The Romans also used tiaras to denote rank and honor.
Inspired by ancient Rome, women of the court during Napoleonic times used tiara designs that were simple and symmetrical. These tiaras were typically decorated with laurel and olive leaves.
The restored Bourbon monarchs, after 1815, encouraged the display of extravagant jewelry at the French court. Furthermore, English jewelers created some of the finest tiaras of the 19th Century. This period also marked the first time that tiaras became associated with weddings; hence the birth of the wedding tiara.
During the 1840's, Queen Victoria led England into a time of prosperity and wealth. Also prosperous, France declared the Second Empire in 1852 with the crowning of Emperor Napoleon III, giving birth to a new era of brilliance for Parisian high-society. Across Europe, court life flourished and magnificent jewelry became the fashion.
The Russian aristocracy, took the extravagance of the Europeans to a new level in the latter part of the 19th century, with a greater display of luxury and wealth than any other nation. Jewelers of St. Petersburg and Paris crafted breathtaking tiara designs for the The Grand Duchesses.
During the first decade of the 20th century, more tiaras were worn than ever before. For the crowning of King Edward II in 1902 and Kind George V in 1911, new tiaras were made. During "tiara nights" at the Paris Opera, women showed off many unique tiara designs.
During World War I, tiaras began to be replaced by simpler bandeaux and aigrettes, but despite of the great social and economic changes brought about at this time, tiaras endured. To go with the bobbed hairdos and pared down clothing of the 1920's, jewelers created new tiara designs. With the coming of WW II, the 1930's tiara revival came to an end. After that, the tiara never regained their former prominent status.
In modern times, there has been a resurgence in the use of tiaras for weddings. The modern wedding tiara makes it affordable for any bride to display grandeur and an air of royalty as she walks down the isle. Tiaras have moved away from the exclusive circle of people who could afford to wear diamonds, rubies, and gold on their heads, to the everyday person.
There are many wedding tiaras to choose from today. Look through our selection of discount wedding tiaras by clicking below: