The Luxembourg Empire Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg; tiara detail; Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg; Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg

If there were a contest for "biggest tiara in Europe," I'd be hard pressed to think of another sparkler that could best this one. The Empire Tiara owned by the grand ducal family of Luxembourg is a massive diamond fortress of a tiara.

But even though it's such a knockout, its history and provenance are a bit of a mystery. This tiara gets its name from its empire style, not necessarily because it came from imperial vaults -- that would make it an early nineteenth-century piece. There are two major theories about how it arrived in Luxembourg. One traces it back to Romanov Russia via Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna, the first wife of Grand Duke Adolphe. The other points to Adolphe's daughter, Grand Duchess Hilda of Baden, who died without descendants and may have left jewelry to her nieces.

It's certain, however, that one of those nieces, Grand Duchess Charlotte, wore this tiara on her wedding day in 1919. That occasion was the first time that the tiara popped up on a Luxembourgish grand ducal head, but it's been worn since by Charlotte's daughter-in-law, Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte, and the current grand duchess, Maria Teresa. And as for the other guests at any event where this tiara shows up -- I'd advise a good pair of sunglasses!

For more on this tiara:
Weekend Bonus: Grand Duchess Charlotte wearing the tiara
Mad Hattery's TiaraPedia (Luxembourg)