Unusual Cartier Tiaras At The V&A Exhibit- Part One Of Three!

Описание: Edit- someone with better attention to detail than me pointed out that the Bukowski head ornament is not the same as the one shown at the exhibit- the ovals loop around the center oval in mirrored directions, whereas the one at the exhibit does not.

I saw so many unbelievable tiaras while I was in London, and realized that if I was going to be able to talk about all of my favorites, we would have to have more than just Tiara Tuesdays!

This week, we have 3 days devoted to unusual Cartier tiaras that I saw at the exhibit at the Victoria and Albert museum. Today we are starting with 2 gorgeous head ornaments, platinum and diamond stunners that I think are almost sisters in how alike they are.

The first was made for Lila Vanderbilt Sloane's marriage, and is a dynamic, elegant, versatile little piece. It can be worn a number of ways, and it is a piece that Cartier seems to loan out on occasion. It is strikingly modern for having been made in 1902, and is sort of a transitional style between art nouveau and art deco.

The second piece is rather similar, made of airy graduated ovals. It was made a few years later, in 1908, and also shows a bridge between art nouveau and art deco. The only other example I found of this piece online had a horn or tortoiseshell barrette fitting- it's possible that this is the very same one shown at the exhibit, but they did have it labeled as a "tiara" and I can't imagine why they'd remove the barrette fitting (unless, perhaps, it was not original to the piece in the first place!)

#tiarahistory #tiaratuesday #Cartier #cartierhistory #antiquecartier #highjewelry #antiquejewelry #jewelryhistory #victoriaandalbertmuseum #cartierexhibit #antiquediamonds