Tiara, Diadem, Crown: The Importance of Who Wears What!

Tiara, Diadem, Crown: The Importance of Who Wears What!

Gary Roskin
Roskin Gem News Report

Lady Kerry Gregory of Gemmology Rocks, is a passionate gemologist who loves bejeweled headwear. And she has a beef with Burger King.

Her presentation at AGTA’s Elevated Seminar Series in Tucson, Burger King or Burger Duke, was just as much fun as it was rewarding.

“I simply love tiaras,” says Gregory, sporting one of several tiaras she brought with her for demonstration, all laid out at the podium. The fun begins when people ask, because, as it turns out, most people do not know what the differences are between a tiara, a diadem, a coronet, and a crown… what makes each one so special. Lady Gregory knows!

But just before she gets into the details about what is what, she’s just itching to tell us what’s been motivating this presentation.

“So this is something that has vexed me for years,” she begins. Speaking of the hamburger chain mascot, “I’m going to state my case as to why it is not ‘Burger King,’ but ‘Burger Duke!’” And yes, it does have to do with tiaras, which we detail for you now.

Burger Duke Hamburgers
Getting Burger King to change their ways, this has been a long running effort on her part. She has tweeted and emailed Burger King with little success. What she is determined to point out is that their “king” is not wearing a crown!

To help us through her argument, she went through some of the definitions of bejeweled headwear.

1. “Some of the names are quite confusing because the words get misused or used in slightly different contexts in modern language, but also there just seems to be a lot of overlap.
2. And then there’s other challenges, where you can use the same words in a number of different ways.

The Tiara
“The definition of tiara is simply a bejeweled head ornament.” That’s pretty basic and quite generic. Onward.
Bejeweled Head Ornament
“You might have a hair ornament, and while that would generally be smaller than a tiara, a tiara generally will encircle the head.” A tiara can be an entire circle, or more often than not, it can have an open back. Essentially, says Gregory, it will encircle the head “in some way.”

“What it doesn’t do is it doesn’t infer a status. Anyone can wear a tiara.”
So a tiara is a bejeweled head ornament that encircles the head (all or part of the way), and all of us can wear one, no title necessary.

The Diadem
Contrary to a tiara, a diadem does infer status. “Traditionally, diadems were given to show power,” says Gregory.

The word diadem comes from Greek meaning “to bind,” and so originally it would have been ribbons that would encircle the head. “And so usually a diadem would be a complete circle, because it was something that was bound around your head to show that you have status and power.”

As examples, Gregory referenced the Mary Louise of Austria’s diadem, which is now in Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum. While it is NOT a complete circle, most importantly, it was for an Empress. And so it shows status, it shows power – and therefore, not just a tiara, but a diadem.

Gregory then referenced another piece of headwear. “In my opinion, this is absolutely not a diadem,” pointing to the screen. “And that would be the Ravenclaw diadem from Harry Potter. There are two clear reasons why this is not a diadem: It doesn’t entirely encircle the head – it is open at the back – and 2. It doesn’t infer status or power.” Ah – it’s a tiara!

“Calling this a diadem is wrong. This is a tiara,” says Gregory. (If you are following carefully, diadems would then be a subsection of tiaras – a tiara that encircles the head and denotes status.)

The Crown
The crown has very specific symbolisms and meanings, notes Gregory. “A crown is very specifically for royalty and monarchs. Not only do they infer status, and power, they are also symbols. And particularly in the UK, the crown jewels are symbols of the sovereign.”

As Gregory points out, the only person who can wear a crown, and this is not just in the UK, but for most countries where they have royalty, no one but the king or the queen is going to be wearing a crown.

Now – before we talk about the look of a crown versus the diadem and tiara, let’s talk about the coronet.

The Coronet
A coronet is something slightly different, says Gregory. And the difference is, is that it doesn’t have arches. “Headwear that has arches makes it a crown. If it doesn’t have arches, it’s a coronet.” (This is bringing us close to the Burger King/Burger Duke challenge.)

The Crown Jewels in the Tower of London
The next time you are in the UK, stop by and take the tour in the Tower of London to see the Crown Jewels. You can see all sorts of regalia there. And all of the Crown Jewels, of course. “Yes, they are the real Crown Jewels,” says Gregory.

But, as she points out, some of the jewels have been replaced over the years. “So sometimes they put simulated, imitation, artificial gems in the jewels. Sometimes the gemstones were originally not what people thought they were… for example, there are a number of blue gems that look like sapphires, that are actually foil-backed gems, quartzes and such.”

“Over the years, when the Monarchs needed money, they would pawn the jewels, or maybe sell some of the gemstones. Sometimes, they would borrow stones to put into the crown. So they’re not always all diamonds, rubies and sapphires,” says Gregory, even though we expect them to be.

Back to the Coronet – No Arches
So the coronet doesn’t have arches, but it still has symbolism. “It is to show that you are a peer of the realm. You’re a Duke, a Duchess, or you are a Marchioness,” says Gregory.

Maybe another difference between a tiara, diadem, and coronet is height. As Gregory noted, “A coronet is something that you can have on your head and people see from afar how important you are.”

And you’d best know your symbols, as the different symbols on the different types of coronets will show whether you’re a duchess, a duke, etc.

From Fancy Pants to King
Summarizing the headgear, we’ve got the Tiara, which is, as Gregory puts it, “just a ‘fancy pants’ head ornament” for anyone who doesn’t have any status or power. A diadem should be a complete circle, to demonstrate status or power. The Coronet is for peers, shows status and power, but is lacking the arches of the crown. And the crown has it all, including arches, and therefore is only to be worn by a king or queen.

The Argument
The main difference between a Crown that says you are a king, or a Coronet that says you are a Duke, are the “Golden Arches,” jabs Gregory. “Look, I think we have this. We do not have a Burger King. We have a Burger Duke, and we have King McDonalds, because they’re the only ones that have the golden arches.” 😂

Disney Got it Wrong, Too
Another annoyance for Lady Gregory is in the Disney film Robin Hood. King John’s crown has got faceted gemstones in it, and it wouldn’t have had faceted gemstones at the time of Robin Hood. Disney obviously didn’t research that very well.

How to Wear a Tiara
“There are loads of rules,” notes Gregory, “like etiquette rules, for everything you can possibly think of.”

Some of them can be discovered in old paintings. “In these paintings, you can sometimes see ladies going to court, going to the Palace, to the Ball. And if the lady is wearing a tiara, it indicates that she’s married.” Rule #1: Unmarried women are not allowed to wear tiaras. “When we get married, we have a veil.” The veil covers the tiara whilst you are unmarried. When the bride’s face is unveiled, the tiara is revealed.

White Tie Affair
Rule #2: The Tiara was only supposed to be worn at white tie affairs. “White tie is the highest dress code in the UK. If it’s a black tie function, you wouldn’t be wearing a tiara.”

When Sending Invites
Again, it’s etiquette. “If you’re sending invitations, you’re going to tell people what the dress code is, and what they should or shouldn’t be wearing.”

Rule #3? Not until you are 18
Hmmm…. No one likes this rule. If you have children, and you have little girls, they wear tiaras.

Rule #4 It’s a Gift
“Don’t buy your own tiara,” says Gregory. “You’re supposed to be gifted a tiara.” Staying with all of the rules, you might then be gifted a tiara on your 18th birthday.

“Sometimes it would have been a family tiara. It might be one that was commissioned for you. Maybe you take granny’s jewelry apart and turn it into Tiara.”

Can I borrow that?
Sometimes they’re also loaned. “Particularly in the royal family, the queen would lend a tiara to certain people. As an example, Kate Middleton has a number of tiaras that were loaned to her by the queen. They’re often loaned for life. That’s now your tiara. No one else gets to wear it.”

Rule #5 Not at the Hotel, and #6 Not Before 5 pm
“These are actually not rules just for tiaras. You’re also not supposed to wear diamonds before 5 p.m.” We’re not sure how well that would go over these days.

Choose One You Can Afford
Gregory spoke of inexpensive tiaras made of base metal and set with CZ. But then there are the fine jewelry tiaras that are convertible, using frames, which then allows you to take them apart and reveal a necklace, and maybe an additional brooch.

Do Not Wash Your Hair
To wear a tiara, the key is to NOT wash your hair. “This is the same as if you want to put your hair up. You shouldn’t have freshly washed hair because it’s too slippery.” (Did we hear that right?)

Okay ladies, for more incredible tips on how to wear a tiara, watch Lady Gregory’s AGTA presentation here on YouTube: Burger King or Burger Duke?