Queen Victoria's Sapphire Coronet was most likely commissioned by Joseph Kitchening in 1842 for the cost of £415. The sapphires, which are both cushion and kite shaped, are set in gold, while the diamonds are set in silver. The tiara is one of the pieces that Queen Victoria decided was appropriate to wear during her widowhood. After she passed away, the tiara went unseen for many years.
The tiara finally resurfaced in 1922 when Princess Mary, the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary, married Viscount Lascelles (later Earl of Harewood). The King gave the tiara to his daughter as a wedding gift. When Mary passed in 1965, her family auctioned off quite a bit of her jewelry collection, but, however, the tiara managed to stay within the family.
The tiara has been worn by, the current Countess of Harewood, and by Andrea Lascelles at her wedding to the Earl's fourth son, Mark, in 1992.
However, what is a tiara without a royal wearer? The tiara had fallen out of the public eye. While putting together an exhibition for Wartski's in 1997, Geoffrey Munn wrote the Earl wondering if her had any pieces with royal origin. This led to what must have been an amusing call from the Countess, telling him that they had one piece, and that it was "so small you probably will not want it." However, he did want it, and it was
exhibited in 1997. The tiara was also later exhibited again at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2002.
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