Historically, tiaras were worn only by royalty or the Pope, but in more recent times, diadems, as they are also known, have become a popular hair accessory in all sorts of social events. How did this transformation occur? Let’s take a quick look at the history of tiaras and discover why they continue to be popular accessories for women the world over.
The Early Days – The first civilization known to wear tiaras were the ancient Egyptians, worn exclusively by the kings and emperors of the day. The pre-B.C. Assyrian and Persian rulers were also credited with being some of the very first wearers. The Persians, in fact, are credited with creating the word “tiara”. These early tiaras were often adorned with feathers and horns and made from common metals.
European Royalty – Napolean Bonaparte’s ego fueled a tiara Renaissance in the 1700’s, as the French leader required his family to wear tiaras at all social functions throughout his reign. Tiaras remained popular within French royalty until the mid-1800’s. A short time later, England’s Queen Elizabeth II is believed to own the largest and most expensive collection of tiaras, mostly heirlooms from her predecessors. Obviously these royal tiaras were a bit more exclusive than their earlier counterparts, adorned with rubies, diamonds and other rare jewels, as well as from precious metals like gold, silver and platinum.
American Influence – Not surprisingly, America seems to have had the biggest influence on the popularity of tiaras. Wonder Woman, perhaps the world’s most famous heroine, is known for saving the world with a tiara on her head, and Miss America has been crowned with a tiara for well over 80 years. Over that span, the tiara has gained traction as a popular accessory for events ranging from weddings and pageants to proms and parties. Tiaras today come in a huge variety of styles, shapes and construction, ranging from plastic to platinum and adorned by rhinestones, crystals, pearls and other semi-precious and precious stones.
Due to their popularity among celebrities, tiaras have become more popular than ever. Now instead of being worn exclusively by royalty, girls and women the world over wear tiaras for balls, proms, pageants, parties, Halloween and even just for fun. Tiaras are now not only status symbols, but pop fashion accessories that have earned their right to adorn the heads of the princess in every girl.
Whenever you want to feel like a princess, try on a tiara and see why they’ve gone from royalty to normalcy.
