Yesterday, Elle Fanning wore a striking Cartier Diamond Necklace to the Oscars which has led many to wonder if it may be the incredibly similar Cartier Diamond Tiara which once belonged to the Duchess of Windsor?
While Wallis Simpson had said to Princess Olga of Yugoslavia: ‘A tiara is one thing I will never own’ shortly before the abdication crisis, the former King Edward VIII commissioned a Van Cleef and Arpels Tiara as Wedding Gift in 1937, which was not seen after the outbreak of the Second World War.
A decade later, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor had a stock Diamond Necklace at Cartier converted into a Tiara with a base of emerald beads provided by the couple themselves. The Tiara was apparently convertible into a Necklace.
The following year, on the 2nd of March, 1950 (exactly 65 years ago), the Duchess of Windsor wore the Cartier Emerald Bead Tiara for a series of portraits by the famed Dorothy Wilding.
The Emerald Bead Tiara was also worn by the Duchess for a Gala in the mid-1950s, which was its only other notable appearance and it is believed that it was afterwards broken up to create other jewels, but may have been sold back to Cartier.
The Cartier Diamond Necklace worn by Elle Fanning was reportedly created in 1958, which could have been when the Tiara was altered back into a necklace and had the emerald beads removed, but if the original was a stock piece, it is quite likely that several existed.
Elle Fanning is an ambassador for Cartier and paired the Diamond Necklace with a Givenchy gown as she made her debit at the Oscars.
I have always felt nostalgia for the ’50s, even though I wasn’t alive then. The collection encapsulates the beauty of that era while bringing it into the modern world we live in today. When I wear each piece, I feel like I am honouring the past, remaining grounded in the present and hoping for a brighter future.
You have to be comfortable with what you’re wearing. Many times, it is best to pair a simple dress with the most outstanding piece of jewellery. Jewellery is the final touch to fully transform a look.
It is possible that Elle Fanning wore a Diamond Necklace created from the Duchess of Windsor’s Tiara, but, because of the disparages in dates and design, it is more likely that the Necklace created almost a decade later was inspired by the design of the earlier piece. Additionally, had it been the Duchess of Windsor’s piece, Cartier would have heavily promoted that connection which has not been the case this time.
Beau Monde
