Empress Farah’s Seven Emerald Tiara

Post author:Royal Staff
Post published:October 14, 2024
Post category:News

Happy Birthday to Empress Farah of Iran, who turns 86 today! The Shah’s third wife who became an influential global fashion Icon and the last Empress of a 2,500 year-old Empire, Empress Farah once possessed a spectacular historic jewellery collection, the highlight of which was the Noor-ul-Ain Tiara!

Noor-ul-Ain Tiara | Seven Emerald Tiara | Iranian Royal Tiaras | Empress Eugenie’s Emeralds | The Queen and I

Ahead of the Wedding of the Shah of Iran and Farah Diba in 1959, the Shah had the historic Noor-ul-Ain Diamond set into a striking modern Diamond Tiara by Harry Winston, while seven massive cabochon Emeralds from the Iranian Imperial Treasury were used by Harry Winston to create another striking Tiara, set on a base of 294 pink, yellow, and colourless diamonds.

When the Shah and the Empress Farah were married in 1958, several new items of jewellery were made for the occasion. One was a tiara created by Harry Winston of New York.

The heart-shaped lower border is of platinum inset with baguette diamonds. Above it two irregular rows of various-shaped diamonds (yellow, pink, and colourless) support a resting of seven magnificent large emeralds enclosed in diamond frames.

The tiara combines the old and new in gems and the gem utter’s art. The emeralds, South American in origin, may save been cut in India before Nadir Shah’s triumph. Most of he diamonds are brilliants. The larger ones are rather high and were probably recut in the nineteenth century from Indian diamonds in the collection, but some may have been more recent acquisitions. The baguette diamonds and the brilliants framing the emeralds are modern in cut and are probably South African.

Right after her marriage, Empress Farah began alternating between the Noor-ul-Ain Tiara and her Seven Emerald Tiara, debuting the Tiara during Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko’s visit to Iran in 1960.

The following year, Empress Farah wore the Seven Emerald Tiara for a series of magnificent Official Portraits alongside the Shah, pairing the Tiara with her magnificent Emerald Necklace and Bracelet created from Empress Eugenie’s Emeralds.

The Seven Emerald Tiara was worn by Empress Farah for the Iranian State Visit to Norway in 1961, as well as the British State Visit to Iran and the Iranian State Visit to France later that year.

Empress Farah continued to alternate between the Seven Emerald Tiara and the Noor-ul-Ain Tiara, wearing both for the Iranian State Visit to the United States in 1962, the Danish State Visit to Iran in 1963, the Dutch State Visit to Iran in 1963, and the Belgian State Visit to Iran in 1964 as well as during the Iranian State Visit to Thailand in 1968.

While Empress Farah continued to wear the Noor-ul-Ain Tiara until the end of the Shah’s Reign, the Seven Emerald Tiara did not make many appearances during the 1970s, with the exception of the 2500th Anniversary of the Persian Empire at Persepolis in 1971, which seems to be its final pic appearance.

When the Shah of Iran and Empress Farah fled Tehran in 1979, as part of the Iranian Crown Jewels, the Seven Emerald Tiara and the Noor-ul-Ain Diamond were left behind in Tehran, where they remain on display at the National Treasury of Iran in the Central Bank in Tehran.