Tiara

by Diana Scarisbrick

The tiara has played a glittering role in the lives of the elegant and extravagant from the doe-eyed Audrey Hepburn in the film classic Roman Holiday to generations of England's royal family-representing the height of sophisticated glamour. Worn for centuries by nobility and high society, tiaras are enjoying renewed popularity among today's movie stars and modern brides. Created in conjunction with an exhibition of tiaras at the Museum of Fine Arts,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0811827178
• ISBN13: 9780811827171
• Release Date: March 2000
• Publisher: Chronicle Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 1.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 1.0" x 1.0"

Customer Reviews

This is my favorite book about the fantasy world of queens and princesses

I read the previous reviews and I think that although I agree that the pictures could have been bigger in the first half of the book, the text and the glorious pictures of the second half more than make up for that. Perhaps the author could come out with another edition and provide bigger photographs, but the author's research and writing is top level. I adore the stories and histories of these wonderful crowns and tiaras. Any woman who has grown up with fairy tales and day dreams of being a royal wearer of one of these priceless jewels will adore this book. I have enjoyed it over and over and it never fails to give me much pleasure in the history, lore and lure of crowns.

Another Scarisbrick examination of gorgeous jewels

As I am a big fan of Diana Scarisbrick's "Ancestral Jewels," I was excited to see "Tiara." Although she does a masterful job giving the reader a miniature history of the tiara (especially in its different European forms), I must admit to disappointment at the layout of the book. Dozens upon dozens of photographs of women wearing their tiaras are literally about 1" square (sometimes less, sometimes ever so slightly more). There is so much white space surrounding these photographs that I have to wonder if perhaps there was a misunderstanding among author, editor, and designer. The latter half of the book fares better, with full-page color photographs of sumptuous tiaras. Scarisbrick shows us mourning tiaras (often constructed of iron, though just as lacy and lovely as their platinum and gold counterparts), brushed gold tiaras, and tairas which break down into sundry bracelets, necklaces, brooches, and stomachers. It's especially fun to see the different tiaras worn for the coronations of King George of England in 1937 and Queen Elizabeth of England in 1953. There is even a photo of Rose Kennedy, whose husband Joe was America's Ambassador to England in the years leading up to World War II. Mrs. Kennedy is pictured in a satin evening gown, wearing a tiara borrowed from a sympathetic English noble friend. An excerpt from her 1974 autobiography notes that when she wore the tiara to court " . . . my children were quite impressed!" One can only imagine.The range and artistry of the designs is really quite breathtaking. It's just too bad that more care wasn't taken to enlarge the photographs of the women wearing their tiaras, as there's so much interesting interplay of fashion and tradition there.

A magnificent publication.

This is a most attractive volume sumptuously illustrated and beautifully laid out. The text is considered and informative. The printing and general feel of the book is in keeping with it's noble subject and would be a first class addition to the coffee table of any true lover of beautiful things. I can only await the author's next project with baited breath.

Platinum by Cartier

I bought this book because I collect books on jewelry and because I wanted to learn more about platinum. I found the book to be both a treasure filled with informative history about platinum and gorgeous pictures of Cartier jewelery. It is a great addition to any collector's library as a resource or as a beautiful coffee table book.

Tiaras forever

I ordered this book and within 3 days I was in my chair buried in the stories of gorgeous jewelled tiaras. I bought the author's other book "Ancestral Jewels" and read it several times a year. It is a "jewel" of a book and I loved the personal stories of the tiara owners. The author is discreet about provenance of some of the tiaras. This is NOT just a coffee table book. You HAVE to read the stories behind the pieces.