Princess Helena Victoria’s tiara is a diamond neo-classical tiara decorated with a central honeysuckle motif and eighteen graduated ribbon scrolls. Helena was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, born a princess of Schleswig-Holstein (say that five times fast). She never married, which is when most royal women receive their tiaras, so she probably inherited this one from her mother, also conveniently …
The Princess in the Concentration Camp
I came across this story while researching a post for Tiara Tuesday. And now that I know it, I can’t forget it, so I’m going to share it with you. It’s about Mafalda of Savoy, an Italian princess who died in a concentration camp during World War II. Before the Storm Princess Mafalda of Savoy was born in Rome in …
Tiara Tuesday: Princess Marina’s Fringe Tiara
Princess Marina’s fringe tiara was a gift from the City of London when she married George, Duke of Kent, son of George V and Queen Mary, in 1934. It’s made of diamonds set in gold and silver. The City of London chose wisely. This design is inspired by traditional Russian kokoshniks, and Princess Marina was the daughter of Prince Nicholas of …
Tiara Tuesday: Marie Louise of Bulgaria’s Tiara
Marie Louise of Bulgaria’s tiara was, like so many others, a wedding present. In 1893, Prince Regnant Ferdinand of Bulgaria married Princess Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma. As a present for the bride, the Bulgarian National Assembly commissioned this tiara from Austrian jeweler Kochert. The stones match the colors of the Bulgarian flag: red, green, and white. That central ruby is …
Tiara Tuesday: The Devonshire Diamond Tiara
The Devonshire diamond tiara was made by jeweler A.E. Skinner for Louise, the Duchess of Devonshire, in 1893. She’d been in love with the Duke for 30 years – too bad she only met him after marrying the Duke of Manchester. But we’ll get back to her in a sec. This tiara features palmette and lotus motifs and uses about …
My Video Introduction to The Red Road
As Britney spears said, “Oops, I did it again.” I made another promotional video for The Red Road. Sponsored by brandy. Starring brandy. Directed by brandy. Submitted for Oscar consideration and your viewing pleasure. Like what you see? Check out The Red Road here on my website or on Amazon. Still not convinced? Maybe you’ll like the book trailer better… …
Tiara Tuesday: The Boucheron Ivy Tiara
The Boucheron ivy tiara was designed by Solange Azagury-Partridge (the firm’s creative director at the time) and created in 2003. It’s made entirely of emeralds set in black gold. Even though this tiara is thoroughly modern, it’s based on a design pulled from the Boucheron archives (circa 1890). The house’s founder, Frédéric Boucheron, loved the wild ivy that grew at …
East of Eden: The Final Frontier
Eat my dust, Oprah. I finished East of Eden last night at 11:21 pm. This book was way more engaging and entertaining than I expected. That being said, I’d give it four stars, not five. It would have been five stars with a couple hundred fewer pages. Lop off 200-300 pages and it still would have been epic. But it …
Tiara Tuesday: The Württemberg Diamond Diadem
Created by court jeweler August Heinrich Kuhn, the Württemberg diamond diadem was presented to Queen Pauline in 1820, the year of her marriage to first cousin King William I of Württemberg. William was a pretty frugal guy. He transferred some of the diamonds from the Württemberg state crown to help fill this diadem. Generous or cheap? You make the call. …
The Red Road Is Now Available!
The day has finally come! Well, actually it came two days ago – The Red Road went live on Monday. Honestly, I got so sick of myself that I didn’t want to send this post on release day. I feel weird, you guys. I spent SO LONG working on this book, and now it’s out there in the world for …