It was truly a joy to watch the royal wedding on May 19, and to see happiness on the faces of the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex. We all probably had a soft spot for Harry, due to the untimely loss of his mother, Princess Diana, when he was at such a tender age. Great to see him find his princess.

As a jeweler and a fan of British royal history, I was also eager to see the jewels that Meghan Markle would wear for her big day. Of course, the first thing everyone noticed was her beautiful diamond tiara, which turned out to be a loan from her new grandmother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II.
The tiara was commissioned by Queen Elizabeth’s grandmother, Queen Mary. It features a magnificent, floral-shaped, suspended brooch in the center, made of a large, round diamond surrounded by nine smaller circular diamonds.

The brooch, which is detachable, had been an earlier gift to the then-Princess Mary in 1893, when she married. In 1932, she had London’s Cleave Court Jewellers — an official jeweler to the crown — create the platinum tiara to hold the brooch.

The flexible bandeau portion of the tiara is made of 11 intricate glittering sections, pierced with interlaced ovals, and pavé-set with large and small brilliant diamonds.

Queen Mary bequeathed the bandeau and the brooch to her granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II, upon her death in 1953. And now, it has a new place in royal history, as the "something borrowed" at this splendid wedding.

Perhaps because the tiara was the focal point, Meghan chose not to wear a necklace, which seemed just right. Her Givenchy bridal gown was simple, and the tiara was, well, a crowning touch. She also went small on her diamond earrings, which were from Cartier, and added a Cartier diamond bracelet.

If all these diamond jewels are whetting your appetite for more, we invite you to visit fortunoffjewelry.com and check out our beautiful diamond selections. Everyone deserves to feel like queen (or princess) for a day.