Many of you beloved visitors frequent that link up top “Tiara Terminology” and are therefore in the know about the “Tiara vs. Diadem” debate. We must turn to semantics to find the difference because physically We don’t have a lot of rhyme or reason with which to work.
not a diadem
So in the end, as always, it comes down to etymology. (You have know idea how this delights Us…We were a Creative Writing/English major and an ESL teacher for 11 years. We love this geeky, OED, morphological stuff. Yes, I’m making the Finger Pyramid of Evil Contemplation right now.) Alright, so in the beginning there were only diadems.
diadem: from the Greek diadein meaning “to bind around” and thus begins the journey from ancient verb to divine headress!
Long story short, all other terms for royal headgear, tiara, coronet, chaplet, the whole shmear, are simply subcategories or more specific descriptions of a diadem. To put it in SAT terms
tiara : diadem :: sedan : car
I wonder if the SAT still has that bastard analogy section. Talk about square pegs in round holes…and now they have another 1000 points on the damn thing. Gee, We would’ve liked an extra 1000 points in margin for error. In case you’re wondering–yes, your Blog Hostess has a hatred of standardized testing…and number 2 pencils, naturally.
So, long story short, that differentiation will be added to the Tiara Terminology page. Conversely, how many famous royal jewels are labelled ‘diadems’? I can only think of one, famous thanks to the UK postage stamp and some profiles on pence coins. The George IV Diadem. Now looking into the future, can you see Charles or Wills wearing the George IV? I didn’t think so. It has a distinctly feminine quality, either that or we’ve all come to associate it exclusively with Queen Elizabeth. There’s a good reason for that.
(left to right) Queen Alexandra, Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Victoria and some stamps
But that’s just my opinion. Who do you think will be the next to sport the George IV Diadem?
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history buff, jewelry whore, chatterbox, mets fan
Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. As always, witty, too. I’m taking notes!! (while adjusting my glittering head gear)!! T.
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I’m so happy that you find the humor I attempt to sneak into the history of jewellery. How funny can it actually be, I wonder often! Merci for being your awesome, obviously highly intelligent self!
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I’ve been searching for a photo of the George IV diadem–it was supposedly made from his daughter’s diadem–Charlotte, Princess of Wales.
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Huh…now I’ve gotta dig in & research! I love tales of recycled tiaras or “where are they now?” headgear. I had read (but I didn’t verify with another source) that the GeoIV was made to go over something other piece for his coronation. Somebody deemed it unseemly and the rest is history. He gave it to his wife to wear instead…we should all be so lucky! That thing has serious bling!
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George 4th had a wife called Alexandra?
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Ah no! [thanks for the catch!] George IV was married to Caroline of Brunswick. (Yeesh, bad marriage there!) I searched for some pics but found no proof that Caroline ever wore the diadem.
Queen Alexandra, however, did enjoy wearing it. She was married to Edward VII.
I guess the moral here is, don’t believe anything you read on the Internet. But it seems you already knew that, Barbara!
Thanks again, I always appreciate correction, be they facts or typos. Sometimes editing you own work can be a nightmare! I hope you’ll be a regular here!
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This makes so much more sense now! 🙂 The next to wear that diadem? Probably Camilla when Charles becomes king.
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Hmm. I’m trying to imagine it with her wingy coiffure. Sometimes the imagination has limits!
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I think she’s worn something around the same size before. Though maybe her hair would still steal the spotlight.
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Regarding this part of your article:
“So in the end, as always, it comes down to etymology. (You have know idea how this delights Us…We were a Creative Writing/English major and an ESL teacher for 11 years.”
Ummm…did you catch the mistake? Darlin’, how embarrassing! lol IMHO, word meanings change because people don’t KNOW (ah-HEM!) what a word or term means, and they use it incorrectly, and it becomes accepted colloquially, and before you know it, BAM, the meaning has changed through use and acceptance over the years. Just MHO, of course.
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