Queen Mary’s Fringe tiara: Queen’s wedding headpiece which disastrously broke on the day

Queen Mary had this made in 1919 according to the fashions of the time – and it is not, in fact, the only fringe style tiara in the Queen’s collection.

It is often confused with Queen Adelaide’s Fringe – a smaller, more delicate piece made in 1831 and worn by many British royals in history. Queen Elizabeth is not known to have worn this particular piece publicly.

Queen Mary’s Fringe was made by E. Wolff and Co. for Garrard in 1919. It consists of diamonds set in gold and silver, and features 47 diamond bars separated by smaller diamond spikes.

The diamonds were not actually new, and they were a part of a piece made by Collingwood that Queen Victoria gave to Mary in 1893 – Mary wore the Collingwood, which could be styled as a tiara or a necklace, on her wedding day.

Speaking about the stunning Queen Mary’s Fringe, Alexandra Michell Gemmologist Prestige Pawnbrokers of Channel 4’s Posh Pawn told Express.co.uk: “With such rich history and attracting huge global interest, I would estimate this Tiara’s worth at £5 million.”

source: express.co.uk