Tiaras made of plastic, rhinestones, Swarovski crystals, or any other non precious material are considered costume jewelry.
They are worn by women on special occasions such as homecoming or prom and at their quinceaƱera or wedding.
They are also worn by the winners of beauty pageants and girls dressing up as Disney princesses.
Queen Elizabeth II is said to have the largest and most
valuable anthology of tiaras
in the world, many of
which are heirlooms of the British Royal Family. She is often
seen wearing them on
state occasions. The Queen received many of them through
inheritance, especially from Queen Alexandra. Queen Mary,
consort of King George V,
purchased the Grand
Duchess Vladimir tiara in the 1920s. It consists of numerous
interlocking diamond circles. Pearl drops can be attached
inside the circles or emeralds
. Queen Mary had a tiara made for the Delhi Durbar held in
1911 in India. It is now on
loan for tiring by the Duchess of Cornwall, wife of Charles,
Prince of Wales. Queen
Elizabeth II commissioned a ruby and diamond tiara. A gift
of aquamarines she received
as a present from the
people of Brazil were added to diamonds to make a new tiara....