
The Princes Palace of Monaco
After the religious ceremony (above), HSH
Princess Charlène donned her tiara (right) at the
reception.
THE SOUND OF WEDDING BELLS resonated
throughout as the first two of three royal weddings this year took
place. Prince
William and Catherine Middleton exchanged their wedding vows
and, a couple of months later, Prince
Albert II of Monaco and Charlene Wittstock did the same. Not
only were they both lavish and star-studded events, but they were
also filled with fashionable elements that would certainly be remembered
for years to come.
Lucire readers will remember our
interview with jewellery designer Lorenz Bäumer. Back in
April, the Paris-based jeweller sat with us during his visit to
New York to discuss his work and his spectacular, high-quality jewels.
Bäumer is acknowledged for designing many beautiful,
innovative pieces and Princess Charlène of Monacos
magnificent tiara, Ecume de diamants (Diamond Foam), is one
of them. One of the factors that distinguish this particular tiara
from any other is that it was designed as a headpiece rather than
as a traditional crown.
Wittstock walked down the aisle in a beautiful off-the-shoulder
Giorgio Armani Privé silk chiffon wedding gown with floral
embroidery and Swarovski crystals marvellously gleaming; her 20
m long tulle veil was just as alluring. When it came to dancing
the night away at the wedding reception, the now-princess wore the
gorgeous Diamond Foam tiara to go with another chic and elegant
Giorgio Armani Privé dress.
The modern headpiece revolves around the theme of water,
which is a perfect symbol of the former Olympic swimmers adoration
for the sea. With almost 60 ct worth of diamonds, it took months
to make such a work of art come to life. Round diamonds, elongated
diamonds and a total of 11 diamond pears, the largest weighing up
to 8 ct, were carefully placed in long, thin strands of white gold,
which created a metaphorical aspect of the ocean spray.
Bäumer calls it magic, but we can also call it
a delightful artistic aspect that can also be taken apart and worn
as a hairpiece or even a long or short broche.
The piece added quite a sophisticated appeal to the
princesss ensemble.
In a brief documentary where Bäumer unveils the
secrets behind his creation, he explains that a diamond is the
most beautiful, the purest
a symbol of eternity. As
he focuses on the idea of the tiara, he says, When this wave,
this spray, of diamonds is worn, it floats over the head.
Lola Saab is Paris editor of Lucire.
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