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Tiara versus Diadem – The REAL Difference

So you’re a Queen, right? And you have to ball to attend. Your personal dresser peeks her head past the golden archways of your cavernous bedroom and whispers, “My lady, what will it be tonight? Your tiara or your diadem?” You breath becomes shallow (but this could be because of your overly tightened corset). “Um…” you respond. “You pick.”

It’s an awkward moment. One you could have avoided. If you had only known the difference between a tiara and a diadem. If  you had checked our blog (or the Tiaras and Trianon website), you could have known the following:

So in the end, as always, it comes down to etymology. In the beginning there were only diadems.

diademfrom 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.

So there you go! You fire your dresser for not knowing better (you choose not to behead her because that’s a little gauche) and wear your favorite diadem in pride to the ball that evening, looking resplendent and utterly royal.

Elizabeth wearing the Coronation Earrings and matching necklace at the opening of the New Zealand parliament in 1963. She also wore the Kokoshnik Tiara.

Elizabeth wearing the Coronation Earrings and matching necklace at the opening of the New Zealand parliament in 1963. She also wore the Kokoshnik Tiara.