It's certainly true that the Law of Jante dictates that we're nothing special. But I will simply oppose that! Each and every one of us is unique in our own way – and that deserves to be celebrated. And on a wedding day, it’s natural that a tiara can help make the day extra festive. If you already own a tiara, you could also suitably bring it out for a particularly festive New Year's Eve party, or at the very least lend it to lucky family members who are getting married. In this way, a tradition of the ”family tiara” can be created, which isn't reserved for people with titles! And, of course... should you happen to be invited to a ball at the palace with the King, a tiara means you'll be well-prepared. But where can you find such a tiara?
Castens – Denmark's Crown Jewel Jeweller
If you belong to the type of person who prefers to wear and be surrounded by genuine materials, where can you find a tiara that isn't made from questionable metal with glued-on glass stones? You could, for example, find one at my goldsmith's, where over the years I've created many different tiaras. But why on earth have I spent time on that? ”Do you sell many of them, Karin?” “No, I wouldn't claim they fly off the shelves, but on average, I've probably created and sold at least one a year. From a very simple tiara of silver with mother-of-pearl (which nevertheless had a TV appearance in the Christmas calendar ”Emma og Julemanden"):
To an extremely lavish specimen in the form of an octopus for a Bitcoin tycoon's lucky wife.
Kraken
Of platinum with freshwater pearls and white and blue diamonds
Most of my tiaras are made of silver. While this metal has risen significantly in price over the past year, silver is still a considerably more affordable material than gold – and it does after all take a good deal more to make a tiara than, for instance, a ring. Nevertheless, a silver tiara still has a certain price, given that it often takes quite many hours to construct. Unlike the wildly cheap (mass-produced in Farawayland) ones made from inferior materials, a Castens tiara has been in my human hands all the way through. In my workshop, here in the King's Copenhagen.
Over the years, a number of different tiaras have accumulated, which can broadly be divided into two categories: constructed from lines or elements.
Lately, I've actually started experimenting with a completely mix-and-match concept with a range of different ready-made elements that can be combined in many different ways. It came about from a wild project where an American personality development guru asked me to create personalised tiaras for her students who were about to graduate. In close collaboration with the individual participants, a whole series of individual tiaras emerged from this collaboration. Some perhaps more successful than others, but certainly each one unique!
Empire
This is my favourite diadem from this series, crafted from silver with white topazes and freshwater pearls. See a video of the process. here.
Here are some (but by no means all) of the tiaras I have created over the years.
At the end of the article, you'll find various tips for wearing, caring for, and storing your tiara. Enjoy!
Adorabella
Created for the 2016 Guild Display from 14k white gold with diamonds and Tahitian pearls. As the only one of my tiaras to date, it can be detached from its base, mounted on a chain and worn as a necklace.
The tiara is part of a whole range of different earrings, pendants and rings, which I have also made from silver or yellow gold – depending on my customers' wishes. Watch a video about the project here.
When I showed the diadem to Princess Benedikte, who is the patron of the exhibition, and told her it could be taken apart, she commented, as only she can: ”It's also so practical when you're travelling that your tiara can be packed a bit flat.” Yes, I know it. EVERY time I travel with a tiara ???? Find the tiara here (as one of the few, it is still for sale).
Infinity
This tiara with an infinity symbol was created as a wedding tiara for a German woman who provided the beautiful, subtly pink morganites herself. In its shape, it is somewhat reminiscent of the classic ”fringe” tiaras that we have seen on many royal heads for over 100 years.
Celebration
Of silver with freshwater pearls and diamonds. The asymmetrical design is a cross between a tiara and a headband. It can be worn on top of the head or as a ”bandeau”, Gatsby style, across the forehead.
Le Fey
A fairly light tiara, of long, slender silver lines with white topazes, which can also be worn in several different ways. When my customer saw it and fell in love with it, she asked me to gild it for her, so that it would match the jewellery she had planned to wear on her wedding day. I don't normally work with gilding, but in this case it made good sense, so I was happy to fulfil that wish for her.
Lovely Leaves
A light and not too large diadem created for the exhibition ”The City of Jewellery” organised by the Goldsmiths” Guild in 2019, where the theme was ”Worthy of a Queen". So I naturally had to create a diadem, didn't I? It is constructed from silver leaves, with 18k gold beads, set with diamonds, and adorned with drop-shaped freshwater pearls. Find and buy the diadem here.
Celtic
A simple diadem with a cabochon-cut green peridot (included). Like the Celebration, it can be worn either on the forehead or on top of the head, depending on how you turn it.
Alanna
A silver diadem with white topazes, inspired by the pattern on the American bride's lavish dress.
Princess
Naturally, a real princess crown was also needed, Miamaja-style. It is made of silver with white topazes and movable freshwater pearls, and is, for once, gilded. My daughter wore it splendidly to the Fantasy Festival in Esbjerg.
Samara
One of my very early diadems in silver with amethysts. Here I took the time to film the process, and it remains my most viewed. Video on YouTube!
Wave
Clearly related to Samara, but a bit smaller and with a single movable drop that gives it life.
Mermaid
Of silver with various shades of blue topaz and diamonds. The inspiration is almost self-evident, but this tiara actually had a previous incarnation with some tall swirls with moving drops of sky blue topaz. For this, I had looked to the tiara that Audrey Hepburn wore in the film My Fair Lady, which was dripping with moving diamonds. However, I thought that was perhaps a little too exotic for the Danish market and therefore chose to remove this feature.
This is the third and final tiara that is still available at the jeweller's. Find it online here.
”How do you keep coming up with it?”
It's always amusing when I'm asked that question, because the reality is that I have FAR more ideas than time to bring them to life. I love working with the grand tiaras, but they take time and also need to be fitted to the individual's head, so I usually settle for just drawing them...
Here are some sketches for tiaras, which probably won't ever come to anything, but which could be absolutely fantastic to see in real life.
The Sorcerer's Eye – an illustration of a very specific tiara that plays a crucial role in Simon Zander's ”Sonnet trilogy”The final part is released in autumn 2026, and in celebration of the release, he asked me to create the illustration here in the form of a gouache (a special type of opaque watercolour), which is somewhat more time-consuming than the coloured pencil drawings I normally work with. I look forward to reading about the diadem's significance in part 3 for the world that Simon so beautifully describes.
Practical tips
Make your tiara float – and stay put
Have you ever wondered how it is that royal tiaras almost seem to float above the hair? It's down to a rather simple trick: a tiara is almost always built on a base – a bit like a headband, which is what rests on the head. If you wrap this band itself with a velvet ribbon the same colour as your own hair, you achieve two things:
- The diadem appears to float
- Sometimes tiaras are heavy – especially if they are made of gold or platinum, and that can be uncomfortable for long periods. The velvet ribbon acts as a buffer and makes the tiara much more pleasant to wear all evening.
Many tiaras have small combs at the end of the band. This can be a neat solution for making them stay in place. But especially if it's heavy, it's rarely enough – certainly not if there's going to be dancing later on! Such a spinning sensation can cause even the most careful styling to come undone a bit... Therefore, my tiaras essentially have a small loop at the end of the band, where you can attach a fabric elastic band (again: in the same colour as your hair), which goes behind the head and can be secured with further hairpins before being hidden in the hairstyle.
Caring for your tiara
If you've embarked on creating a genuine diadem, how do you take care of it? If it's made of gold (regardless of colour) or platinum, it won't change. Here, it's solely important to keep it in its box so that it doesn't risk being crushed out of shape.
If your tiara is made of silver, the biggest challenge is that silver tarnishes or ”oxidises” when not in use. Then it becomes dull and grey. And let's face it: no matter how much of a "princess for everyday" you are, it's rarely worn daily. Therefore, it's wisest to store the tiara in a ziplock bag, preferably with an anti-tarnish strip. Make sure to remove as much air from the bag as possible, perhaps by simply sucking it out before closing the bag and placing it in the box. No, it's not very aesthetic, but it will save you from having to clean your tiara for a much longer time.
And how does one do that? Best with a ”blue bath” from Sambol, which we dragonflies often use to clean silver jewellery. Find it here. However, quite a bit is required to be able to dip an entire tiara. But you can fill the liquid into a shallow bowl and then bathe a section – a little at a time. Hold it in the liquid until the silver has become bright again, no longer. Rinse in plenty of clean water and then use an impregnated polishing cloth (find it here) to make the silver shiny again.
If there are pearls in the tiara, they are not particularly fond of this bath, so make it as short as possible. If these have become a bit dull, you can give your tiara a new bath, consisting of hair conditioner dissolved in water. Let it sit for about 10 minutes before rinsing and drying with a soft cloth, and the pearls will have a bit more life again.
Do you feel inspired now to get your very own tiara?
You are of course welcome to a design meeting at the goldsmith's. Book a time for a design meeting right here:
But if it's a bit outside your reach, you can also have fun drawing your dream tiara and gluing it onto a headband. Incidentally, this is a historically accurate way that jewellers of the past tested a design on a customer's head. You can find a PDF template right here. Have a really good time!
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