Today marks the 130th Anniversary of the Birth of Queen Nazli of Egypt, who was born on this day in 1894. The accomplished Aristocrat who became the first Egyptian Queen and the mother of the last King, Queen Nazli possessed a specular jewellery collection, the highlight of which was her Van Cleef & Arpels Tiara!
Van Cleef & Arpels Tiara | Diamond Tiara | Van Cleef & Arpels Diamond Necklace
In 1939, Queen Mother Nazli of Egypt commissioned a new Diamond Parure from Van Cleef & Arpels to celebrate the Wedding of her daughter, Princess Fawzia of Egypt, to the Shah of Iran, when she also ordered another Van Cleef & Arpels Parure for her daughter. The Parure included the massive Tiara set with over 700 diamonds and a magnificent Bib Necklace, containing around 600 diamonds, in the Art Deco style with baguette diamonds topped with rows and rows of brilliants.
Queen Nazli first wore the Van Cleef & Arpels Diamond Necklace for the Wedding of her daughter, Princess Fawzia of Egypt, to the future Shah of Iran, before wearing the complete Parure for the Wedding Banquet at the Abdeen Palace in Cairo.
Queen Nazli took her Van Cleef & Arpels Diamond Tiara and Necklace to Tehran, where she first wore the Parure for a Banquet hosted by King Reza Shah of Iran at the White Palace in Tehran, before it was worn for another splendid Gala Banquet.
Through the 1940s, Queen Nazli frequently wore her Van Cleef & Arpels Diamond Tiara and Necklace for portraits and Galas, including the Birthday Galas of her son, King Farouk, as well as other Court Ceremonies.
Queen Nazli also wore the Van Cleef & Arpels Diamond Tiara and Necklace for a series of portraits taken soon before her left Egypt with her jewels and a large sum of money for medical appointments in the United States in 1948. She would never return.
In 1950, Queen Nazli wore her Van Cleef & Arpels Diamond Tiara and Necklace when she presided over the Wedding of her youngest daughter, Princess Fathia, and her political advisor, Riyad Ghali, at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, for which she was exiled by King Farouk and stripped of her allowance, settling in Los Angeles.
By 1975, the former Queen Nazli was forced to Auction much of her Jewellery Collection at Sotheby’s Parke Bernet in New York, with the Van Cleef & Arpels Diamond Tiara fetching $127,500 while the Necklace sold for $140,000. While the Necklace reappeared at Auction in 2015, the current location of the Van Cleef & Arpels Tiara is unknown.
Van Cleef & Arpels Tiara | Diamond Tiara | Van Cleef & Arpels Diamond Necklace
Exquisite tiara and necklaces, beautifully worn by the queens, expresses, princesses.