From the early 20th century onwards, Jean-Francois Cartier, the jeweler of kings and the king of jewelers, has had ties to royal families and aristocracy worldwide. More than just a jeweler, Cartier’s history is full of innovation and royal sophistication. Cartier was the first person to successfully use platinum in jewelry making and because of this expertise, he became the pioneer jeweler in the occidental world at the time. From the prince of wales, the future kind Edward the VII, and the grand duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia to Jagatjit Singh, the Maharaja of Kapurthla Cartier has been the official supplier to the world’s most powerful dynasties, having been awarded 15 royal patents from 1904 to 1939.

For his coronation in 1902, Edward VII ordered 27 tiaras and issued a royal warrant to Cartier in 1904. Similar warrants soon followed from the courts of Spain, Portugal, Russia, Siam, Greece, Serbia, Belgium, Romania, Egypt, Albania, Monaco, and the House of Orleans.

The most recent appearance of a Cartier tiara was at Kate Middleton and Prince Williams wedding in 2011. At their wedding, the future Duchess of Cambridge chose to wear the Cartier Halo Tiara which was first purchased by the Duke of York, the future King George the VI in 1936 for his wife. With nearly 1,000 diamonds in total, the Halo Tiara with a scroll motif was designed to create a halo of light which has given it its name the Halo Tiara.