A Feast of Fringes

Of all the popular tiara designs the most prolific is the fringe.
Also known as the sunray, the fringe tiara probably had its roots
back in Ancient Greece where kings and priest wore gold crowns
shaped like the rays of the sun to denote their divinity or
special affinity with the solar deity.

The typical design for a fringe tiara consists of spiked
bars of graduate size, divided with bee-like barbs.
Examples of this design:

Left: Hanover fringe tiara (Great Britain)
Center: Princess Mary's fringe tiara
Right: Habsburg fringe tiara (Liechtenstein)



More fringes:
Left: Thai fringe tiara
Center: Greek fringe tiara
Right: Archduchess Gabrielle's fringe tiara



Besides being the most common, fringe tiaras are also versatile -
transforming from tiara to necklace to corsage ornament to belt.
Left: Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden wearing the Baden fringe
Center: Princess Charlotte of Monaco wearing a diamond fringe
Right: Mecklenburg-Schwerin fringe tiara



It was customary for brides of the Russian Imperial Family
to receive a fringe tiara as a wedding gift. Known as a
kokoshnik, meaning a cockscomb, the design was adapted from
the costume of a Russian peasant girl.

Left: Empress Marie Feodorovna
Center: Queen Alexandrine of Denmark wearing a Russian fringe
Right: Queen Alexandra wearing her 25th wedding anniversary gift



Fringe derivatives:
Left: Queen Mary wearing the Surrey fringe
Center: Duchess of Kent
Right: Princess Madeleine of Sweden



More fringe derivatives:
Left: Queen Noor of Jordan
Center: Queen Rania of Jordan
Right: Empress Michiko of Japan