The Tiaras of Queen Katherine Parr

The purpose of a crown or tiara has always been, to portray the wearer as someone special, someone ordained by the gods. Those origins are as ancient as society itself, and every culture had some form of headdress or crown. The term `tiara' originates in ancient Persia, where only the king was allowed to tie his tiara up so that it stood erect. It was tall and conical in shape and richly ornamented with jewels. Later papal tiaras had a similar shape.
Tiaras can be traced back to antiquity when they crowned heads of royal mummies in ancient Egypt, and Grecian goldsmiths created them for statues of their Gods and priests. The Greeks awarded tiaras to the victors of contests, and people of high rank wore them at special occasions. The Romans also adopted the tiara, and used it to denote rank and honour. In Napoleonic times, tiaras which were made for women of the court were inspired by ancient Rome, designs being symmetrical and simple, with decorative elements such as laurel and olive leaves.