The delicate tiara consists of two differently-styled tiaras stacked on top of each other. The upper part is a small crescent-shaped tiara with a triple structure of forget-me-nots, Greek meander, and laurel leaf motifs; the lower part can be worn as a choker, set with old-cut and rose-cut diamonds on a slender platinum grid in a lace pattern.
Esperanza Chávarri Aldecoa wearing the Greek Meander Tiara (left).
Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain (right).
This tiara was crafted by Ansorena, one of the most prominent jewelers of his time. He was named "Jeweler and Diamond Dealer of the Crown" in Spain in 1860, for customizing jewelry for King Alfonso XIII and Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain. The Greek meander tiara originally belonged to Esperanza Chávarri Aldecoa, a lady of the Queen, who wore it and had it photographed during the festivities held at the Royal Palace in Madrid in 1920.
Ansorena workshop on Espoz y Mina street in Madrid
The meander pattern is called "Μαίανδρος" in Greek, named after the winding Menderes River (located in present-day Turkey) mentioned by the ancient Greek poet Homer in his epic poem, The Iliad. As a classic motif, the pattern has been widely used in jewelry, architecture, and other fields. Its interlocking shape and infinite extension symbolizes the eternal cycle of perpetual flow of all things.
