The Pahlavis were the last royal dynasty to rule Iran before the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi ushered in a new era of modernisation with his third wife, Empress Farah, who became a powerful symbol of this shift. Known as ‘The Jackie Kennedy of Iran’, she embraced Western fashion and ideals and used the crown jewels to showcase the supposed progress and dazzling wealth of the newly christened Imperial State of Iran
Upon her marriage to the Shah of Iran in 1959, Farah Diba received a collection of extraordinary new jewels commissioned especially for her. The Iranian treasury, a repository of gemstones amassed over centuries by previous rulers, provided the raw materials. These precious stones were entrusted to the renowned American jeweler, Harry Winston, who crafted the tiara and other pieces for the newly crowned Empress.
Crafted in platinum, the tiara’s foundation is a bed of baguette-cut diamonds. The next layer features two asymmetrical rows of 294 pink, yellow, and white diamonds . The tiara’s dramatic apex is a cluster of seven extraordinary emeralds, each set within its own diamond frame. The Emeralds exact measurements are as follows:
Emeralds from left to right :
Oval cabochon, 16 x 15mm, 10 carats, Oval cabochon 19x 18mm, 18 carats , Round cabochon 25 x 24 mm, 44 carats, Centre stone oval step-cut, 20 x 28 mm, 65 carats, Oval cabochon 26 x 25 mm 48 carats, Round cabochon 20 x 20 mm 24 carats, Round cabochon. 15 mm, 10 carats.
As the Shah proceeded with his White Revolution, Farah’s role in Iran as the Empress was first limited to traditional ceremonial roles, but that would later change. She would become involved in government affairs that interested her and soon be the patron of 24 organisations with the themes of health, education and culture. Her importance and role were solidified when her husband, the Shah, named her regent if he were to die before their son reached his 21st birthday.
Determined to showcase Iran as a modern nation, the Shah embarked on a series of high-profile diplomatic visits to allied countries throughout the 1960s. Empress Farah was accompanied her husband on these trips.
She paired the tiara with an historical emerald and diamond necklace, the gemstones once belonging to Empress Eugenie & Queen Ena of Spain.
France 1961
The United States 1962
Canada 1965
West Germany 1967
In 1971 The Shah and Empress Farah had assembled a global gathering of royalty and world leaders in Tehran to commemorate the 2,500th anniversary of Cyrus the Great. This grand event was a celebration of Iranian heritage on a world stage. For the historic parade at Persepolis, Farah chose to wear The Seven Emerald Tiara.
However, the Islamic Revolution of 1979 forced Empress Farah and the royal family into exile. She maintains that she left the jewels behind as she considered them the property of the Iranian people. Since the 1990s, the Seven Emerald Tiara and the rest of the crown jewels have been on public display at the National Jewels Treasury within Iran’s Central Bank.