Retracing the evolution of Miss Universe crowns by means of the years

The queen who wears the Miss Universe crown shall bear its weight — particularly its longstanding historical past in the case of empowering girls.

For the reason that pageant’s institution in 1952, there have been 12 crowns that symbolize the essence of a lady at her rawest type. Every crown represents royalty that stood the take a look at of time, in addition to the illustration of the profitable delegate’s grace and sweetness. 

Permit us to revisit the historical past of the Miss Universe crowns from previous to current:

The Romanov Imperial nuptial crown (1952 to 1953)

The Romanov Imperial nuptial crown, worn by Armi Kuusela of Finland in 1952, comes from a royal bloodline because it was owned by a Russian czar. The pageant’s crown was stated to be composed of 1,500 diamonds, together with 320 cushion reduce diamonds weighing roughly 182 carats, in response to a report from gemology web site Marie Bettely. 

The crown was additionally believed to have been worn by former empress consort Alexandra Feodorovna on her wedding ceremony day to Nicholas II of Russia. 

The Christiane Martel crown (1953 to 1954)

The Romanov Imperial nuptial crown was changed by the metallic bronze headpiece within the following yr, which was worn by Christiane Martel of France. Much like its predecessor, the French lass was the one Miss Universe winner to put on its second crown. 

The Christiane Martel crown didn’t have any crystals, gems, or rhinestones in contrast to the opposite pageant headpieces. As an alternative, it includes a stable design within the form of a crown.

The Star of the Universe crown (1954 to 1960)

Weighing at 1.25 kilos, the Star of the Universe crown was the primary headpiece to be designed particularly for Miss Universe. The crown consists of roughly 1,000 oriental cultured and black pearls set in stable gold and platinum; and is alleged to be valued at $500,000 (P27.4 million).

The Star of the Universe crown was worn by Miriam Stevenson of United States (1954), Hillevi Rombin of Sweden (1955), Carol Morris of United States (1956), Gladys Zender of Peru (1957), Luz Marina Zuluaga of Colombia (1958), Akiko Kojima of Japan (1959), and Linda Bement of United States (1960).

The Woman Rhinestone crown (1961 to 1962)

The Miss Universe Group (MUO) wished to have a particular crown to commemorate its tenth anniversary thus the delivery of the Woman Rhinestone crown in 1961. The crown is adorned utterly with rhinestones in addition to a big star within the middle. This piece marks the primary time {that a} rhinestone crown was launched to the general public.

Solely two Miss Universe titleholders had the privilege of carrying the rhinestone crown, particularly, Marlene Schmidt of Germany (1961) and Norma Nolan of Argentina (1962).

The Sarah Coventry crown (1963 to 1972)

Maybe, the pageant’s most well-known crown is the headpiece designed by world-renowned jeweler Sarah Coventry in 1963. It was answerable for the pageant crown’s well-known design — that includes a feminine determine holding a scepter. 

Miss Universe 1963 Ieda Maria Vargas of Brazil was the primary winner to make use of the crown, adopted by Corinna Tsopei of Greece (1964), Apasra Hongsakula of Thailand (1965), Margareta Arvidsson of Sweden (1966), Sylvia Hitchcock of United States (1967), Martha Vasconcellos of Brazil (1968), Marisol Malaret of Puerto Rico (1970), Georgina Rizk of Lebanon (1971), and Kerry Anne Wells of Australia (1972).

The Philippines’ personal Gloria Diaz additionally wore the Sarah Coventry headpiece when she was topped in 1969.

The Chandelier crown (1973 to 2001)

A barely altered model of the Sarah Coventry crown, the MUO launched the Chandelier headpiece in 1973. The unique crown was altered to accommodate the completely different head sizes of the profitable queens. 

The primary Miss Universe titleholder to put on the altered Sarah Coventry crown was the Philippines’ Margie Moran in 1973, and was final worn by Denise Quiñones of Puerto Rico in 2001. The crown was changed by the Mikimoto crown in 2002, which marked the tip of custom.

Notable winners who additionally had the privilege of carrying the crown have been Dayanara Torres of Puerto Rico (1993), Sushmita Sen of India (1994), Wendy Fitzwilliam of Trinidad and Tobago (1998), and Lara Dutta of India (2000).

The Mikimoto crown (2002 to 2007; 2017 to 2018)

The Mikimoto crown marks the primary headpiece created underneath a sponsorship deal, which was designed by Japanese jeweler Mikimoto. The crown consists of roughly 500 diamonds of just about 30 carats and 120 South Sea and Akoya pearls in numerous sizes.

The headpiece was described by the MUO as a “phoenix rising” which symbolizes standing, energy, and sweetness. Regardless of the crown’s intricate design, it was thought of to be a supply of “unhealthy luck” by some pageant followers. Months after being topped with this piece, Oxana Federova of Russia was the primary winner to be dethroned. 

Federova, Justine Pasek of Panama (2002), Amelia Vega of Dominican Republic (2003), Jennifer Hawkins of Australia (2004), Natalie Glebova of Canada (2005), Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto Rico (2006), and Riyo Mori of Japan (2007) have been a number of the titleholders who wore the crown.

The Mikimoto design made a quick comeback in 2017 the place Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters of South Africa received. Her successor, Philippines’ Catriona Grey, additionally had the excellence of carrying the crown in 2018.

The CAO Fantastic Jewellery crown (2008)

The CAO Fantastic Jewellery crown was worn as soon as by Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza of Venezuela. Designed by Vietnamese jeweler CAO Fantastic Jewellery, the cognac-colored crown consists of 18-carat white and yellow gold and roughly 1,000 treasured stones.

The Peace crown (2009 to 2013)

The Peace crown, designed by Diamond Nexus Labs, was first launched by the MUO as an eco-friendly crown in 2009. The dramatic headpiece consists of roughly 1,300 gems, 14K and 18K white gold, and platinum; in addition to rubies that signify the pageant’s HIV/AIDS schooling and consciousness trigger.

Stefania Fernandez of Venezuela was the primary titleholder to put on the crown in 2009, adopted by Ximena Navarrete of Mexico (2010), Leila Lopes of Angola (2011), Olivia Culpo of United States (2012) and lastly, Gabriela Isler of Venezuela in 2013.

The DIC crown (2014 to 2016)

One other well-liked crown amongst pageant followers, the Diamond Worldwide Company (DIC) crown is harking back to the Manhattan skyline as homage to the house of the MUO. The headpiece was designed by the DIC, and is described as an emblem of magnificence, stability, confidence, and the facility of girls. 

Solely three Miss Universe titleholders had the privilege of carrying the crown together with Paulina Vega of Colombia in 2014, Pia Wurtzbach of the Philippines in 2015, and France’s Iris Mittenaere in 2016.

The Energy of Unity crown (2019 to 2022)

A recognizable crown amongst pageant newbies, the Energy of Unity crown was designed by Lebanese jewellery firm Mouawad. The golden headpiece, valued at $5 million (P274 million) has been worn by Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa in 2019, Andrea Meza of Mexico in 2020, and present titleholder Harnaaz Sandhu of India.

The Drive for Good crown (2022)

A month earlier than the 71st Miss Universe, the MUO revealed the brand new “Drive for Good” crown created by Mouawad at an unveiling ceremony. The intricate headpiece follows a rippling wave design and consists of 110 carats of blue sapphires and 48 carats of white diamonds. — JMS

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