Skip to main content

Feature: Miss Universe crowns through the years


The evolution of the Miss Universe crown


ARMI KUUSELA  -1952
 1952: the Romanoff crown that once belonged to the Russian czar and contained 1,529 flawless diamonds with a combined weight of 300 karats. At the time it was insured for half-a-million dollars.


CHRISTIANNE MARTEL - 1953
1953: the Metallic Bronze crown. Simple yet unique design.

 
MIRIAM STEVENSON - 1955  / AKIKO KOJIMA - 1959
1954-1959: The first official Miss Universe crown. Made of approximately 1,000 Oriental cultured and black pearls set in solid gold and platinum frame.


MARLENE SCHMIDT - 1961  /  NORMA NOLAN - 1962
1960-1961: The first Rhinestone crown (designed to commemorate the 10th Anniversary 
of the pageant)


LINDA BEMENT - 1960
1960: Linda Bement was crowned with the old design (left) but would later wear 
a newer design (right).


IEDA MARIA VARGAS - 1968  /  GLORIA DIAZ - 1969
1962-1969: The rhinestone crown designed with the symbol of the Miss Universe Organization on top (a woman stands holding a scepter) which has become a legendary icon of the pageant.


MARISOL MALARET - 1970  /  BARBARA PALACIOS - 1986  /  DENISE QUIÑONES - 2001
1970-2001: The classic Miss Universe crown designed by Sarah Coventry. Pageant fans dub it as the "chandelier crown".


OXANA FEDOROVA - 2002  / JUSTINE PASEK - 2002  /  RIYO MORI - 2007
2002-2007: The Mikimoto crown, reportedly valued at $250,000. The intricate design depicts the ancient symbol of the phoenix rising, which signifies status, power and the vision of great beauty. The crown contains diamonds and cultured pearls.


DAYANA MENDOZA - 2008
2008: When the pageant was held in Vietnam, the Vietnamese company CAO Fine Jewelry created a special crown for the winner. The crown, valued at $120 thousand dollars, is made of 18K white and yellow gold. It is comprised of over 1,000 precious stones; including 555 white diamonds (30 carats), 375 cognac diamonds (14 carats), 10 smoky quartz crystals (20 carats) and 19 morganite gemstones (60 carats). The colors of the jewels chosen for the crown have great significance. The yellow luster of the gold represents the prosperous thriving economy in Vietnam. White, light pink and cognac are the main hues in the crown which represent inspiration and feeling. Each piece of the crown was designed to represent an important attribute of the Miss Universe Pageant. The curves of inlaid precious stones represent the strong development and potential of each country. The image of the crane (Lac Bird) symbolizes Vietnamese spirit and culture. The image of the heart represents unified breath, rhythm and vision, which are powerful internal forces that stress faith, hope and unity.


STEFANIA FERNANDEZ - 2009
2009 to present: The Peace crown. Since 2009, Diamond Nexus Labs has been crafting the Miss Universe crown and tiara. The crown is set with 1,371 gemstones, weighing a total of 416.09 carats (83.22 g). It contains 544.31 grams of 14k and 18k white gold as well as platinum. The crown features synthetic rubies to represent Miss Universe's HIV/AIDS education and awareness platform. Diamond Nexus Labs is the first ever eco-friendly Official Jeweler of Miss Universe and was selected as part of NBC Universal's "Green is Universal" initiative.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Trans-Identified Male Crowned “Miss Greater Derry 2023,” Takes Home Women’s Scholarship

A local beauty pageant is attracting ample mockery on social media after a trans-identified male was crowned the winner of the competition and awarded a scholarship intended for young women. Brían Nguyen , 19, was awarded the crown in the Miss Greater Derry pageant, held on November 8 in the Greater Derry area of New Hampshire. The competition is a locally-run event under the national Miss America series of pageants. In addition to winning the crown, Nguyen will receive the  Miss Greater Derry Scholarship , a financial award established to support young women. Nguyen, who is male, is a freshman at Nashua Community College majoring in Business Management. After his win, Nguyen wrote on  Facebook : “ I am ecstatic to be the FIRST transgender woman to be a Miss America local titleholder, and I hope to make everyone proud and become the first to walk the Miss America stage. I am Brían Nguyen, your Miss Greater Derry 2023 .” Nguyen had previously announced on Instagram that he has intention

Miss USA Vice-President Max Sebrechts Accused Of Sexual Harassment

IMAGE COURTESY: MISS ACADEMY  Max Sebrechts, the husband of Crystle Stewart, President of Miss USA organization (and formerly Miss USA 2008), has been accused of sexual improprieties by several Miss USA 2021 contestants, according to a YouTube video “Miss USA Scandal?” by Natly Denise, a “truther and pop-culture enthusiast.” You can watch the entire video here: https://youtu.be/8xM2jXL6MXw On her video, Natly displays a screenshot  of an anonymous email sent to the affiliates of IMG/Endeavor including to Paula Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization (MUO). The email was cc’d to Crystle and Michael Hannah (franchise director of Miss USA). The author of the email claims that MUO has been sent substantial evidence of Sebrechts’ sexual predatory behavior and Shugart has known about it for a while but didn’t say anything (obviously to cover it up and to protect Crystle). Natly also displays screenshots of direct messages sent to her by former Miss USA contestants (the names hav

Philippines wins Miss Universe 2015 - but in the most awkward way! / Review of the Telecast

Las Vegas, Nevada – December 20, 2015 – In front of a global audience, Miss Universe Philippines, Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach was crowned Miss Universe 2015 at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The telecast aired live on FOX for the first time ever.      Miss Universe Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach is a Filipino-German actress and model. Pia was born in Stuttgart, Germany and grew up in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines. Pia finished her secondary education with the ABS-CBN Distance Learning Center and studied culinary arts at the Center for Asian Culinary Studies in Metro Manila, Philippines. Pia is currently a stylist and writer for the lifestyle section of a leading newspaper in her country.      Emmy Award winner Steve Harvey hosted the three-hour event with live reporting from Roselyn Sanchez. Grammy Award-winning, multi-Platinum singer and songwriter SEAL, Grammy Award-winning sibling trio The Band Perry, and Golden Globe and Grammy Award-nominated Char