The Best Royal Diamonds To Swoon Over—According to Social Media Reporter Amanda Matta

There are a plethora of crown jewels and royal diamonds that inspire awe and wonder from royal families around the world. The best of them feature stunning natural diamonds and offer a glimpse into the history of these storied families. The appetite for learning about them has only grown with the sharing of information that comes with the social media age. Amanda Matta, known on TikTok as @matta_of_fact, shares her take on royal fashion and jewelry on the platform and has found a loyal audience with those who, like her, are fascinated by the history and glamour of the royals.

“I love royal jewelry so much because it tells a story, and obviously it’s pretty to look at,” she shares in an exclusive interview with Only Natural Diamonds. “It’s something that not every average person these days can get their hands on. Tiaras especially, because there are such a limited number of people who are ‘allowed’ to wear them historically.” Even the most famous British royal brides like Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle had to get explicit permission from Queen Elizabeth II to wear their wedding-day tiaras. “Now the rules are shifting,” Matta muses. “I’m planning to wear one for my own wedding even though I don’t have a title!” Everyone deserves to feel like a princess on their wedding day.

A History of Royal Diamonds

Matta’s art history background helped fuel her fascination with royals, the jewels they wear, and the history of their diamonds. “Jewelry, precious gems, and precious metals are status symbols throughout history,” she explains. “Originally gold was the status symbol because that was what people could get their hands on in the Middle Ages and in antiquity. And then it turned into pearls in the Renaissance, all the way up to the 1700s, 18th century, and that’s when you started to see the colored gemstones coming in; a lot of times from colonial holdings of these monarchies.”

And once diamond mines came into play as diamond-producing land was colonized by Europe, all bets were off. “First the diamonds came from India, then South America and then finally South Africa, which is when you really start to see them take off on the royals,” Matta explains. “That is the side of the jewels that I think we also have to acknowledge here. It is often a symbol of status but also a symbol of colonialism.”

Diamonds specifically became a hallmark of Queen Mary’s legacy. Known for collecting precious goods and antiquities, she passed down many of these pieces to the next generation, including her granddaughter, the eventual Queen Elizabeth II. “They used to call her Magpie Mary because she loved her jewels so much,” Matta says.

Matta’s Favorite: The Fife Tiara

Matta admits to loving those diamonds just as much as Queen Mary as some of her favorite pieces within the British Crown Jewels are the diamond-studded ones. “The Fife Tiara I think is my number one… it’s just so pretty!” A gift to one of Queen Victoria’s grandchildren for her wedding, the Fife Tiara features nearly 200 carats of natural diamonds, many of them in the unique briolette cut. “That’s the ultimate for me.” Today, it sits on display at Kensington Palace along with other royal diamonds.

Queen Victoria also had an interesting relationship with her diamond jewelry, given her husband, Prince Albert’s affinity for jewels. “[I love] anything that Prince Albert designed for her because that man had really good taste in jewelry,” she laughs. “He loved to shower her with jewelry, but he also designed it himself, which is just so interesting… and very chivalrous.” Husbands and boyfriends take note.

Refurbishing Royal Diamonds

While we love to see these classic pieces passed down through the generations, there’s something just as exciting about old pieces taking new shape for modern times. When we talk about royal jewels, they’re not museum pieces,” explains Matta. “There is this urge to protect these pieces and keep them how they were… but the royal houses still exist, they still operate.”

Queen Mary of Denmark

Matta looks to the Danish royal family as an example of royals who have been able to give their family jewels new life with each new generation. “What sets their royal jewels apart is that they are a living, breathing collection that evolves along with the family.”

“For someone like Queen Mary to take a belt—no one’s going to wear a diamond belt in 2025, right—and turn it into a tiara… I love that, to update it and make it something that she can use.” Queen Mary of Denmark’s new Diamond Rose Bandeau was unveiled late last year and is more minimalist in style compared to other royal tiaras.

Queen Camilla Wore Queen Mary’s Crown to the Coronation of King Charles III

“In the UK there is kind of a taboo about dismantling things and redesigning them,” which probably is a reflection of Queen Elizabeth’s 70-year reign. “Her legacy is so cemented in place so, I think there’s a little bit of [apprehension] around that.”

One redesign that impressed Matta was Queen Camilla’s coronation crown. “They did actually redesign it for her,” not just for fit. They replaced some of the diamonds in the crown, including the controversial Koh-i-Noor diamond and took out four of the arches at the top. “They also renamed it [but] it kind of flew under the radar.” Queen Mary’s Crown became Queen Camilla’s Crown as the Koh-i-Noor was replaced with the Cullinan V, which is usually set as a brooch.

Royal Diamonds Across The Globe

But it’s not just the British royal family with an impressive collection of natural diamond jewels.

Princess Madeleine of Sweden

“The one that I always go to is the Swedish royal family. I love their tiara collection.” With notable ancestors across Europe’s different Empires, the Swedish Royals have acquired some serious bling over the generations. “It was built in a very interesting way, through acquisitions from the French empire that were handed down from Empress Josephine, and pieces that came from the UK through one of Queen Victoria’s granddaughters.”

Matta calls out the Connaught Tiara as one of her favorites. “It’s a loop tiara and it is absolutely beautiful. It’s very delicate, very Edwardian.” But she’s not picky when it comes to their collection. “You could put any of them in front of me and I’d be like ‘Oh yeah that’s my favorite.’”

Queen Noor al Hussein of Jordan

Matta shares that you can find some incredible jewelry collections from beyond Europe as well. “The Jordanian Royals are people who are actively commissioning pieces for the women in their family.” You might recognize the name Queen Noor, who commissioned the Diamond Sunburst Tiara back in the 1970s. “It harkens back to those fringe tiaras from the British royals, but it’s just stunning.”

Next Gen Royal Diamonds

As far as the next generation of diamonds for the British Royals, Matta has some ideas. “For someone like Princess Charlotte, I’m thinking that her first royal jewelry moment… maybe something that belonged to Diana,” she speculates. “She has a pearl and diamond bracelet that Kate has worn, maybe something like that, very low-key.” Given the rules and etiquette around royal jewelry, this prediction makes sense.

“When she does turn 18 [the age British royal women can start wearing tiaras], I’m going to predict that it’s her mom’s wedding tiara, the Cartier Halo.” Kate Middleton wore this tiara at her wedding. “It is understated as far as tiaras go. So I think I can lock that in as my prediction.” Check this space in about 10 years to see if she’s right!

Continue to follow Matta across social platforms as she continues to share her royal jewelry obsession. “The exclusivity of it, the history behind it, it’s the same reasons that I think people are obsessed with royals in general that draw us to the jewelry,” she says. “And the jewelry is sparkly, so there is also that.” And who can resist something as sparkly as a natural diamond?