How Miss Universe crown keeps its sheen through changing times
The Miss Universe fever is on as the coronation night of the prestigious beauty pageant’s 71st edition draws near.
The Miss Universe 2022 will take place at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, on January 14, 2023 (January 15, Sunday, in the Philippines).
The recent preliminaries gave viewers a glimpse of the 84 contending beauty queens from all over the world.
Filipinos, of course, are rooting and praying for the country’s bet Celeste Cortesi to take home the coveted crown.
A victory by Celeste would give the Philippines its fifth Miss Universe title.
Regardless of the outcome, what is certain is that one among the beautiful contestants will have the Miss Universe crown on her head for the world to see.
The crown is hers alone to keep and wear throughout her one-year reign before relinquishing the throne to her successor.
Since its inception, the Miss Universe crown has been the ultimate symbol of the pageant’s unwaning sheen.
It has a rich and colorful history as the pageant itself.
Here’s a look at the crown’s evolution over the years, and how its changes reflect the times and milestones of the Miss Universe pageant and the organization behind it.
Passed down from royalty
The first Miss Universe pageant held in 1952 in Long Beach, California U.S.A. saw the participation of 30 candidates from around the world.
Armi Kuusela from Finland won the competition to become the pageant’s inaugural titleholder.
She wore the Romanov Imperial Nuptial Crown originally owned by the Russian monarchy.
An estimated 1,535 glittering diamonds adorned the crown carrying a staggering $500,000 insurance.
Trivia: Armi Kuusela chose to relinquish her Miss Universe title in 1953 to marry Virgilio Hilario, a Filipino businessman and hotelier, whom she met during a trip to Baguio.
“Unusual” crown
Taking the place of the “Romanov Imperial Nuptial Crown” the next year was the “Metal Bronze Crown.”
Christiane Martel from France wore the crown after the Miss Universe pageant in 1953.
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Dubbed the “unusual” crown, the headpiece was unremarkable in the eyes of some pageant observers for its lack of rhinestones or crystals.
The crown’s less glamorous appearance was a departure from the Romanov Imperial Nuptial Crown used from the previous year.
Needless to say, the Metal Bronze Crown’s reign as the official Miss Universe headpiece was short-lived.
Back to glam
The Miss Universe pageant paraded a new crown for its 1954 edition.
Featuring a star-shaped design, the crown was adorned with 1,000 black and cultured pearls to go with platinum and gold materials.
The Star of the Universe crown had an estimated value of $500,000, weighed 1.25 pounds, and was first worn by Miss USA Miriam Stevenson.
The dazzling crown was used until the Miss Universe pageant in 1960.
The 10th-anniversary crown
The Miss Universe pageant introduced a new crown to mark its 10th-anniversary milestone.
The Rhinestone Crown was designed with a star icon to go with its large rhinestone gem.
German beauty queen Marlene Schmidt donned the crown after winning Miss Universe in 1961.
Norma Nolan from Argentina would wear the crown the following year.
Made by Sarah Coventry
Celebrated jewelry brand Sarah Coventry would reinvent the pageant’s crown in 1963.
A female figure with a scepter was the distinct feature of the rhinestone-adorned headpiece called The Queen’s Crown.
Brazilian Ieda Maria Vargas was the first Miss Universe titlist to wear the crown in 1963.
In 1969, Gloria Diaz donned The Queen’s Crown when she made history as the first Miss Universe bet from the Philippines.
The Lady Crown
Modifications were made to The Queen’s Crown in 1973.
Some called the modified crown The Lady Crown while others referred to it as The Chandelier Crown.
The headpiece was first worn by Margie Moran from the Philippines during the Miss Universe 1973 held in Athens, Greece.
The Lady Crown served as the official Miss Universe crown until 2001, with Denise Quinones from Puerto Rico being the last titleholder to wear the dazzling headpiece.
Crown sponsorship era
In 2002, the Miss Universe organizer opened its door to crown sponsorship.
The Mikimoto Company from Japan was the first jewelry sponsor of the Miss Universe pageant.
The Japanese brand, out to impress, decked the crown with 500 pieces of 30-carat colorless diamonds and 120 South Sea and Akoya pearls.
Depicting a rising phoenix, the Mikimoto Crown symbolized power, status, and beauty.
The first to wear the crown was Oxana Fedorova from Russia in 2002. She was dethroned after 119 days and was replaced by Panama bet Justine Pasek.
Riyo Mori from Japan was the last to don the crown in 2007.
Skeptics theorized that Mikimoto and the Miss Universe head honchos conspired to ensure Riyo’s victory as a way to end their partnership on a high note.
However, no proof or evidence proved this speculation, which to this day has remained just that, a hearsay.
Made in Vietnam
Next to sponsor the Miss Universe crown was the CAO Fine Jewelry from Vietnam.
The stunning crown was adorned with 18-carat white and yellow gold and over 1,000 precious stones ranging from white diamonds, cognac diamonds, morganite gemstones, and smoky quartz crystals.
The crown had an estimated value of $120,000 and was made to represent Vietnam’s culture and thriving economy.
Venezuela’s Dayana Mendoza was bestowed the crown as winner of Miss Universe 2008.
However, Dayana insisted on wearing the Mikimoto crown instead during the Miss Universe 2009 pageant when she relinquished her throne to fellow Venezuelan Stefanía Fernández.
ECO-FRIENDLY CROWN
Glamorous and eco-friendly? The Peace Crown unveiled in 2009 combined both these elements in keeping with the times.
The crown created by Diamond Nexus Labs was fitted with synthetic stone materials and rubies at the center.
Adorned with 1,371 gemstones and 14k and 18k white gold and platinum, the less glittery Peace Crown was not ignored and stood out on its own beside its glitzy predecessors.
Miss Universe 2009 Stefania Fernandez of Venezuela was the first to don this crown.
The Peace Crown was used in the pageant until 2013.
This regal, towering crown was the same crown worn by Pia Wurtzbach from the Philippines during her reign as Miss Universe 2015.
Mikimoto Crown makes a comeback
Speaking of Catriona, a piece of the crown fell off in the middle of her homecoming parade in Cubao, Quezon City, on February 24, 2019.
Catriona said in a video on Facebook days after the parade, “Guys, I have a confession, the Mikimoto has seen better days as a result of my dancing.
“I’m so sorry.One of the things I love most about the parade is they’d have this moving parade.
“A moving band, they have drums and it makes me want to dance, so end up dancing although I am not a very good dancer.”
As for the broken crown, Catriona assured, “Don’t worry! It’ll be fixed in no time.”
Most expensive pageant crown
Taking over Mikimoto in 2019 was the Lebanese jewelry brand Mouawad.
The crown featured a golden canary diamond and has a staggering value of $5 million.
Dubbed the “Power of Unity,” the crown symbolizes ambition, diversity, community, and beauty.
Zozibini Tunzi from South Africa was the first Miss Universe titleholder to wear it in 2019, followed by Mexico’s Andrea Meza in 2020.
The Power of Unity crown is currently in the possession of Miss Universe 2021 titleholder Harnaaz Sandhu from India.
Second-generation Mouawad crown
The year 2022 dawned a new era for the prestigious global pageant with the entry of the JKN Global Group led by Thai transgender woman billionaire Anne Jakrajutatip as its new owner.
A new crown named Force for Good—made still by Mouawad—was unveiled in Bangkok, Thailand, on December 19, 2022.
The crown depicts the future and the limitless potential of women from across the world.
The Force for Good crown features 48 carats of white diamonds, 110 carats of blue sapphires, and a 45.14-carat royal blue sapphire at the center, and has a value of $6 million.
Who will be the first Miss Universe titleholder to wear this new crown? We will soon find out.
News Philippines today at https://philtoday.info/
