Elizabeth Monroe's Amethyst and Gold Tiara

This amethyst and gold tiara was purchased by James Monroe for his wife Elizabeth during his second diplomatic mission to France.The top crescent holds 21 oval amethysts ranging in size from approximately two carats to eight carats. The 36 amethysts along the second row range from .25 to 1 carats. The simple but elegant piece complimented the neoclassical fashions of the period, while conveying the wearer's wealth and high social status.The tiara is part of the collection at the James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library in Fredericksburg, Virginia.