Swarovski made the tiara for the 160 debutantes at the Vienna Opera Ball on February 27. This evening, which showcased the waltz and the House’s emblematic crystals, is one of the 500 balls on the Austrian capital’s winter calendar.
February and March don’t just mean cold and rain, they’re also the season of balls in Vienna. Indeed, from November 11 to Shrove Tuesday in February, nearly 500 balls bring the Viennese capital to life. The Vienna Opera Ball is said to contain “the most beautiful ballroom in the world”. But above all, it is the official State Ball of the Republic of Austria.
The jeweler Swarovski has treated itself to a place of honor at the Wiener Opernball, more commonly known as the Vienna Opera Ball: topping the column of debutantes that can be seen from the opening polonaise of the event.
This cultural event, which brings together the legendary tradition of Viennese balls, which began 148 years ago, has been held every year at the Vienna State Opera in its current form since 1935.
An anniversary tiara
Designed by the director of global design at Swarovski since 2020, Giovanna Engelbert, the tiara for the 2025 Vienna Opera Ball features 233 transparent crystals and is inspired by the shape of the swan, the emblem of the House of Austria and the Austrian imperial jewels.
Curved feather-shaped loops, composed of set baguette stones and round stones, surround eight pear-shaped drops of Swarovski crystal. The design is crowned with a solitaire. For the first time, the tiara is accompanied by a matching tie pin, reproducing the central feather, which will be worn by the debutantes’ escorts.
This exceptional piece, worn by the 160 debutantes at the ball, is intended as a tribute to the long-standing partnership between Swarovski and this prestigious cultural event. More than a luxury accessory, the tiara embodies the reinvented tradition of the ball and the Viennese waltz. It also allows the Austrian company to showcase its craftsmanship and anchor it in the present day.
The sparkling tiara is all the more important as this 2025 edition not only marks 130 years of Swarovski but also the bicentenary of the composer Johann Strauss II (1825-1899). The latter is none other than the composer of the most famous waltzes in the Viennese repertoire, such as Wiener Blut (Viennese Blood), The Emperor’s Waltz, The Blue Danube (An der schönen, blauen Donau), Love, Drink and Song (Wein, Weib und Gesang) and Tales from the Vienna Woods (Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald).
75 years of magic
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Featured photo: © Swarovski
