Every queen needs a crown. For the Miss Universe, no object symbolizes the pageant more than its crown, gloriously worn by the winner as she soaks in the cheers and adulation of the crowd around her.
Since 1952, the Miss Universe had seen a variety of crowns being passed on from one winner to another.
The crown has evolved over the years and pageant aficionados keep a keen eye on the crown as much as the pageant participants.
And why not? The Miss Universe crown can add more glamour and prestige to the winner, who, as part of her official duties, needs to wear the valuable headpiece during official functions throughout her reign.
With that said, we take a look at the evolution of the Miss Universe crown from its 1952 debut up to the present.
The first Miss Universe crown was owned beforehand by the Russian czar. Armi Kuusela from Finland got to wear the crown, which was composed of approximately 1,535 diamonds and insured for $500,000.
Christiane Martel from France got to wear this “unusual” crown. The crown is unique for its lack of crystals or rhinestones, which might also be the reason why it was quickly ditched for a fancier design the following year.
Replacing the metallic bronze model was the crown dubbed the Star of the Universe. The crown featured a star-shaped design at the top plus around 1,000 oriented cultured and black pearls fixed on gold and platinum materials. Its estimated value at the time was a whopping $500,000.
Miriam Stevenson from the USA was the first to wear the crown.
Also called the 10th anniversary crown, this special headpiece was worn by Marlene Schmidt of Germany.
The crown was passed on to Norma Nolan of Argentina the following year.
The Miss Universe organizers tapped esteemed jewelry maker Sarah Coventry to create the pageant's new crown.
The Lady or The Queen's Crown featured a female figure holding a scepter.
Ieda Maria Vargas of Brazil became the first Miss Universe winner to wear the iconic crown in 1963.
Our very own Gloria Diaz donned the crown when she won the pageant in 1969.
The slightly modified Sarah Coventry Crown was introduced in 1973 and was the official Miss Universe crown until 2001.
Margie Moran from the Philippines was the first Miss Universe to wear this version of the crown.
The Miss Universe took on a new direction after this and embraced crown sponsorship to the dismay of some pageant fans.
Mikimoto was the first jewelry sponsor of the Miss Universe pageant.
As for its design, the crown embodied a rising phoenix and fitted with 500 diamonds of almost 30 carats, 120 South Sea and Akoya pearls.
Oxana Fedorova from Russia became the first winner to wear the crown in 2002. Unfortunately, she was dethroned after 119 days and was replaced by Justine Pasek of Panama.
Japan's Riyo Mori was the last Miss Universe titleholder to wear the crown. A conspiracy theory emerged saying that Riyo's victory was part of an agreement between pageant organizers and Mikimoto. No evidence, however, proves that claim.
This crown made by Vietnam's CAO Fine Jewelry was made of 18-carat white and yellow gold plus more than a thousand precious stones.
Venezuela's Dayana Mendoza wore the crown in 2008. She was the first and last Miss Universe to don this crown.
Diamond Nexus Labs designed a crown that was considered eco-friendly because of its synthetic stone materials. The rubies at the center were said to be a nod to the pageant's HIV/AIDS education and awareness campaign.
Miss Universe 2009, Stefania Fernandez of Venezuela, was the first to wear this crown.
Filipino pageant fans are familiar with this crown created by Diamond International Corporation (DIC).
This was the same crown donned by Pia Wurtzbach in controversial fashion in 2015.
Before Pia, Paulina Vega of Colombia had the honor of being the first winner to wear the stunning crown.
The crown was a tribute to the Manhattan skyline and carried an estimated worth of $300,000.
Mikimoto made a comeback with Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters from South Africa donning the crown in 2017.
Catriona Gray from the Philippines inherited the crown when she won the pageant in 2018.
Lebanese-Thai jewelry brand Mouawad created this crown valued at a staggering $5 million.
The crown was first worn by Zozibini Tunzi from South Africa in 2019.
Newly-minted Miss Universe 2020 Andrea Meza from Mexico is the second titlist to don this impressive crown.