Part of Verdura's Museum Collection, the yellow gold and platinum tiara designed by Fulco di Verdura as a feather headdress is composed of 36 leaves, set with 1,223 diamonds weighing 28.32 carats.

In 1957, American socialite and philanthropist Betsey Cushing Whitney commissioned Verdura to design a tiara for her to wear at the presentation of her husband, Ambassador John Hay Whitney, at the Court of St. James.

The Met Ball marks the first time the tiara has been worn since its 1957 debut for Queen Elizabeth II.

In lieu of the customary practice of renting a tiara in London it was important to Mrs. Whitney to represent American design and craftsmanship. The tiara, designed by Fulco di Verdura, was made in New York City workshops.

Tiara inspiration: "The Indian Headdress design had become an American symbol of freedom, made iconic by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the sculptor who designed the $10 gold coin in 1907 featuring the head of Lady Liberty wearing a war bonnet."

The tiara has previously been shown at museums around the world including: "Jewels, Gems, and Treasures: Ancient to Modern," Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, July 19, 2011 - June 1, 2014, "The Power of Style: Verdura at 75," Verdura Flagship, October 14 - December 23, 2014, and "Allegories of America," The New York Historical Society, April 29 - November 13, 2017.

The Costume Institute’s 2022 spring exhibition, In America: An Anthology of Fashion—the second of a two-part presentation—will explore the foundations of American fashion through a series of sartorial displays featuring individual designers and dressmakers who worked in the United States from the 19th to the mid-late 20th century.