Following six months of exhaustive work, the RM1.8 million Queen of Kilimanjaro tiara by Malaysia jeweller Amee Philips was recently revealed at a presentation ceremony for the upcoming Miss UniWorld 2023. This beauty pageant, which stages its international finals on 11 June at the JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur, will see the winner from a field of 27 finalists vying to be crowned with the tiara consisting of 138 carats of diamonds in a channel setting and 27 tanzanites totalling 125.9 carats elevated on a white gold framework.
“Tanzanites are only found in one place in the world – Tanzania – and they are expected to be mined out in less than 10 years,” says Amee Philips’ gemmologist and executive director Richard Latsch Philips. “To source and select the tanzanites alone took us a month and half to determine the ideal match of size and colour.” The tiara’s name naturally comes from the most famous peak of Africa, the dormant volcano found in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania. Tanzanite is in fact, a direct consequence of the mighty plate tectonics some 585 million years ago which concentrated extreme heat in the area which would later become Mount Kilimanjaro, giving birth to this bluish-violet mineral that is found only in this one mining spot on Earth (an area measuring 14 square kilometres).
Given that this Queen of Kilimanjaro tiara is one of Amee Philips’ most elaborate pieces, the final result is unmistakably breathtaking. The tiara exudes a regal air with its rounded edges embracing the unmistakable violet-blue tanzanites with the largest tanzanite being a 25-carat vivid blue-eye clean beauty situated at the top of the tiara. The radiant hues of the tanzanites are then refracted under light through the scintillation of its surrounding diamonds. The entire production of the Queen of Kilimanjaro is what Amee Philips, the founder of the eponymous jeweller, describes as “an homage to the indomitable spirit of women.” For Philips, the collaboration with Miss UniWorld affirms both parties’ shared commitment to celebrating beauty, strength and empowerment of women.
The genesis of the Miss UniWorld pageant stems from its founding by Malaysian socialite entrepreneur and beauty queen Dato’ Reiss Tiara with aims to support women’s empowerment, local charities and global causes. For its 2023 edition, Miss UniWorld’s CEO Roslan Rosdi raises the bar bringing his unmistakable panache and long experience in organising luxury events. “Those who know me are familiar with how I work with partners to set incredible standards,” Roslan starts, adding, “and with this Queen of Kilimanjaro, I sincerely believe we have the best tiara to crown the winner in the region.”
Among the activities leading up to the international finals are a talent competition on 8 June at KL Tower, and also charity activities aimed at raising funds and support for the National Autism Society of Malaysia and Tasputra Perkim, a non-profit day care centre. This year’s participating finalists are represented by diverse nationalities, consisting of; Malaysia, Georgia, Ukraine, Turkey, Australia, Estonia, China, Iran, Spain, Belarus, Russia, Azerbaijan, England, Czech Republic, The Philippines, Sweden, Hong Kong, Japan, South Africa, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Belgium, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Tajikistan and South Korea. Contestants will be in the running for cash, prizes and gifts totalling US$100,000.
