When Rose Queen Ashley Moreno travels down Colorado Boulevard on New Year's morning, two security guards will walk alongside her float, not so much to protect the teenage queen, but to ensure the safety of the $100,000 crown perched on her head.
After nearly a century of rhinestones and cubic zirconia, the 2005 Rose Queen will be crowned with diamonds and pearls, handpicked by jewelers who just don't get that many chances these days to build a royal headpiece -- unless "Miss Universe" counts.
Jeweler Mikimoto, which claims the Japanese royal family on its crown resume, took on the challenge of designing a crown that will be seen across the globe by more than 350 million people. It may be only 15 seconds of TV fame. But it's enough of a publicity pop for Mikimoto to spend $370,000 on the crown and six matching tiaras for the princesses.
Among the crown requirements: It must be large enough to catch the eye from afar. Its weight must not cause head cramps. It must be delicate and youthful looking, yet sturdy enough to withstand travel.
And, as part of the company's sponsorship agreement with the Tournament of Roses, it will be the first crown not to be stored at the Wrigley Mansion, tournament headquarters. Instead, the crown and tiaras will go on the road after New Year's, visiting four Mikimoto stores in the U.S.
The crown contract specifies that at least four more Rose Queens must wear the Mikimoto crown.
A team of designers and jewelers in New York and Japan began working last June, studying Rose Parade history before settling on a design. The Tournament has retired crowns sporadically, using some for only a year, others for a decade or more.
In 1939, the Art Deco rhinestone crown was treated like a souvenir, broken down after the parade into bracelets, brooches and a stickpin for the queen, princesses and the tournament president. The crown used from 1987 to 1992 featured a design of rhinestone-studded roses.
"I noted a lot of them are very big," said chief Mikimoto designer Amy Kim-Araneo. "Everything was rhinestone, feathers."
An early Mikimoto design featured the parade's trademarked rose logo. But Tournament officials nixed that one. "We felt like it kind of cheapened it," said Tournament spokeswoman Caryn Eaves.
They like to describe the new version as simply classic, with overlapping lines and a lot of movement. Kim-Araneo said she wanted it to have a "sweeping sash look, with a little swoop ... and a lot of dangle."
