Circlet

A circlet is a piece of headwear that is similar to a diadem or a corolla.^[1][2][3] The word 'circlet' is also used to refer to the base of a crown or a coronet, with or without a cap.^[4][5] Diadem and circlet are often used interchangeably,^[6] and 'open crowns' with no arches (as opposed to 'closed crowns') have also been referred to as circlets.^[7] In Greek this is known as stephanos, and in Latin as corona aperta, although stephanos is associated more with laurel wreaths and the crown of thorns said to have been placed on the head of Jesus.^[8]

Heraldic circlet

 

Arms of the Lord Grey of Codnor, CBE

In heraldry, a circlet of an order of knighthood may be placed around the shield of the bearer to signify membership of a particular order. In British heraldry, this pertains to the grades of Commander and above (i.e. Knight Commander and Knight Grand Cross).

See also

• Achievement (heraldry)
• Tiara

References

1. Iorwerth Eiddon Stephen Edwards (1976). Tutankhamun's Jewelry. Egypt: Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-87099-155-4.
2. John Steane (2003). The Archaeology of the Medieval English Monarchy. Routledge. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-134-64159-8.
3. Albert Barnes (1859). Notes Explanatory and Practical on the Book of Revelation. Harper & brothers. p. 246.
4. Nicholas Carlisle (1813). A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland, and of the Islands in the British Seas. G. and W. Nicol and Bell and Bradfute. p. 482.
5. Francis Joseph Baigent; Charles James Russell (1864). A Practical Manual of Heraldry and of Heraldic Illumination: With a Glossary of the Principal Terms Used in Heraldry. G. Rowney. pp. 39–40.
6. Edward Francis Twining (1967). European Regalia. Batsford. p. 66. ISBN 9787410002039.
7. A Lady (1840). Anecdotes, Personal Traits, and Characteristic Sketches of Victoria the First. William Bennett. p. 547.
8. Chris Woodall (2015). Atonement: God's Means of Effecting Man's Reconciliation. Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 173. ISBN 978-1-4982-0795-9.