Pearls, Gold and Pasadena Grace: The Enduring Allure of the Rose Court’s Magnificent Crowns

When Serena Hui Guo accepted her title as the 2026 Rose Queen on the steps of Tournament House earlier this week, all eyes were on her — and on the dazzling emblem that has come to define Pasadena royalty for more than a century.

Weighing nearly three pounds and valued at about $400,000, the handcrafted Rose Queen crown is both masterpiece and heirloom — adorned with 600 Japanese Akoya pearls, 10 Australian South Sea pearls and six carats of diamonds, all set in gold.

Created by the famed Japanese jeweler Mikimoto, known as the originator of cultured pearls, the crown has graced Pasadena’s Rose Queens for nearly two decades, linking each Royal Court to generations past in a shimmer of artistry and tradition, according to Candy Carlson, director of communications for the Tournament of Roses.

The crown and matching set of six tiaras worn by the Royal Court took roughly a year to craft by hand, according to Mikimoto spokesperson John Cotter. Valued at about $90,000 each, the tiaras echo the Queen’s design, bringing the total worth of the royal regalia to nearly $1 million.

The Crown’s evolution

The current crown traces its lineage to a 2007 version designed by Amy Kim-Araneo, Mikimoto’s then-director of design and product development. That earlier piece — featuring a three-dimensional ribbon effect with overlapping swirls, graduated-size pearls and a subtle heart motif — weighed just over a pound and was valued at about $100,000.

Since 2019, the crown’s weight has tripled and its valuation has quadrupled, reflecting a reinforced gold framework and updated design while preserving its signature pearl-studded elegance.

Craftsmanship and custodianship

After each Rose Parade, the crown and tiaras return to Mikimoto’s headquarters in Japan for refurbishing. They remain the property of the Tournament of Roses, underscoring that these jewels are symbols of stewardship, not personal keepsakes.

The first Rose Queen to wear a Mikimoto crown was Ashley Moreno in 2005. Several of the crowns have since been displayed at the Pasadena Museum of History’s Pasadena Royals: Rose Queen and Royal Court exhibit, highlighting their intricate design and enduring craftsmanship.

From garland to gold

The Rose Queen’s regalia has come a long way from its humble beginnings. In 1905, Pasadena’s first Rose Queen, Hallie Woods, wore only a hat or floral garland and received about $10 to make her dress.

Before 1935, Rose Queens were expected to provide their own costumes — and even their own roses to decorate their carriages.

By 1939, a rhinestone crown featuring the Tournament’s rose logo was created for Barbara Dougall to commemorate the parade’s 50th anniversary. Beautiful but unwieldy, it weighed nearly five pounds. The cultured-pearl crown that followed balanced refinement with comfort— a standard that endures today.

The weight of representation

As Queen Serena begins her reign, she wears much more than a crown of gold and pearls. She carries the continuity of a civic tradition that has endured for generations — the elegance of artistry, the pride of Pasadena and the enduring shimmer of its most luminous symbol.