Miss Universe Australia is a national beauty pageant that selects Australia's representative at the Miss Universe competition. The Miss Universe 2026 competition is scheduled to be hosted in November in Puerto Rico – and will include 75th anniversary celebrations.
In the lead-up, Miss Universe Australia was hosted at Crown Casino in Melbourne on 27 August. Seven broadcast the competition nationally for the first time, with 28 contestants competing for the title.
The winner was Caity Worthington from Queensland, a medical radiographer who proudly shared her journey of overcoming personal health challenges and injuries to reach the stage.
To signify the victory, Worthington was presented with the customary tiara and this year’s design was inspired by the enchanting Banksia tree leaves and described as an ode to the nation’s wildlife.
For the Australian jewellery industry, however, the story behind the tiara is undoubtedly far more interesting than the spectacle surrounding it. Where, exactly, did that tiara come from?
The answer is the team at Stelios Jewellers in Mount Hawthorn in Perth, which has created the tiaras featured at the Miss Universe Australia event for the past six years.
At the helm is owner Stelios Palioudakis, who describes designing and manufacturing the tiaras as both an extraordinary honour and a significant challenge.
“This year, we wanted to create something that was distinctly Australian and unlike the traditional tiaras often seen on the international stage,” he told Jeweller.
“Rather than following convention, we looked to nature for inspiration and based the design on the iconic Australian Banksia leaf. Its organic form provided a unique design that allowed us to create a tiara that feels elegant, contemporary, and unmistakably Australian.”
The result is a piece that brings together Australian gemstones and precious metals, with natural Australian blue, green, and yellow sapphires set against yellow and white gold. More than 1,100 round brilliant-cut white diamonds add further sparkle, creating what the veteran jeweller describes as a fusion of nature and luxury.
“Given the Australian inspiration behind the design, it was only fitting that we feature Australian sapphires as the centrepiece gemstones. The sapphires were carefully selected in a variety of shapes, including oval, round, marquise, and shield cuts, creating movement and visual interest throughout the tiara,” he explained.
“Complementing these gemstones are more than 1,100 round brilliant-cut white diamonds, adding exceptional sparkle and enhancing the leaf-inspired design.”
For all its visual impact, however, a tiara has to do something rather important. It has to stay on someone’s head!
For a piece intended to be worn under the lights, in front of a national audience, aesthetics is only part of the equation. The practical challenge is making an elaborate piece of jewellery that can actually be worn.
Stelios said that, without a doubt, the greatest challenge in creating a tiara is finding the perfect balance between strength and comfort.
“Fortunately, Miss Universe finalists do not generally have exceptionally large heads," he joked.
Humour aside, achieving that balance is no small feat.
“Manufactured in 18-carat white and yellow gold, the tiara needed to be lightweight enough to wear comfortably for extended periods while retaining the structural integrity required for such an intricate piece,” he continued.
“Throughout the development process, we tested the fit ourselves, wearing prototypes to ensure the tiara was comfortable, secure, and possessed enough flexibility to suit a variety of head shapes.
"The final piece incorporates two discreet white gold combs at the rear, allowing it to be securely fastened into the wearer's hairstyle and remain stable throughout the event.”
And while the finished piece may appear effortless when it takes its place on the winner’s head, getting there is anything but. After finalising the design, each component is cast in gold and meticulously cleaned and prepared for stone setting. The diamonds are carefully set into each component before the piece is assembled section by section.
It is the kind of work that demands technical precision, patience and a willingness to get your hands dirty – qualities that have been central to the 46-year-old's career. He has been running his jewellery business in Perth for nearly 20 years, with the doors opening at Stelios Jewellers for the first time in 2007. Before that, he worked as a bench jeweller at several Perth stores.
The work is made possible because of his passion for precious stones, the stories behind how they are mined, and the process they go through before he gets them – and the fact that, despite running his own business for the past two decades, he still loves working with his hands. That hands-on approach remains at the heart of the tiara-making process.
“The manufacturing journey begins with extensive collaboration between myself and our talented design team,” he explained.
“Together, we develop and refine numerous concepts before selecting the strongest design direction. Once chosen, the tiara is digitally modelled and produced in multiple sections using 3D printing. We assemble these sections into a wearable prototype to ensure correct proportions, fit, and overall appearance.
“This process gradually transforms dozens of separate elements into a single seamless tiara. Finally, the remaining spaces are filled with the Australian sapphires and additional diamonds, bringing the design to life and completing the finished masterpiece.”
For any jeweller, this project is a rather unusual proposition: create a piece of jewellery to be worn once as part of a national title ceremony, then travel with its wearer to one of the world's most prominent beauty competitions.
Behind it all are months of incredibly difficult work. Is it worth it? Stelios says absolutely.
“The resulting tiara is more than a crown,” he concluded.
“It is a celebration of Australian craftsmanship, natural beauty, and innovation, combining precious metals, exceptional gemstones, and hundreds of hours of expert workmanship into a piece worthy of the Miss Universe stage.”
For Worthington, a bigger stage now awaits. She will represent Australia at this year’s Miss Universe 2026 competition, beginning in Puerto Rico on 24 November.
The Banksia Tiara
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