History of the most beautiful tiaras of the Romanovs. PART 1

Greetings, dear connoisseurs of jewelry! Today, we will dive into a fascinating story about unique jewelry masterpieces that belonged to the Russian imperial family, and learn how their fate changed after the fall of the monarchy. The fate of the tiaras and other precious jewelry of the Romanovs was far from easy, rather, we can say that it was tragic. Some wonderful examples of Russian jewelry art managed to escape the consequences, some ended up in private collections, practically unharmed, while others found their new owners among members of royal families, such as British Queen Elizabeth II. And some of them even became available to the public on display at the Diamond Fund. The surviving tiaras and tiaras of Russian empresses and grand duchesses represent only a small part of the lost precious heritage of the Romanovs. Many precious jewelry pieces from the imperial collection were dismantled and sold by the Soviet government at auctions, or disappeared without a trace. Characterized by opulence and lavish decoration, these Romanov tiaras, with their own interpretation of European fashions, were almost impossible to confuse with the jewelry of other royal houses. No wonder that many of these exquisite decorations were later given the romantic name of tiaras or, less conveniently for Europeans, kukoshnik. Even in our time, modern tiaras, shaped like traditional Russian headdresses, continue to retain this style. How, in turn, did the court jewelers of the Romanovs interpret European fashion in creating tiaras? Let's consider it on the example of the most beautiful and majestic royal diadems. So how did the court jewelers of the Romanovs interpret the European fashion for tiaras? We show on the example of the most beautiful and majestic royal tiaras. So what is the classic Russian tiara that has been inspiring crowned persons and jewelers all over the world for centuries? By themselves, such tiaras are flexible bezels from which diamond rays seem to scatter. In the West, this type of tiaras is sometimes called fringe, literally fringe. But, strictly speaking, their essence is the same. The main charm of such jewelry is its versatility, Russian tiaras were created in such a way that they could be worn on their own, stitched on a kukoshnik or worn as a necklace. It is believed that such tiaras became fashionable at the court of Nicholas I. Today, tiaras made in the image and likeness of Tiaras can be found in almost all monarchies of the world, from Monaco to Japan. Speaking of the fashionable influences exerted by the Russian royal family, it is necessary to mention the history of the origin of the kukoshnik in the British royal family. The famous piece of jewelry, which often adorns Elizabeth II, was first given to the English Princess Alexandra of Denmark, the future Queen of Great Britain. This precious gift was initiated by a group of court aristocrats, who wanted to please the Princess of Wales in honour of her silver wedding to the heir to the throne. When asked what she would like to receive, Her Highness expressed her wish to own a fashionable tiara popular in Russia, a kukoshnik. For the British Princess, her own tiaras was made at Gerrard. When comparing the portraits of the two sisters in diamond kukoshniks, the future Queen of England and the Russian Empress, one can again marvel at the influence of the monarch's genes. Nevertheless, Alexandra of Denmark preferred to wear her tiara more in the form of a coronet than a traditional kukoshnik. This unfortunate mistake was corrected later by Maria of Teck and her descendants. Maria Fyodorova's Tiara In the West, this tiara is also often called Russian Wedding Tiara, and this is not accidental, because it was in it that several generations of imperial brides were married, starting from the second half of the 19th century. Girls wore this triangular tiara together with the imperial wedding crown and other jewelry specially created for wedding celebrations. This tradition was unique, at a time when European brides favored variety, Russians maintained the continuity of their wedding images. Originally, this tiara was not intended as a wedding jewelry at all. Its birth year is considered to be 1800, created by Jacob Duval, and the first owner was Maria Fyodorova, the wife of Emperor Paul I. According to art historian Lilia Kuznetsova, the tiara was originally also decorated with dangling threads at the temples in the style of old Russian cassocks. The purest diamonds of various sizes and cuts were brought from India and Brazil, and their total weight was about 1,000 carats. The center row is made up of moving dangling briolettes that easily sway with the slightest movement of the head. However, the main accent of the jewelry remains a single 13.35-carat diamond of a delicate pink hue. This rare stone was originally set into a base where colored foil was used, a common method of jewelers at the time, making the diamond visibly blood red. However, it was not until many years later that the true color of the stone was discovered, which is difficult to see to the untrained eye. This tiara was very lucky, it successfully survived the revolution and today it is a valuable exhibit of the diamond fund in the Kremlin. It is still possible to look at it today. The experience is unique, considering that Maria Fyodorova's tiara is the only original Romanov tiara in Russia. Spikes Another masterpiece created by the Duval Brothers Workshop for Empress Dowager Maria Fyodorova was a tiara that became one of her favorites. And this is not surprising, because this jewelry stood out not only for its originality, but also for the refinement of its execution. The composition included six elegant golden spikelets tending to the center, between which grew ornate stalks of flax, as if lace. The pattern of this tiara was striking in its realism. The tiara was completely studded with the purest diamonds, and in its center, a huge 37-carat leuco sapphire blossomed majestically, transparent, with a subtle golden hue, symbolizing the sun. The jewel is said to have been of high value to the imperial family. However, a century later, the new government did not attach any historical or artistic value to the spikes, and sold them at the Christie's auction in London in 1927 together with other jewelry from the Tsar's collection. The further fate of the tiara remains unknown. Nevertheless, in 1980 Soviet jewelers V.I. Nikolaev and G. Alexikin recreated the lost jewel, creating a replica in gold, platinum and diamonds, called Russian Field. While this tiara is certainly different from the original, it still gives a great idea of what Maria Fyodorova's original creation was like. The replica can also be seen at the Diamond Fund. A large diamond tiara with pearls. This is where the Russian style showed itself in all its splendor. Always a winning combination of diamonds and pearls, elements of the lover's knot style popular in the 19th century and, of course, the traditional shape of the kukoshnik, all this was combined in the luxurious big diamond diadem. It was made in the early 1830s, presumably by the court jeweler Jan Gottlieb Ernst for Empress Alexandra Fyodorova, wife of Nicholas I, possibly from the old jewelry of Maria Fyodorova, who bequeathed her rich jewelry collection to her descendants. The size of this tiara is astonishing, 113 pearls of various sizes and several dozen diamonds are arranged on a precious frame half a head high. Alexandra Fyodorova was the first owner of the tiara and, ironically, the last owner was also Alexandra Fyodorova, only the wife of Nicholas II. The Empress was particularly fond of the jewelry, as, indeed, was everything deliberately Russian. Under her rule, the jewelry became world famous, for example, it crowned Her Majesty's head at the opening of the First State Duma. The diadem, therefore, certainly had a great historical value, but not for everyone. After the revolution, it disappeared from all radars and, presumably, was sold at auction. It is possible that in order to find buyers, the new authorities took the tiara apart. That's all for today. Write in the comments if you want the second part about Russian tiaras. Also, as usual, I am waiting for your answer to the question about the most beautiful tiara in the issue. Write in the comments.