Royal Jewels

LadyAmythyst69 · Nov 20, 2007

Date: 11/20/2007 12:11:04 PM
Author: jewelerman
while im thinking about it...does anyone have interest in discussing the Russian crown jewels or the jewels of Nickolas and alexsandra(sorry about spelling...late night at work)There is a relation between the english and russian familys because(if i remember correctly) Alexsandra was mary''s sister and married into the russian family.I have a true obsession with the jewels and mini-carvings of Carl Fabrage.Many of the emerald and pearl jewels became part of the english royals private collections after the escape of the russian royals to england after the russian revolution of 1917.I WOULD LOVE TO SEE PICTURES OF Fabrages work on this thread!

Loe the Romanovs - my favorite RF after the Brits. That''s part of why I started looking into the RF jewels because I was just astonished at how much stuff Queen Mary was able to buy (at super knock down prices) from Royal Russian refugees. I''ve always found it a bit unpleasant how the British RF denied help to their Russian cousins and then were able to profit so handsomely from their misfortune.

LadyAmythyst69 · Nov 20, 2007

Date: 11/20/2007 2:36:33 PM
Author: Clio
Nicholas II and George V were first cousins. His mohter, Empress Marie, was Queen Alexandra''s sister; both were Danish princesses. Empress Alexandra was also a first cousin of George V - her mother was Princess Alice, Queen Victoria''s second daughter (making her also a first cousin of Kaiser Wilhelm II).

The Faberge things are so beautiful, though I prefer the jewelry and other smaller pieces to the grand Easter eggs.

Yes exactly! My short answer is always that Alexandra was Queen Victoria''s favorite granddaughter. Alix was virtually raised by her grandmother after her own mother Princess Alice died so tragically young. Alix spent a whole lot of time at the English court. QV was not happy about her marriage to Nicholas as she considered Russia to be an unstable country and also didn''t want her favorite granddaughter to be so far away. QV had schemed and schemed to try to get Alix to marry the Prince of Wales'' heir Prince Eddie. Eddie actually did propose at one point but Alix turned him down.

Alix''s sister Ella - who was considered one of the great Royal beauties of the age - married into the Romanov family. Alix was close to Ella so having her at the Russian court smoothed the way for Alix to finally accept Nicky''s proposal. (Kaiser Wilhelm was obssessed with Ella by the way & tried to get her to marry him. But the whole extended RF really disliked "Willy" and his proposal was met with utter contempt.) Just think - if Ella had married into the German RF then I''m certain WWI would have never happened. Inthat case we might have many, many more RF''s still in existance.

I just love this photo of Alix and Nicky with Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales. This visit back to England was I think the only one that Alix ever took while Queen Victoria was still alive. They were celebrating the birth of Alix''s first baby Olga.

LadyAmythyst69 · Nov 20, 2007

This is a great photo as well. Taken in 1909 on the Romanov''s second and last visit to England for Cowes Week.

From the left:

Prince Edward (he of the famous abdication), Queen Mary (seated), Queen Alexandra (veiled)

Standing in the back: two of the Wales girls (I can never keep them straight), then Olga and Tatiana Romanov

Seated from the left: Czar Nicholas, King Edward VII, Czarina Alexandra, King George V, Marie Romanov

Seated in front: Alexis Romanov and Anastasia Romanov

As an aside - Louis Mountbatten fell in love with Marie Romanov on this trip and kept a photograph of her beside his bed for the rest of his life.

LadyAmythyst69 · Nov 20, 2007

This is Alix''s sister Ella.

LadyAmythyst69 · Nov 20, 2007

Another of Ella.

LadyAmythyst69 · Nov 20, 2007

Date: 11/20/2007 3:59:36 PM
Author: crown1
maybe i am misinformed but i do not think that the faberge only refers to eggs?

Faberge made all kinds of things, jeweled boxes, picture frames and jewelry too I think. Here''s a link to an article about the eggs with links to pictures of many of them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faberg%C3%A9_egg

crown1 · Nov 20, 2007

thanks lady a. i had already gone there to check to make sure my response was correct.

diagem · Nov 20, 2007

I''ll start with a splendid hatpin belonged to Alexander II (1855-1881)

Present..., part of the Diamond Fund. Moscow Kremlin.

BTW..., a great suggestion of a book called "Jewels of the Tsars"..., amazing pictures

diagem · Nov 20, 2007

Another beauty:

"MOUNTING MANUFACTURED IN WESTERN EUROPE IN THE 17TH CENTURY
Gold, Pink tourmaline-rubelite (52.00 CARATS)"

diagem · Nov 20, 2007

Date: 11/20/2007 6:01:03 PM
Author: DiaGem
Another beauty:

''MOUNTING MANUFACTURED IN WESTERN EUROPE IN THE 17TH CENTURY
Gold, Pink tourmaline-rubelite (52.00 CARATS)''

Another try...

diagem · Nov 20, 2007

STAR OF THE ORDER OF ST. ANDREW
ST. PETERSBURG, CIRCA 1774
Gold, Silver, diamonds (24.27 carats)

diagem · Nov 20, 2007

NECK BADGE OF THE ORDER OF ST. ALEXANDER NEVSKY
LEOPOLD PFISTERER, MOSCOW 1775
Gold, silver, diamonds (97.78 carats), ruby, glass, enamel

diagem · Nov 20, 2007

SAPPHIRE BROOCH
RUSSIA, CIRCA 1860
Gold, silver, diamonds (56.60 carats), Ceylon sapphire (260.37 carats)

This sapphire was purchased by Alexander II at the London Great Exhibition of 1862 and presented it to his wife, Maria Alexandrovna.

bebe · Nov 20, 2007

Thank you so much for this thread. I have been lurking for a while. I have always loved the royals. While in London, the 3 times I was there, I was glued to the jewel displays. Gosh, they were mesmerizing! So, did Diana not have the jewels or just not offered the jewels that Camilla has now?

jewelerman · Nov 20, 2007

Carl Faberge created some of the most beautiful jewelry of the turn of the century along with period trend setters like tiffany and cartier and Lalique...recently a faberge tiara made an auction record (not sure what auction house)...Thanks everyone for the great imput on the russian royals!I have been studying the jewels of Cathrine the great...mind boggling!Lady Amy i hope that cold gets better...im sure an extra piece of pie at thanks giving will help !

jewelerman · Nov 20, 2007

The tiara set a word record for a tiara sold at auction in june 2007 .made in 1895 and weighing in at over 8 carats it went for over a cool million! in my opinion its one of the most beautiful tiaras in exsistance!maybe after thanksgiving LadyAMY CAN FIND AND POST A PIC FOR THE FORUM MEMBERS...its a beauty sold by Sotherbys auction house.

~*Alexis*~ · Nov 20, 2007

I too love this thread...I remember having a huge crush on Prince William when I was younger...

chrono · Nov 21, 2007

Finally, my first real contribution to the thread. Feast your eyes on this:
Emerald necklace presented by Catherine II to
the Second Duke of Buckinghamshire; Gold, silver, emeralds,
diamonds - Circa 1830. From the Albion Art Collection, Japan

diagem · Nov 21, 2007

Date: 11/21/2007 9:38:33 AM
Author: Chrono
Finally, my first real contribution to the thread. Feast your eyes on this:
Emerald necklace presented by Catherine II to
the Second Duke of Buckinghamshire; Gold, silver, emeralds,
diamonds - Circa 1830. From the Albion Art Collection, Japan

Now thats what I can a "real contribution"....

Good going!!! exquisite necklace!!!

LadyAmythyst69 · Nov 21, 2007

Date: 11/20/2007 10:03:15 PM
Author: bebe
Thank you so much for this thread. I have been lurking for a while. I have always loved the royals. While in London, the 3 times I was there, I was glued to the jewel displays. Gosh, they were mesmerizing! So, did Diana not have the jewels or just not offered the jewels that Camilla has now?

I think the death of the Queen Mother put a flood of jewels "back on the market" so to speak. Camilla and Sophie have both worn QM''s jewels. So Diana just wasn''t around to benefit from that. In the early years Diana borrowed alot of jewelry from the Queen but by about 1985 she didn''t really do that anymore. Diana also wore tons of costume jewelry. I think she just didn''t like the "grand" jewelry so much.

As far as Camilla goes - I think that she gets gifted more jewelry because Charles encourages it. The RF lend her more jewelry because she has a better relationship with them than Diana did.

LadyAmythyst69 · Nov 21, 2007

Date: 11/21/2007 1:52:35 AM
Author: jewelerman
Carl Faberge created some of the most beautiful jewelry of the turn of the century along with period trend setters like tiffany and cartier and Lalique...recently a faberge tiara made an auction record (not sure what auction house)...Thanks everyone for the great imput on the russian royals!I have been studying the jewels of Cathrine the great...mind boggling!Lady Amy i hope that cold gets better...im sure an extra piece of pie at thanks giving will help !

Thanks! It''s a como of my terrible allergies, a cold and the effects of my flu shot.

I hate being sick on holidays!!

LadyAmythyst69 · Nov 21, 2007

Date: 11/21/2007 9:38:33 AM
Author: Chrono
Finally, my first real contribution to the thread. Feast your eyes on this:
Emerald necklace presented by Catherine II to
the Second Duke of Buckinghamshire; Gold, silver, emeralds,
diamonds - Circa 1830. From the Albion Art Collection, Japan

That necklace is gorgeous!!

LadyAmythyst69 · Nov 21, 2007

Date: 11/21/2007 2:05:42 AM
Author: jewelerman
The tiara set a word record for a tiara sold at auction in june 2007 .made in 1895 and weighing in at over 8 carats it went for over a cool million! in my opinion its one of the most beautiful tiaras in exsistance!maybe after thanksgiving LadyAMY CAN FIND AND POST A PIC FOR THE FORUM MEMBERS...its a beauty sold by Sotherbys auction house.

Is this the one?

"A princess''s loss can be your gain at Christie''s jewelry auction in London on June 13. Italy''s Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy is auctioning off 41 lots of rare jewels in order to help pay her taxes. The most astounding piece is the Faberge tiara shown above. The piece is referred to as the Empress Josephine Tiara because the briolette-cut diamonds (the ones shaped like teardrops )were given to the French empress by Tsar Alexandra I following her divorce from Napoleon I. The piece was created around 1890 and is mounted in silver and gold. It is estimated to be worth $774,384 and $1.2 million but could bring more at the auction."

LadyAmythyst69 · Nov 21, 2007

Current Royal events this week:

The Danish Queen Margrethe with her husband Prince Henrik and Princess Caroline of Monaco with her husband Prince Ernst-August of Hanover were at Versailles for an exhibit.