03/23/2022
It's Tiara Tuesday!! The Russian Nuptial Tiara
It is not known who was the first wearer of this tiara since according to the Russian Diamond Fund it was made for Archduchess Marija Fëdorovna, second wife of Tsar Paul I of Russia, while other sources state that it was made for Empress Elisabeth Alexeievna , wife of Tsar Alexander I of Russia.
It was created around 1800 by jeweler Jacob David Duval, and the high kokoshnik design is centered on a spectacular natural pink diamond, a 13.33-carat stone from the treasury of Tsar Paul I of Russia.
This stone alone would be worth about $ 71,200,000, and was initially supported by a foil to enhance the pink color, but then removed.
In addition to this pink diamond, the tiara is made up of white diamonds from Brazil and India which would have a weight of over 1,000 carats.
This tiara is formed of a sliding base that surrounds the pink diamond, from which hang a multitude of briolette-cut diamonds, which dangle so that they can tremble and sparkle with every movement of the wearer. The tiara is topped with a row of large vertical pear-shaped diamonds.
Over the years this tiara became a jewel worn by generations of imperial brides.
Many of these jewels owned by the Russian Imperial Family were dismantled and then sold in single pieces, but this was sold entirely and purchased by Marjorie Merriweather Post and is now part of her collection at the Hillwood Museum.
And today this is owned by the Russian government and are now kept in the museum of the Diamond Fund in the Moscow Kremlin. via Royality_tiaras
