Russian Imperial and Noble Jewels

[Russophile]

Forget Liz Taylor, it would look super yum on Liz II! Though I don't think the British are really after any more tiaras Norway could do with a new one.....

PJ, Liz Taylor has a thing for jewelry and has many lovely pieces. She picked up a couple of the late Duchess of Windsors. I have been looking for her coffee table picture book "My love affair with jewelry." for a while.

 

[udyusa]

Ah, Russo. I happen to be the proud owner of Elizabeth Taylor's coffee table book and it is indeed, a Treasure! I urge you to keep looking as it is well worth it..

 

[Saragli]

Ohhh, I want this book as well! I'm well aware of Ms. Taylor's collection, after Liz 2's its Liz T's vaults I'd love to raid. I wonder what will happen to all her jewels when she joins that great cabaret in the sky. Auctioning most of it for charity seems to be the done thing these days but I do hope she gives some of the pieces to the BRF, at least the historic ones.

 

[Tarlita]

Well now Udyusa, does that "coffee table book" say anything about her emerald necklace. Whether or not it belonged to the Grand Duchess Vladimir - Maria Pavlovna. Richard Burton bought it from Bulgari. But that's all I know of the history of it. Lots of forums say it was originally Maria Pavlovna's.
I would love to get my hands on that coffee table book. cheers

 

[Warren]

Anything come of that auction?

27 May 2010: Appraisal of the three sets of jewels by Christies experts begins;
Gov’t starts appraisal of Marcos jewels

28 May 2010: The auction is placed on hold by the country's president, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, instead "leaving it to her successor".
Nothing ‘political’ about Arroyo’s decision to stop Imelda’s jewelry auction

I assume the appraisal (and therefore a complete inventory of the three sets of jewels) has come to a sudden halt.
A day can be a long time in politics.

 

[Russophile]

Udyusa, I am SOOO very jealous of you!! Yes, Russo will keep looking!

Thanks Warren!

 

[Vasillisos Markos]

Does anyone know if Irina, the wife of Felix Yussoupov, had any imperial jewelry which either escaped the country with her or was confiscated by the Bolsheviks? I seem to remember when reading Felix's autobiography, Lost Splendour (which is quite a hoot to read!), that the author mentions a cache of jewelry hidden beneath a staircase. What was in there and what happened to those pieces of history?

 

[Russophile]

That would be interesting to know. Bear might have an idea. I only remember Felix cut the Rembrandts out for money. Not the jewelry.

 

[Vasillisos Markos]

Here is the excerpt from Felix's book:

"When autumn came, I decided to go to St. Petersburg again; I wanted to find a hiding place for our jewels and more valuable objets d'art. When I arrived I set to work at once with the help of the most trustworthy of our servants. I then went to the Anichkov Palace and took out of its frame, and rolled up, a large portrait of the Emperor Alexander III which the Empress Marie was particularly fond of and had asked me to bring back with me. Unfortunately I came too late to save her jewels; they had been taken to Moscow by order of the Provisional Government. When I had completed my task at the Moika, I went to Moscow with our faithful major-domo, Gregory Bujinski. I took all our diamonds with me as I wanted to conceal them separately. The hiding place I chose was a recess under one of the staircases. I have already told how, thanks to Gregory Bujinski's heroic devotion, this hiding place escaped the Bolshevists' investigations for a long time. Our jewels fell into their hands eight years later, when some workmen discovered them while repairing a step."

I wonder what those diamonds look like?

 

[Russophile]

We probably will never know. Interesting he had most trusted servants. Nabokov, in his book, tells about a "most trusted servant" who was spying on his father for the Tsarist government. When the REds took over, he led them right to where the Nabokov's stashed their tiara's and jewelry. Wonder if the Reds shot him after that?

 

[Vasillisos Markos]

Russo dear,

It would be no surprise if the Reds did execute the "trusted servant." Some of these retainers had unyielding loyalty to their employers and even died for their loyalty (witness the servants who perished along with Nicholas and Alexandra). As for spying on behalf of the Tsar's government, I remember reading that even if on accidentally crossed paths with members of the royal family, the secret police would question you about the contact, whether you knew the royal, what was your purpose in the city, etc. Must of been quite an ordeal.

 

[Russophile]

Nabokov does not describe him favorably. IM interpretation, he was a snitch.
Maura Budberg's 1st husband (which she passed off as nobility but was not I found out in a bio. on her) was found shot to death by one the servants when the revolution hit.
Which reminds me of Minnie being awesome making HMS Marlborough wait for servants and people who wanted to leave Russia.

 

[Vasillisos Markos]

I have been reading about the Alexander Palace. During World War II, the palace was captured by the Nazis and their Spanish ally. In a corner of the bedroom shared by Nicholas and Alexandra, the Axis allies found a concealed safe beneath the wall fabric. This safe was never discovered despite the Alexander Palace serving as a museum and being searched thoroughly for hidden Romanov wealth. How did the German Army know it was there? What did it hold? When the Soviets recaptured the palace, the strong box in the safe was empty. Did it hold Romanov jewels or were these treasures taken into exile with the family?

 

[Russophile]

What book VM? Very interesting indeed! Sounds like something Alix's sisters or Uncle Willy knew about which got passed along to the Germans. Does it list which regiment was the ones that invaded the palace? Anddid this palace have the malchalite room or was it another? Suzanne Massie wrote a big, gorgeous picture book on Pavlovsk that I never got through, they hid a lot of the treasures from the Germans in the woods before they got there.

 

[Vasillisos Markos]

Russo dear,

I did not read this in a book but on another website. Here is a link to the specific passage describing the Imperial bedroom in the Alexander Palace:

Imperial Bedroom - Alexander Palace Time Machine

The author is devoted to all things Russian, especially the Alexander Palace but he does not cite his sources and does not state which regiment invaded the palace. But I think you are on the right track about the German knowledge: the author himself asks how the Germans knew where to look. INteresting stuff indeed. I posted this in case anyone else might have information. Anyone?

 

[Lakshmi]

This is a great website. I just read about children's rooms and how Alexandra was rising her daughters. They had tough upbringing. I don't think it was necessary.
Imperial rooms are amazing.

 

[ortiz]

This is a nice video on the Russian Imperial Jewels

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_95PyZTaTQ

 

[ilovejewels]

Is there any where abouts of the pink diamond wedding tiara of the romanovs? Its quiet a beauty

 

[PrincessKaimi]

Amazing. Russian sense of design (as in the sets in the Bolshoi) is astonishing. Of course, a few of these were probably designed elsewhere - would be interesting to know the history of each piece.

 

[Warren]

Is there any where abouts of the pink diamond wedding tiara of the romanovs? Its quiet a beauty

Yes, it's in the Kremlin, and is seen in all its glory at about the 3min 15sec mark in the following video.

This video is stunning.
Beautifully filmed, crystal clear resolution, the pieces are shown in 360°, some are en tremblant, and all are a-glittering and a-shimmering.

(double-click on it to go to the YouTube original where you can increase the size to full-screen)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWIUpnJO8VI&feature=player_embedded

This one shows the Imperial jewels in their Kremlin display cases:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhJ6QDTvAgw
​

 

[rubies]

Words don't seem to be able to describe these gems.
True art IMO, and the finest form.
Thank you for sharing, it just made my day!!!!

 

[ilovejewels]

hey I found the famous Romanov Diamond and Pearl Tiara that imelda Marcos purchased from one of englands Dukes.... Its on 2:05, and its sitting on a white paper!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g38w356dwh0

 

[jonc93]

That Lady had more jewels then most reigning queens! To bad she didn't get to keep it, if she did buy it with her own money, it should be given back, although I'm sure the video is old and the situation was resolved by now.

 

[Warren]

Is this £20 million nest-egg on your mantelpiece?

The Telegraph (UK), 15 August 2011
Is this £20 million nest-egg on your mantelpiece? - Telegraph

A search is under way for a Fabergé Imperial Egg, worth up to £20 million, which is believed to be in Britain but whose owners have no idea of its true identity or value. The Fabergé egg has been lost for almost 90 years, but art experts have discovered that it has been sold since – but was not identified as a Fabergé at the time.

The egg, believed to be the Easter gift from Tsar Alexander III to his wife Tsarina Maria Feodorovna in 1887, is known to exist from a photograph from 1902 when it was included in an exhibition in St Petersburg. Gold and gem-studded, it is decorated with diamond-encrusted ribbons of leaves and roses and three large sapphires. It contains a gold watch by the Swiss watch maker Vacheron & Constantin.

Following the 1917 Russian Revolution, it is believed to have been seized by the Bolsheviks and was recorded in a 1922 Soviet inventory. Art experts suspected it had been lost or destroyed until earlier this month, when a Fabergé enthusiast in America discovered an identical image of the egg in an auction catalogue from the 1960s.

The image shows the egg among lots being sold in March 1964 by Parke Bernet, the New York auction house that was later acquired by Sotheby’s. The vendor was named only as “Clarke”, with the egg described as “Gold Watch in Egg-Form Case on Wrought Three-Tone Gold Stand, Set with Jewels”. It was sold for $2,450 (£875 at the time).

The newly discovered image of the egg has prompted a frantic search by Sotheby’s to trace its whereabouts. Kieran McCarthy, a Fabergé expert from the Mayfair jeweller Wartski, said: “This is an extraordinary discovery. Identifying one of the missing Imperial eggs is incredibly exciting, and even more exciting that whoever has this piece will have no idea of its provenance and significance – nor will they know they are sitting on a royal relic which could be worth £20 million.

v The lost Fabergé egg

 

[Tarlita]

Wow! This is exciting news, not least for whoever owns it now. I have always hoped at least one of the missing eggs would be discovered one day and it looks like it may happen. One would imagine that the watch would be long gone. I read at the Alexander Palace forums that when Faberge was commissioned to make an egg by the Tsar he didn't always put his hallmark on it. Which may explain why whoever has had it all these years did not realise it was a genuine piece. Hopefully it comes to light soon. Thanks for the update Warren.

 

[RubyPrincess168]

I have to think that who ever bought it knew what they were getting (ie Imperial Faberge Egg) even if the seller didn't know.

 

[Russophile]

I have to think that who ever bought it knew what they were getting (ie Imperial Faberge Egg) even if the seller didn't know.

Not necessarily. I was amazed to find out my Aunt, an art teacher of 60+ age had NO CLUE about the eggs.

 

[blauerengel]

I am truly amazed,the Russian Royal jewels and the art collection leave me sick with envy,they are so beautiful and delicate!Are the jewels in the Kremlin also able to be seen/visited by the general public or are they locked up somewhere?I´ve seen a little bit of Russians treasury in St.Petersburg and I wonder where you can look at the Royal jewellery in Moskau or in other Russian cities,any suggestions?Which palaces or museums showcase the most interesting pieces?

 

[NoorMeansLight]

The large bow brooch Princess Marina, the Duchess of Kent, brought to England with her is my most favourite Romanov jewel.
Blauerengel, doesn't the Hermitage have a large collection of their jewels?!

Check that out: http://www.hmns.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=430&Itemid=453

 

[blauerengel]

The Hermitage is very beautiful and shows lots of art but I´ve seen a documentary with the most beautiful jewels of the Romanovs and they were shown in the Kremlin-so I was not sure if they were just shown for the tv audience or if you can look at them like in a museum- I also read that some pieces of jewellery were given as a present to members of other royal families,but I believe the majority is still somewhere in Moskau..
I´ve found this link quite interesting:Jewels of the Romanovs - Treasures of the Tsars - Pallasart Web Design
There are lots of good videos with pictures of the jewels on youtube:
Imperial Jewels - Kremlin Exhibit - YouTube
I´ve seen a great HQ-Video with the jewels in the Kremlin but I can´t find it again:-(