The Vladimir Tiara: Elizabeth II's favorite jewelry - a legacy of the Russian Empire

On June 5, large-scale celebrations in honor of the 70th anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain come to an end. Over the years of her reign, she has become not only a living symbol of her own country, but also a real style icon. Previously, about her most iconic jewelry and how to wear them, we wrote here. In this article, we talk about one of her favorite tiaras - the Vladimir tiara.

The headdress got its name from Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich. No, he didn't wear it himself. The decoration was created for the future wife of the imperial son, Princess Maria Pavlovna, as a wedding gift. The company "Karl Eduard Bolin" was engaged in manufacturing (today they have the status of the Bolin jewelry house). The tiara cost the ruling family 48,200 rubles.

The piece of jewelry consists of 15 intersecting diamond rings, each with removable drop-shaped pearl pendants in the center.

The fate of the product is very dramatic, in fact, like that of the Russian monarchy. After the fall of the empire, Princess Maria Pavlovna moved first to Kislovodsk, and then in 1920 completely left Russia. The British diplomatic courier Albert Stopford helps her return the money and jewelry.

After leaving her new homeland, Maria Pavlovna lived only a few months. Part of the jewelry is inherited by her daughter, the Greek princess Elena Vladimirovna. It was she who sold the famous tiara for £28,000 to the British Queen Mary of Teck in 1921. The ruling lady decides to replace the original pearls with "Cambridge emeralds".

These stones were won in the lottery by Princess Augusta of Cambridge back in the 19th century. Extremely significant and symbolic stones for the British monarchy. Today, the Vladimir tiara is kept in the personal collection of Elizabeth II and is one of her favorites, although it is not included in the number of “crown jewels”.