Juni | 2025 | ROYAL MAGAZIN

Duchess of Rutland Family Jewels| Fuchsia and Carnelian Diamond Tiara England Aristocratic Noble Jewel History

Lady Violet Manners wore the family tiara her wedding day when she married William James Lindesay-Bethune Viscount Garnock, June 2025, wedding tiara,Viscountess Garnock,diamond tiara The Duchess of Rutland's Tiara | Rutland Family Jewels| Fuchsia and Carnelian Diamond Tiara England Aristocratic Noble Jewel History,rutland tiara,georgian tiara,heirloom tiara,royal weddings,wo of the country's most storied dynasties gathered at Belvoir Castle for the nuptials, there was just one thing more dazzling than the guest list, Lady Violet's tiara and its glittering society history.Emma, 11th Duchess of Rutland

The bride donned the family heirloom, passed down through the generations since the 18th century. The Rutland Tiara was is first known to be worn by Janetta, 7th Duchess of Rutland, who was painted wearing it at the end of the 1800s and features diamond carnations and fuchsias, flowers that symbolise love and dedication.duchess of rutland,floral tiara,botanical tiara,lady manners England Aristocratic Noble Jewel History noble,jewelry, marriage,diamants,diamonds,diadem,diademe,diademes,lady violet manners,georgian tiara,georgian diadem,greatjewellery collectors,Jewel,diamant,tiara,historic jewelry,nobles tiara,diamondtiara,wedding,bride,bridal,royal gifts,royal presents,aristocratic tiaras,manners family jewels,fuchsia and carneliands tiara,flower tiara,diamond flower tiara,rutland,floral design of five fuchsias and eight flowers tiara,georgian diamond earrings,duchesses of rutland,four georges jewellery,diamond rivere,diamond cross,diamond brooch,peacock brooch,lady manners sisters,alice manners,eliza manners,important jewels,royals,royalty,viscountess,Lady Violet Manners, Viscountess Garnock, William James Lindesay-Bethune Viscount Garnock The Duchess of Rutland's Diamond Tiara 300 year old tiara

The Historic Rutland Tiara

Yet all eyes gravitated toward the magnificent Rutland Tiara, adorned with diamond carnations and fuchsias—blooms symbolizing enduring love and devotion. This exceptional piece has graced the heads of Rutland duchesses since the 18th century, each wearing adding to its storied legacy.

Above Janetta, 7th Duchess of Rutland, was immortalized wearing the tiara in portraits from the 1890s. The piece subsequently passed to her successor, Violet, 8th Duchess of Rutland—Lady Violet’s namesake. Though the 8th Duchess was rarely photographed in the jewels herself, she graciously lent the tiara to her daughter, the legendary socialite Diana Cooper (later Viscountess Norwich), for Cecil Beaton’s iconic 1937 Vogue photoshoot.

Royal Moments and Wartime Drama

The tiara achieved particular prominence in 1937 when Kathleen, 9th Duchess of Rutland, wore it to the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at Westminster Abbey. Serving as a Canopy Bearer for the new Queen, the Duchess provided the assembled crowds with a spectacular view of the family treasure.

In a dramatic wartime episode, the tiara’s survival hinged on the courage of Lady Ursula D’Abo, Kathleen’s daughter. Defying her mother’s wishes during the Blitz, Lady Ursula enlisted Lord Beaverbrook’s assistance to transport the precious jewels from Carrington’s in Regent Street back to the safety of Belvoir Castle—a tale she later recounted in her memoir, The Girl with the Widow’s Peak..

The Odyssey of an Important Sapphire: From Imperial Tiara to Royal Sautoir

In 2007 and 2011, I first wrote about the jewels on my website. Now, my research has added important new insights to their history.

Empress Maria Alexandrovna*s Sapphire Tiara | Romanov Sapphire Parure Jewels | Tsarina Saphir Romanov RussiaR Sapphires Kokoshnik| Romanov Tiara

A beautiful antique kokoshnik tiara once in the possession of Empress Maria Alexandrovna of Russia,was photographed in 1908 when Grand Duke Paul of Russia gave it for cleaning to Cartier.
The antique kokoshnik is set with seven sapphire cabochons, all fastened in a cluster of diamonds and detachable from the frame made in gold and silver and richly set with diamonds in a geometric pattern.

The journey begins with a magnificent 311-carat egg-shaped sapphire, originally part of a tiara belonging to Empress Maria Alexandrovna of Russia. This tiara and its sapphires were later in the possession of her son, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich.

Sapphire Sautoir of Grand Duchess Kyrill| Grand Duchess Victoria Melita’s Cartier Sapphire Necklace

Victoria Melita Feodorovna Princess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Grand Duchess of Russia, in 1894 married Ernst Ludwig of Hesse, (divorced 1900), and in 1905 married the Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovitch of Russia.

A war broke out between Russia and Japan. As a senior member of the navy, Kirill was sent on active service to the front in the Russo-Japanese War. His ship was blown up by a Japanese mine while entering Port Arthur and he was one of the few survivors. Sent home to recover, the Tsar finally allowed him permission to leave Russia and he left for Coburg to be with Victoria The narrow escape from death had hardened Kirill's determination to marry Victoria. "To those over whom the shadow of death has passed, life has a new meaning," Kirill wrote in his memoirs. "It is like daylight. And I was now within visible reach of fulfillment of the dream of my life. Nothing would cheat me of it now. I had gone through much. Now, at last, the future lay radiant before me." The couple married on 8 October 1905 in Tegernsee. It was a simple ceremony, with Victoria's mother, her sister Beatrice, and a friend, Count Adlerburg, in attendance, along with servants. The couple's uncle Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia was invited, without being told the reason

Grand Duchess Vladimir & Cartier’s Introduction (1908-1909):
In 1908, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna (née Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin), known as Grand Duchess Vladimir (wife of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich), discreetly inquired with Cartier in Paris about resetting a suite of these Romanov sapphires, likely mined in Ceylon. The sapphires had come to her husband’s side of the family, specifically from his brother Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich who died in 1908 and left the parure to his brothers Grand Duke Paul and Grand Duke Vladimir.

Royal Sapphires Cartier Sautoir Necklace |Romania| Queen Consort Elisabeth of Greece

The name sapphire comes from the Greek word "sappheiros" for blue; above is an art deco sautoir made by Cartier with 2 blue cabochon sapphires, one is an egg-shaped star-sapphire of 311 ct and the gem of 35.13 ct.

Princess Elisabeth of Romania ( 1894 -1956) was the Queen Consort of King George II of Greece. She was the daughter of King Ferdinand I of Romania and his wife, Queen Marie. On 27 February 1921, she married the future King George, then Crown Prince, in Bucharest, but the marriage was not a success and ended in divorce in 1935. As a wedding present she got this amazing sapphire necklace from her parents.

Cartier’s ledgers note discussions about using the sapphires for a sautoir or a modern diadem. The grand 311-carat cabochon sapphire was specifically mentioned.
By June 1909, the original tiara was dismantled, and Cartier received the sapphires. While other sapphires from Grand Duchess Vladimir’s collection were sold, the impressive 311-carat egg-shaped sapphire was retained by Cartier, with a note in their vault inventory about it being held „per Cartier option.“ A minor scratch on its pavilion was noted, to be concealed in any new setting.

Grand Duchess Victoria Melita Commissions the Sautoir (1911):
In March 1911, Grand Duchess Victoria Melita (née Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha), who was the wife of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich (the son of Grand Duchess Vladimir), placed an urgent order with Cartier.
She commissioned a sautoir to feature the 311-carat sapphire (explicitly noted in Cartier’s ledger as „provenance GDV [Grand Duchess Vladimir] stock 1909“) alongside a newly acquired 35.12-carat Ceylon star sapphire. The design included 18 transitional diamonds and a platinum chain.
This sautoir was intended as a 15th-anniversary gift from her husband, Grand Duke Kirill. Cartier cleverly suspended the 311-carat gem as a pendant, concealing the previously noted scratch. The piece was delivered by May 1911 – learn more, take the link in bottom.

Revolution and a Sister’s Support:
After the Russian Revolution in 1917, Grand Duchess Victoria Melita fled Russia, managing that her maid brought the jewels to her from the vault, while she was in exile.
At some point later, Victoria Melita sold the sautoir to her sister, Queen Marie of Romania.

Queen Consort Elizabeth of Greece Cartier Sapphire Diamond Sautoir| Star Sapphire Necklace Greece | Royal greek Jewels

The necklace is set with two important sapphires, probably originally from Ceylon(Sri Lanka). The suspended from a fine star sapphire, whose of a six-rayed star sapphire, whose effetely aligned crystal inclusions within the jewel was made by Cartier in 1911, but there is more history behind the sapphire sautoir and it's amazing large egg-shaped sapphir......
The Odyssey of a important Sapphire ...from imperial to royal treasures

In 1911, a 35.13-carat star sapphire—its six-rayed asterism so precise it seemed painted by the heavens—arrived at Cartier’s Paris workshop. Its companion: a 311-carat egg-shaped sapphire, salvaged from a dismantled (Romanov) tiara. Together, they became a sautoir necklace for Grand Duchess Victoria Melita, a woman whose life would mirror the gem’s journey: luminous, fractured, and resilient.

A Royal Wedding Gift to Princess Elisabeth (1921):
In 1921, Queen Marie of Romania gifted this historic Cartier sautoir, featuring the 311-carat Romanov sapphire, to her daughter, Princess Elisabeth of Romania (Victoria Melita’s niece), for her marriage to Prince George of Greece (who would later become King George II of Greece).

Princess Elisabeth (later Queen of Greece) retained the sautoir even after her separation.
Following her death in 1956, the necklace „vanished into the private market.“
Today, this magnificent sautoir, a testament to Romanov splendor, Cartier’s artistry, and tumultuous royal lives, resides in a Swiss private collection and is occasionally loaned for prestigious exhibitions.

ROYAL MAGAZIN

Archiv für den Monat: Juni 2025

Duchess of Rutland Jewels | Royal Historic Jewellery England |The Rutland Tiara

The Rutland Family Tiara

Duchess of Rutland Family Jewels| Fuchsia and Carnelian Diamond Tiara England Aristocratic Noble Jewel History

The Romanov Sapphire | Empress Marie Alexandrovna’s Sapphire

Empress Maria Alexandrovna‚s Sapphire Tiara | Romanov Sapphire Parure Jewels | Tsarina Saphir Romanov RussiaR Sapphires Kokoshnik| Romanov Tiara

Sapphire Sautoir of Grand Duchess Kyrill| Grand Duchess Victoria Melita’s Cartier Sapphire Necklace

Queen Consort Elizabeth of Greece Cartier Sapphire Diamond Sautoir| Star Sapphire Necklace Greece | Royal greek Jewels

Royal Sapphires Cartier Sautoir Necklace |Romania| Queen Consort Elisabeth of Greece

Schmuck und Juwelen der Deutsche Fürstenhäuser | Royal Jewels – Historical Jewerly and Treasure of Royals and Aristocracy | bijoux historiques| исторические драгоценности