Die Smaragd Juwelen
der französischen Kaiserin Marie-Louise
The Emerald Parure
of Marie-Louise Empress of France | Emerald and Diamond Diadem
La parure de l'impératrice
Marie-Louise|
Wedding present from Napoleon I to his wife Marie-Louise of Habsburg.
Her jewels chest is in "Die Schatzkammer in Vienna".
This diadem was originally mounted with emeralds and was made by Francois-Regnault
Nitot and delivered to the new Empress on march 1810.
The original parure consisted of
a diadem; a necklace; a pair of earrings
and a comb.
Total use of 138 emaralds, 2.162 brilliants and 382 rose-cut
diamonds.
In the diadem were 22 large and 57 small emeralds, 1002 brilliants
and 66 rose-cut diamonds. The central emerald stone weighed 12 carat.
Marie Louise went to Vienna after the fall of Napoleon I and took with
her her personal jewelery, including the emarald parure. The parure
stayed in the Habsburg family until 1953.
Then a Scandinavian decendant of the Habsburg family sold the diadem
and kept the other pieces of the parure. They sold it to the famous
Jewelhouse Van Cleef and Arpels.
They replaced the emeralds with turquoises
and sold it to Mrs. Merriweather Post. Majorie Merriweather Post, is seen above, wearing the famous jewel. She donated the diadem to the
Smithsonian Institution in 1966. See above in the pictures.