Princess Irina`s Wedding Tiara | Imperial Royal Jewel History Romanov Jusupov| Cartiers Wedding Diadem

Princess Irina`s Wedding Tiara | Imperial Royal Jewel History Jusupov| Hochzeits Diadem mit Brillanten und graviertem Bergkristall

Diese schöne Tiara gehörte Prinzessin Irina Yusupova, der Tochter von Grossfürstin Xenia Romanov somit die Enkeltochter Zar Alexander II. und war ihr Braut-Diadem gefertigt von Cartier.

Der mit Ranken gravierte Bergkristall verdankte seine Inspiration den Musterbüchern der Renaissance. In seiner Verbindung mit geometrischen Diamantmotiven aber wurde er zu einem frühen Beispiel wegweisender Art Deco Stilisation, das Hochzeitsdiadem der Fürstin Jussupow zählte zu diesen Stücken und es wurde über die Grenzen Rußlands hinaus gepriesen.

Oben das Bergkristalldiadem aus dem Jahr 1911 mit einer Diamantgalerie, der mittlere Diamant wiegt 3,66 Karat. Die Kombination geätzter, gravierter Bergkristall und die vielen Diamanten eng gefasst, die in kleinen Zapfen und Linien wie Eiskristalle wirken
Dies Diadem ist auch auf einem Bild, der Sichtung der Juwelen 1925 durch die Bolschewiken zu sehen, nach Auffindung des versteckten Juwelenschatzes der Jusupovs.

Unter einer Treppe des Palastes, eingepackt im Inneren von lebensechten Schwänen aus Silber von Faberge fand man sie durch Zufall, als eine Stufe durchbrach und repariert werden musste. Eine andere Version der Auffindung ist, das angeblich der Sohn des Maurers, der 1917 das Versteck erdachte, dessen Ort 1925 verraten hat.
Aus der Gemäldegallerie führten versteckte Gänge in zwei unterirdische Verließe, aus denen 255 Broschen, 13 Diademe darunter auch Cartiers Hochzeitsdiadem von 1914, 42 Armbänder, 210 kg an Objets d`Art usw zutage befördert wurde.

Fürstin Zenaida und ihr Sohn Felix aber hatten die historischen Perlen und Diamanten bereits außer Landes gerettet. Das Diadem ist seitdem verschollen.

Princess Irina Wedding Tiara | Cartier Diadem | Jusupov Jewelry Collection

This "icy" diamond tiara consists of platinum, carved rock crystal and diamonds in lines and small points like icicles, on top a gallery of diamonds. It was made in 1911 by Cartier and sold to Felix Youssoupov for his bride Irina in January 1914. It is of incomparable subtlety and beauty, simply surmounted by a pure white diamond, It weighed 3,66 carats, but was perfect foil for the intimate scale, icy purity of this extraordinary jewel.

We were quite overwhelmed with gifts: the most gorgeous jewels as well as the simplest and most touching presents form our peasants… Irina`s wedding dress was magnificent; it was of white satin embroidered in silver with a long train. Her veil, which had belonged to Marie-Antoinette was held by a tiara of rock crystal and diamonds (Felix in his memoirs)

Princess Irina, daughter of Grand Duchess Xenia and niece of Nicholas II received this amazing wedding tiara as a gift from the groom, for a smaller wedding as the normal imperial family occasion weddings - a desire that could easily be satisfied by the Youssoupovs.

Another gift to Princess Irina Aleksandrovna Jusupova was a bracelet with two very large diamond drops it was also a wedding gift of the groom. The important diamond bangle is seen in both pictures, on display also in the Rosewood cabinet beside the wedding tiara at the oval hall of the place of Grand Duke Aleksander Mikhailovich..

Irina was given away by her uncle Czar Nicholas II and his wedding present to her was a bag of twenty-nine uncut diamonds, ranging from three to seven carats.
The riviere diamond necklace was build from this imperial diamonds for Princess Irina of Russia twenty-nine round diamonds total 132,5 carats are later remounted from Cartier together with fifty-eight baguette diamond weighing 16 carats. (The necklace was later sold with that notes of Prince Felix Youssoupoff for $105.000,-- he was a great storyteller, from the collection of the late Helen W. Rivas)

The wedding took place on Anitchkov Palace, February 9th 1914 . As Irina was not a Grand Duchess she did not have to wear all the heavy imperial regalia. Instead she was attired in a white satin gown embroidered with silver, with a long train, and the tiara of rock crystal and diamonds made by Cartier, which held Xenia´s wedding veil in place, see above in the picture.

Their wealth seemed quite immeasurable.

At the Youssoupov palaces, bowls of tumble-polished precious stones were placed on the tables for guests to play with. In his memoirs Prince Felix wrote that a favourite sport consisted of seeing how many could be gathered in the fingers of one hand and sometimes the more dexterous players were allowed to keep them.

The tiara has been lost since the Soviets found it in 1925.

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