Tiara Tuesday: Pretty in Pink at a Russian Imperial Wedding

The diamond, that is. This 10-carat pink, the chief stone in the Russian Nuptial Tiara, is likely of Brazilian or Indian origin. It came into the Russian Crown Jewels under Tsar Paul 1, only son of the short-reigning Peter III and the very long-reigning Catherine the Great (or her son by her lover). The tiara was made for Paul's incoming daughter-in-law around 1800, not long before Paul was assassinated (yes, the Imperial Family had rather a violent soap opera going on around that time). 

The diamond's worth today would be in the tens of millions, quite apart from all the other diamonds surrounding it.  A recent auction of a pink diamond of similar size revealed a 400% increase in price over only 9 years, and that's without any illustrious history.  

The pink is not the only fabulous gem among the Russian Crown Jewels collection. The Treasury also boasts the Seven Great Stones:

• Orlov diamond – 189.62 carats. It dates back to the late 16th or early 17th century and comes from India. Huge as it is, it is probably only part of a larger, 400-carat crystal. It was given to Catherine the Great by her former lover Count Orlov. 

• Shah diamond 88.7 carats. This stone’s light yellowish-brown tint comes from microscopic cracks filled with brownish iron oxide. Its bears the names of three former rulers of India and Persia, in Arabic, first inscribed on the diamond in 1591. The Shah of Persia gave it to the Romanovs in 1829. 

• Portrait diamond bracelet, 25 carats. This is the largest known table-cut diamond in the world and bears a portrait of Tsar Alexander I painted on ivory in the latter part of the 19th century.

• Catherine the Great’s red spinel, attached to the Imperial Crown of Russia, 398.72 carats. This comes from China in 1676. Like some other famous spinels, it was originally thought to be a ruby.

• Ceylon Blue Sapphire, 260.37 carats. This beautiful stone is set in gold filigree and mounted with diamonds.

• Colombian emerald, 136.25 carats (27.250 g) 

• Olive-green chrysolite, 192.6 carats. This came from the island of Zaberget in the Red Sea.

For a fuller discussion of Russian Imperial Regalia, go here. 

For the rest of the wedding day finery of a Russian Imperial bride, there's an excellent essay (with photos) at The  Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor   Pity the poor young women weighted down by so much history, tradition, and jewellery. 

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Tiara Tuesday: Queen Victoria's Wedding Coronet

Queen Victoria's Wedding Tiara, designed by her husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Cobourg and Gotha

Is it a cultural treasure belonging to the British people, and if so, can they raise the money to keep it? Or does the owner have the right to sell it even if that means it leaves the country?

That's THE HOT TIARA TOPIC IN BRITAIN this week, as an export permit for the piece has been temporarily frozen.

The tiara was given by the King and Queen to Princess Mary in 1922, on her marriage to Viscount Lascelles. Technically, it left the Crown Jewels at that point. Eventually her descendants sold it, and it's the purchaser who wants to sell it abroad. 

Where is the line between a private individual's right to dispose of their property, and the right and obligation of the nation to protect its cultural heritage?

For comparison purposes, here's the tiara Queen Elizabeth II wore at her wedding to Prince Phillip of Greece and Denmark. It can also be worn as a necklace.

 

Here's a bit of the convoluted history of this stunning tiara 


What else Queen Elizabeth II wore at her wedding


Gambling was intense on which of the royal tiaras would be gracing Katherine Middleton's hair on the day she married Prince William. How many of the tiaras she will be allowed to wear before she becomes queen herself.... well, that's an ongoing story. Happy Royal-Watching!

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Stunning pink diamond was thought to be 'crystal'

Infamous First Lady Imelda Marcos had some fabulous jewels seized when her family fled following their loss of power in the Philippines. But nobody knew this was one of them.

"Marcos’ briolette-cut or barrel-shaped pink diamond is from India’s famous Golconda region, which produced rare finds like the Hope Diamond and a 500-carat diamond that is part of the British crown jewels."

(no photo, as there are conflicting images being flung around on the web right now. I'll wait until one of them is verified as hers)

Here's the story of her seized jewels, now coming up for auction after 30 years in a government-controlled bank vault.

To find out more about fabulous gems from the Golconda region, check out the 'Bloodshot Diamond' tab for the history of these and other gems.

Maddie's Kindle edition is at #29 in Steampunk. Anything in the Top 100 is cause to celebrate, right?

Maddie's Marvelous Debut

While I was busy plotting and conniving to squeeze more remarkable clockwork critters into the next Maddie Hatter adventure, THIS happened:

That's right! Our delightful damsel and her high-flying pursuit of the Deadly Diamond hit the very top of the Fiction Charts in Calgary! 

Can an author BE more excited than I am today?

Come for Coffee with Jayne

Ask your questions about Maddie Hatter, the Deadly Diamond, the airships, the clockwork birds, or any other aspect of Maddie's first, fun-filled Steampunk adventure.

Bring your favourite beverage in your favourite mug or teacup.

Live online interview  
Saturday, October 17, 2015
1 p.m. Mountain Time

Your invitation to the launch

Maddie's in the house!

The publishing house, that is. Only six days in advance of the launch at Owls Nest Books in Calgary SW. Not that we were getting nervous or anything....

Anyway, here's the first view of the second edition. This one is lacking Robin's working drawings from the special-run conference edition (those are all gone to good homes weeks ago), but it has six lovely line drawings scattered through the text.

Soon to be available in-store at Owls Nest Books. They'll take phone or online orders, and if you can't get to the launch, ask them to hold an autographed copy for you.

More launch details coming very soon! Look for news of our wonderful musical guests!

Also available now for Kindle, Kobo, and paperback pre-order via Tyche Books, 
Chapters/Indigo,  
Barnes & Noble, 
Book Depository
and Amazon