Now for the prettiest of the pretty. These representations of nature in all her glory make me stop, look, and sigh. Imagine having one of these as a selection from which to choose for your finishing touch to your court gown before descending that grand staircase and joining everyone at the ball and you prepare to lead the polonaise. All the chandeliers are full of candles and the light dances off your diamonds as you glide through the crowd and the orchestra strikes the first note! Yet, another daydream.
Before the sales of the 1920s a number of extraordinary flower studies existed in the collections as masterpieces of the jeweler’s art. In an effort to prove that these skills had not been lost, a few pieces based on the “lost” works were designed by the jewelers of the state treasury in 1970. This modern replica is held in the Diamond Fund, exhibited in the Kremlin Armoury in Moscow, Russia.
These small diamond flowers were meant to be sewn onto a gown and cascade down the skirt, sparkle across the bodice or anchor the royal sash. Four were sold by Christie’s New York in 2004. Where the remaining pieces are is not known.
Imagine wearing diamond bees gathering nectar from diamond roses dangling from your ears and then you must decide whether you want to wear the bandeau around your throat tied with a velvet ribbon or nestled into your coiffeur. How could anything get any better than that? Well, then you have to pin the nosegay to your bodice. Now you’re ready. These exquisite treasures are in the Diamond Fund, exhibited in the Kremlin Armoury in Moscow, Russia.
Come back to us next week, when we take a look at the colored gemstones of the Romanovs.