Grand Duchess Ella's jewels

Grand Duchess Ella Feodorovna of Russia had alongside with her husband, the Grand Duke Sergei raised their niece, Maria Pavlovna, and Dimitri Pavlovitj after their father had created a huge scandal by marrying without the tsars permission. In 1905 Sergei was assassinated in Moscow and the widowed Ella wanted to create her own monastery. So she rushed her niece into marrying Prince Wilhelm of Sweden in 1908. Now there was no obstacles between her and her most dire wish - to become a nun. Short story, the jewels she did not sell she gave to her niece and nephew. She gave generously to Maria, who was photographed wearing her aunts jewellery on several occasions.

The emerald parure


Sergei inherited the emeralds from his mother, Empress Maria Alexandrovna and gave them to his bride upon their marriage. The tiara, was first seen in it's traditional kokoshnik form, but was altered into it present form in 1884.


Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, Princess of Sweden in 1911 wearing her aunts emeralds she received in 1908.


Maria eventually sold the tiara and necklace to Queen Marie of Yugoslavia. The was photographed wearing the tiara for the first time in 1922. It was sold in 1949 to Van Cleef & Arpels who removed the emeralds and replaced them with paste. The jewellers now exhibit the tiara in Paris.

The diamond chain necklace

The mystery tiara of Crown Princess Victoria

The Crown Princess of Sweden has seen sporting a new tiara on several occasions this year. A charming, delicate piece. But then to the questions... Who owned it? Where did it come from? Why has it never been seen before?



It reminds me of a tiara worn by the Crown Princess Josefina of Sweden and Norway in a portrait from 1835.

The Hohenzollern-Sigmarian in my wardrobe

Two years ago, I bought this t-shirt at H&M. It caught my eye since I recognized the girl "behind" the skull.



Safe to say, it became my favourite t-shirt. And it's nice to walk around with a Hohenzollern-Sigmarian on my chest sometimes.



Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen married Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders 1867 and is perhaps mostly known as being the mother of King Albert I of the Belgians.

How to marry a romanov

These brides did not have to fear assassins wearing the traditional diamond armour of the Romanov's. With a mantle clasp made for tsarina Elisabeth I of Russia in 1741, the tiara of Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna ca 1820, a collier with diamond the size of small eggs, the cherry earrings of Catherine the great and the nuptial crown created in 1840. The more the diamonds, the merrier!



Elisabeth of Saxe-Altenburg 1884. Grand Duchess Elena Vladmirovna 1902. Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna 1908. Alexandra of Hesse 1894. Elizabeth of Hesse 1883. Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna 1894.