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
