Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World
Most of the jewels we focus on here on the blog are wearable pieces of art, but in imperial Russia, some of the most fabulous bejeweled pieces were objects—more specifically, Fabergé eggs. The presentation of jewel-encrusted eggs was an Easter tradition for the last two Russian emperors. Today we’re looking at one of my very favorite imperial Easter eggs: the Bay Leaf Egg.
A hundred years ago this month, the last Emperor and Empress of Russia lost their lives in Yekaterinburg. Appropriately, we’re devoting the month of July to Romanov jewels, both pieces that still exist and those that have vanished into history. Today, we’re starting with one of my very favorite British royal brooches: the Russian Sapphire Cluster Brooch.
Floral brooches made up a major part of Queen Elizabeth II’s jewelry collection, but the brooch we’re discussing today—her Coral Rose Brooch—puts a new twist on the design, presenting a naturalistic form in vivid color.