Queen Elizabeth considered the Vladimir tiara as one of her favorites, but its origin is really important, so none of the members of the royal family can use it.
This tiara has been worn by several members of the British monarchy, including Queen Mary. Although Queen Elizabeth wore it for the first time in 1953, at the premiere of a movie.
Nineteenth-century tiara
The tiara was worn during the 70 years of her reign, but after her death (in September 2022) the late Queen Elizabeth could be the last member of the royalty to wear it.
It is steeped in a rich history dating back to the 19th century. The elegant piece was originally crafted by the jeweler of the Russian imperial court, CE Bolin.
It is made of intertwined circles of diamonds set in gold and silver, with stunning pear-shaped pearl drops hanging from them. Meanwhile, the fascinating design also features a row of brilliant-cut diamonds.
Political problems with Isabel II's tiara
This includes the Russian Revolution and the fall of the Romanov dynasty, and they were forced to sell it, which is how it ended up in the hands of the head of the Crown. However, the Vladimir Tiara was originally made for Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia in 1874, she received it as a gift from her husband, who was Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich.
Supposedly during the Russian Revolution in 1917, Maria's son, Grand Duke Boris, ended up smuggling him out of the country.
They were forced to disguise themselves as servants and sneak into Vladimir Palace to recover the tiara and other jewels. It is said that Queen Maria, the grandmother of the queen, bought the tiara at an auction in 1921; today it is estimated to be worth around $50,000,000, or about £40,000,000. Although she slightly modified it to accommodate 15 emeralds from the Cambridge collection, she replaced the original hanging pearls with emeralds.