Tiaras and Trinkets on Tuesday (Princess Xenia of Wallachia's Personal Jewellery)

As we have come to know, the Princely House of Wallachia is one of the oldest and prestigious in all of Europa. The House of Draculesti have been Grand Princes, over this fairly large territory by Principality standards, for hundreds of years. They have built a stable country imbued with a rich history which is reflected in the personal jewellery collection and the Crown Jewels of the Royal Family.

In this post we will dig into Princess Xenia's personal jewellery chest. Then in a future installment we will document the official jewellery that make up the ancient Crown Jewels of Wallachia.

The Syldavian Emerald and Platinum Parure, worn here to the 2011 Christmas Ball was a gift from the Kingdom of Syldavia to the current Princess's grandmother Princess Elizabeta upon her marriage. Princess Xenia pairs it very effectively with the green sash of the Order of the Syldav Cross in honour of her being inducted into the Order earlier that year.

Princess Xenia's mother is the younger sister of the Duke of Swann's father. As a Princess by birth she left her country of origin with a dowry of Swanobian ancestral jewels. The Swann Dowry Diamond Parure as it has now become known is one of the most dazzling in the Wallachian collection. It consists of a Fringe Tiara, a matching Fringe Necklace and Earrings in the shape of a cross. 

Princess Xenia's mother The Dowager Grand Princess of Wallachia is seen here 20 years ago posing for her State Portrait. Princess Suzanna opted to only wear her Dowry Fringe Tiara and no other jewellery for this particular photograph. 

Princess Suzanna also received a diamond Demi Parure consisting of a collar necklace and matching earrings from the people of Swann to celebrate her marriage. Princess Xenia is seen wearing it to the 2011 Knight's Gathering. The Suzanna Demi Parure is often worn by the current Princess of Wallachia as its classic design compliments the Princess' "to the point" style choices. 

This Tiara has not often been seen on the head of the very sleek Princess Xenia. Her style seems to be austere with simple lines and darker shades. The floral design of this very historic tiara does not lend itself readily to be successfully paired with the Princess' "look".  She does however give it its occasional run, due to its historicity and has not made a fashion flop of it yet. 

The Fleur D'Franconia Demi Parure consists of a Tiara and Necklace. It came to the House of Draculesti in the years just before the Franconian Revolution. The younger son of the Grand Prince of Wallachia was serving as ambassador to the Franconian Royal Court. Prince Argyri was young and tempestuous and perhaps not the best choice for amabassador. The apex of his "exploits" in Franconia was falling in love with a married woman. The Countess Dumont and the Prince carried on the scandal for months and she was eventually given these jewels as a token of the young Prince's affection but this also implicated him in the illicit affair. However fate took a turn with the Count Dumont's capture during the first wave of the Republican Revolution. This was followed a week later by his execution at the Guillotine. Young Prince Argyri, managed in the chaos to escape with the Countess from her husband and the Revolution. They returned to his native Wallachia and were married. The couple never had any children and the jewels ended up as part of the Draculesti private collection of historic jewels. 

The Hollywood Demi Parure is a modern set of ruby jewelry consisting of a necklace and matching earrings. Princess Xenia is not one to bother much with spending money on herself so it was at the insistence of her advisers that she accepted this gift from her own people upon her 30th birthday in 2010. The lavish ruby and diamond set is said to be one of the most expensive modern ruby necklaces in the world and looks spectacular on the very sleek Princess. 

A tiara with a single feature at the front, usually prominently protruding, is referred to as an Aigrette. They were extremely fashionable about 100 years ago and were considered bold fashion statements in their heyday. These tiaras are rare due to the fact that they can seem awkward in combination with more contemporary outfits or events. One such Aigrette consists of a double wing design and has been worn by its owner Princess Xenia on one occasion. Here we see her with the Crown Princess Imperial at a Pariseum charity fashion show earlier this year. The bold couture designs of the fashion show must have made the wearing of this piece seem more appropriate and the Princess seemed to have carried it off relatively successfully. We have never seen her wear it on any other occasion to date. 

The Angel Wing Aigrette from the Wallachian Royal Collection has been in the family for close to 100 years. It was obviously purchased in the days of the fashionable Aigrette and just remained in the collection, unaltered until today, where now it stands as a testament of a bygone era and its fashions. 

We hope you enjoyed this long overdue feature on some more of the Royal Jewels of the world and we look forward to our next post regarding the Crown Jewels of Wallachia.