What's Up Wednesday (Princes Beloskaya-Beloserskaya Tiara Auction)

2015 saw another major jewellery auction take place last week. What drew the media attention was the historic provenance of some of the major pieces on the list.

Princess Augusta was once again, the organiser and auctioneer of some of the world's most famous jewels to come under the hammer.

The Princely Family of Beloskaya-Beloserskaya reached prominence and great wealth during the Ruskian Imperial heyday. They accumulated a sizable jewellery collection that was mostly lost to the Great War and the Ruskian Revolution that followed. The heirs to the family persist to this day but the title became extinct in 1974 when the last Prince died without an heir matching the house laws of succession. The last of the surviving Beloskaya-Beloserskaya jewellery came up for sale this week as a result of the Prince's granddaughter who decided to make it available. The Princess Beloskaya-Beloserskaya Aquamarine Parure was the central piece in this auction and can be pictured above, displayed with Princess Augusta just before the commencement of the day's event.

Augusta's Auction House was the illustrious venue for this and many other major sales of historic art and jewellery.

Auctions of this caliber attract investors of the highest echelons like the very wealthy Baron D'Rothchild pictured above.

The Duchess of Roswind, not an outright jewellery collector but an investor for the Van Der Bilt Family trust can be seen at left in the photo showing interest in the Aquamarine Parure. Princess Oktavia Von Hohen und Silberstein, at right, is a world famous spendthrift with the ready funds to back up her reputation. 

The Prince Youssopoff owns a very large historic collection of Ruskian jewellery and also showed a keen interest in acquiring the Aquamarines.

The Duchess of Argyle recently lost her Dysart Family Diamond Tiara to theft and has shown interest in replacing it with another.

The final contender for the sale was the Grand Duke of Reichenthal. There were also some buyers who were taking part in the sale via Skype.

Princess Augusta can be seen above presiding as auctioneer over the commencement of the proceedings. First up was the Aquamarines.

A bid by the Baron D'Rothchild.

Prince Felix Youssopoff.

The Duchess of Argyle heats up the bidding. 

A bidding war ensued beyond the expected price of the Aquamarines between the Duchess of Argyle and Princess Oktavia.

However the Beloskaya-Beloserskaya Parure went for a record price to the Duchess of Argyle.

The happy customer is seen above admiring her prize after the day's events.

This close-up archive photo allows us to appreciate the Aquamarines in detail.

Other jewellery that came up for sale was an antique Amethyst Parure that belonged to Queen Victoria of Britania. It left the main branch of the family as a dowry set of jeweller for Princess Mary, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria who married the Syldavian Margrave of Hesse. After generations it came into the hands of a private investor who is the current seller. The Amethysts intrinsic value is not as high as its historical value and for that very reason it was bought by The Crown Prince Imperial for its return to the Imperial Collection.

The Princess Mary Amethysts are a rare survivor from the court of Queen Victoria of Britania. Not many jewellery from that era remain in their original form making this a true historical treasure worthy of the Imperial Collection.

The Duchess of Lancaster has put her least historical set of jewellery up for sale in order to raise funds for many of the charities she is involved with. The Art Deco set dates from the late 1920's and has investment value for that purpose and for its association with the Lancaster Family. It was bought by the Prince Felix Youssopoff.

An Imperial Topaz necklace of uncertain provenance but of confirmed historic Franconian period manufacture was also bought by the Crown Prince Imperial, presumably to compliment an Imperial Topaz tiara already in the historical Imperial Collection.

Tiaras and Trinkets on Tuesday (Private Jewellery of Princess Odeliah)

Her Imperial Highness the Crown Princess Imperial or Princess Odeliah as she is known colloquially has access, by virtue of her marriage to the Crown Prince Imperial, to the Crown Jewels of Scot-Britania and the vast private collection of jewellery owned by the Prince in his own right. The question we aim to answer in today's post is; which, if any of the jewels we have seen the Princess wear over the years might be her own property, to do with as she please? It stands to reason to wonder as the Princess did not own any significant jewellery before her marriage to the Crown Prince Imperial. Our investigation however revealed that Her Imperial Highness does own some pieces in her own right through being gifted them or even inheritance from her mother in law. 

When a man proposes marriage to a lady an engagement ring, or in the case of a Princess an engagement set of jewellery is presented to the prospective fiance'. These jewels are considered a token of trust that becomes the no-strings-attached property of the fiance upon her acceptance of the proposal. When Odeliah Sorgenfrei accepted the Crown Prince Imperial's proposal he gave her, along with the traditional ring, a brand new tiara, designed especially for the occasion. It is pictured in the photo above. The tiara also came with a matching diamond bracelet which we will show in a photo below.

This close-up photo shows the Odeliah Betrothal Tiara which belongs the Crown Princess in her own right as given to her in trust by her then fiance and now husband. 

A necklace was needed to compliment the Betrothal Tiara. The Crown Prince being an antique jewellery enthusiast waited for the right opportunity and bought this art deco inspired period necklace. Its design hints at that of the tiara but obviously does not copy it exactly as the two were made completely separately from each other. This allows for them to be worn in combination with each other and with other jewellery. The necklace is so spectacular that wearing it by itself is statement enough as well. 

In this photo we see the above mentioned betrothal bracelet said to be the Princess' favourite piece of jewellery.

Empress Crystobel owned a set of rubies known as the Dowry Rubies. After her death the set, consisting of 1 tiara, 1 bracelet, 1 brooch, 2 sets of earrings and three necklaces, was broken up. Part of the set with the tiara ended up being bought by the Crown Prince Imperial's cousin, Grand Duke George of Hanoveria. One necklace remained as the property of the Crown Prince Imperial himself. The final necklace and earrings, pictured above, was left to Princess Odeliah by Empress Crystobel in her will. This shows the Empress' affection for her new daughter in law and also puts the Empress' final stamp of approval on her son's choice of wife. We have yet to see the Princess wear these rubies in public.

In 2014 at the wedding of Princess Marie-Elizabeth to the Arch Duke of Fulco D' Este, Princess Odeliah was seen wearing a necklace and earrings not associated with any of the historic or Crown Jewel collections. It was soon confirmed to have been a birthday gift to her from her husband.

The set made from gold, pearls and diamonds is brand new and owned by the Princess in her own right.

Many might question the amount of jewellery owned by the Crown Princess Imperial. They might expect her to own far more given her rank and wealth of her husband. Others may argue that given her access to historic jewels, she should not own any of her own as it is a frivolous waste of money. The fact remains, that private ownership, is private. Often these jewels are sentimental and personal gifts as can be seen in this particular collection. One thing is sure, Princess Odeliah herself does not seem to care much for glamour and sees it more as a duty to her role to wear amazing jewellery and we can be sure that she received these jewels in the spirit that they came to her.

Memory Mondays (Style Icons 5 Empress Crystobel)

We haven't had a "Style Icons" post in six months and we have never discussed this topic in depth as far as our late Empress Crystobel is concerned. We hope to pay homage in this post to that truly regal and illustrious lady and her most phenomenal style. 

This very intimate photo taken by the Duke of Swann of his aunt in 2012 captures her character and personality quite poignantly. The photo also almost gives a snapshot of her look and style, on the one hand, a straight forward simple woman, on the other hand a radiant Empress. 

Let us begin our anaylsis of Empress Crystobel's style with the last official portrait taken of her. It was never published due to her untimely death but we will post it here today for the first time.

This photo again shows the Empress in what may be seen as a signature look. Elegant, majestic yet friendly and beautiful. Not much needs to actually be said as it does seem to speak for itself.

Spectacular family and Crown jewels have been Crystobel's birthright and she has had access to the most amazing collections of both in her life. This has served to augment her natural yet never arrogant "to-the-manner-born" demeanor.

From a young age Crystobel has accepted and worn privilege well. Aside from her coronation, the public's other most memorable moment of the Empress'early life was her wedding as Queen of Scotney to the then Crown Prince of Britania. Protocol and tradition forced many symbols and national regalia upon her but she did not waver to add her own personal style touches to the requirements. The effect was more than memorable, and it has remained so through her life, nothing other than a tour de force.

More photos from the pre revolution reveal the Empress' classic yet also varied style. She could jump from crown, to tiara, to black tight fitting to jeans with equal success.

The only remaining photo of the event at Roswind Castle held on the night the missile strike on the Royal residence sparked the revolution show the Empress, radiant even under extreme stress. At this stage political tension was already boiling over the brim but she managed a tiara and a smile amidst it all.

The State Portrait of Empress Crystobel taken in 1995 was one of the last before the revolution. "Resolute" is the word that comes to mind.

Years went by and eventually the bitter revolution was relegated to a distant memory. A new era demanded a new Empress albeit in exile. She never shrunk back and this can be seen at the 2011 Christmas Ball where her chosen look was dramatically regal, emphasizing rank.

Posing for State or official portraits seemed to have been a forte of the Empress. Sleek with regal looking faux fur was wrought with equal success as any other.

Taking a back seat was not beneath the Empress when the situation asked for it. At events where her son was the focal point she would very easily dress "down" as in the photo above. One might not consider this "down" but given the context it was.

A collection of some of the Empress' looks belie one fact, her love of rubies.

Even in a more plainer look, Her Majesty still commanded respect. This was more due to her nature than the amount of diamonds or lofty titles.

The sleek and chic corporate look also suited Her Majesty well. Seen often in Americania, the Empress fit right in with executives and wealthy heiresses.

Even in mourning her Majesty's elegance was undeniable.

Bright and sunny in a spring cocktail dress does anybody well and Empress Crytobel shone often in polka dots or bright colours without seeming frivolous or banal.

Literally hours before her death, the Empress left her mark on our memories in humble yet undoubtedly Royal style sporting a hat as regally as any crown.

The quintessential State Portrait was the Empress' most effective arena and she always ruled there even if she had been without a throne for so long. The throne of our hearts however will never forget this truly Royal Lady who remained in dignity even when life sought to steal it from her.

Wonderful Weekends (2015 State Portraits of the Duke of Swann)

The Duke of Swann has finally after many years released State Portraits taken in the beautiful memorial garden of Duke's Court Palace. They are His Royal Highness' official portraits for the year 2015.

The spectacular memorial garden, set out in honour of the Duke of Swann's late mother is the perfect compliment to His Royal Highness dressed in full regalia.

The Royal Crest, seen in the top right, is also in perfect harmony with the exuberant colours of the garden.

The garden, along with the Palace of Duke's Court is open to the public at certain set times during the year. 

The set of portraits are a perfect reflection of the happy Principality of Swann and its colourful ruler. 

What's Up Wednesday (Imperial Mews of Scot-Britania Restored)

The past few months have seen many Imperial restoration projects underway in Scotney and Britania. All of these have found new impetus with the discovery of the Crown of St Christian a few weeks ago. One of the very large scale projects of historical value has been the remainder of the Royal and Imperial carriages still surviving after the 1996 revolution destroyed many Royal artifacts. These have now finally been completely restored and they will be displayed in the Imperial Mews at the Aldarian Palace from the 15th of March 2015.

The Crown Prince Imperial took our photographer on a tour of the Mews especially for this blog post before the grand opening. The "Mews" is the traditional name for what one may call the Imperial garage. Here His Imperial Highness is welcomed at the entrance to the facility by a liveried postilion.

Three historic transports have traditionally been kept here for use by the former Royal and Imperial Families. They will now be on display along with other exhibits at the Aldarian Palace Royal Museum Initiative. 

The Crown Prince Imperial was said to be very excited about this particular part of the vast restorations currently underway as he has always had a "strange" fascination with horse drawn carriages growing up. The Prince who spent his youth in Muren unaware of his Royal status was always drawn to horse and their role in history and never knew how closely he was linked to the concept in reality.

Of the three carriages, the smallest is known as the Queen Victoria Landau. It was made for the great great grand mother of the Crown Prince as a less formal parade carriage. Queen Victoria who most often preferred her carriages over the newly invented cars at the time needed a new small and convenient carriage and this was the result. 

Next we have the Royal Britanian Parade Landau which has always been the official open top parade carriage for the Royal House of Britania. No closed top coaches from Britania nor any landaus of Scotney have survived the destruction of the 1996 Revolution.

The Coronation Coach of Scot-Britania was luckily considered to be of important historical value and due to its links with bot Scotney and Britania, was kept intact, albeit locked away from public view, by the revolutionary governments of Scotney and Britania. It form the highlight of the Mews' Exhibit and is sure to draw thousands of tourists. It is as spectacularly grand as it is a testament of period artistry and craftsmanship. The coach was made in 1777 for the coronation of King James of Scotney and was eventually selected to be the coronation coach for the United Empire of Scot-Britania. At that stage in 1994 the original Royal Crown that surmounted the top of the coach was replaced wit an effigy of Emperor Christian and Empress Crystobel and it remains so to this day.

The front of the coach displays another effigy but this time of "the Word of God". When the coach was made it was still popularly considered that Kings rule by Divine Right and proclaimed by the will and word of God. So when the King rode to his coronation he was preceded by the declaration of God as portrayed by the image of the Mithrandir seated on the front of the coach holding a scroll. At the back, two supporting angels rounded off the celestial procession. The actual Mithrandir would then follow to crown the King in the Cathedral of the Lionheart.

The Crown Prince Imperial was visibly moved when he showed us the Coronation Coach while mentioning that his father and mother were the last to ride in it. He is quoted as being very proud to be so closely involved with its restoration and hope many will find it enjoyable to view and to learn of its historic significance and artistic value.