Lot Essay
Grand Duchess Maria's passion for jewellery is renowned. At its apogee, her collection included a one hundred carat emerald, once owned by Catherine the Great, and the five carat ruby of Josephine de Beauharnais. After the Grand Duchess's death, her jewels were sold to support her family in exile; her Bolin tiara of diamond loops with pearl drops, was remounted in platinum and is now worn by Queen Elizabeth II. For more on the collection of Grand Duchess Vladimir, see S. Papi, The Jewels of the Romanovs: Family and Court, London, 2010, pp. 94 - 115.