Today marks the 70th Anniversary of the Death of Crown Princess Cecilie of Prussia, who was passed away on this day in 1954! The daughter of the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Grand Duchess Anastasia , she married the last German Crown Prince and had a splendid jewellery collection, full of old family heirlooms and contemporary pieces, which included the Prussian Sapphire and Pearl Parure!
Prussian Meander Tiara | Fabergé Tiara | Prussian Sapphire Parure | Prussian Ruby Parure | Sapphire and Pearl Brooch
A spectacular Sapphire and Pearl Parure set with large sapphires set in diamonds alongside Pearls, it consisted of a large Tiara, a Necklace, a pair of Earrings, two Brooches, a Bracelet and a a Fan. The Sapphires must be ancient heirlooms of the House of Hohenzollern, and the design suggests that the Parure was created in the early part of the 19th century for Queen Elisabeth Ludovika of Prussia, who is the first recorded owner.
The Crown Sapphire and Pearl Parure was notably photographed for a book on the Jewels of House of Hohenzollern in 1913, and was retained by the family after the abolition of the German Monarchy at the end of the First World War.
The Crown Sapphire and Pearl Parure was most notably worn by Crown Princess Cecilie for the Wedding Gala of her nephew, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, and Princess Ingrid of Sweden in Stockholm in 1935.
Two years later, Crown Princess Cecilie wore Queen Elisabeth’s Sapphire and Pearl Parure again, for the Wedding of Prince Christian of Schaumburg-Lippe and Princess Feodora of Denmark in Denmark in 1937.
Following her death in 1954, Crown Princess Cecilie left her jewellery to her chauffeur, Otto Groha, which was eventually returned to the Prince of Prussia, while it has been speculated that the Crown Sapphire and Pearl Parure was reportedly sold by Kaiser Wilhelm II in exile. While it is faintly possible that the Crown Sapphire and Pearl Parure still belongs to the Prince of Prussia, it is more likely that it was among the jewels lost when the USSR expropriated the family’s extensive estates in East Germany after the Second World War, or it was sold to support the family in the decades since. Its current location is unknown.
However, in 2011, the former Princess Donata of Prussia, Duchess of Oldenburg wore a massive Sapphire and Diamond Brooch at the Wedding Ball of her son, the Prince of Prussia, and Princess Sophie of Isenburg, which may be a surviving part of the historic Prussian Sapphire Parure, through that cannot be confirmed.
Prussian Meander Tiara | Fabergé Tiara | Prussian Sapphire Parure | Prussian Ruby Parure | Sapphire and Pearl Brooch
