Happy Birthday to the Dowager Duchess of Westminster, who turns 65 today! The illustrious aristocrat who grew up close to the Royal Family before marrying the wealthy Duke and becoming a godmother of the Prince of Wales, the Duchess possesses a spectacular Jewellery Collection, which is highlighted by the Bagration Spinel Tiara and Parure!
Bagration Spinel Tiara | Rosebery Tiara | Westminster Myrtle Wreath Tiara | Diamond Fringe Tiara | Westminster Halo Tiara | Diamond Necklace | The Duchess of Westminster’s Tiaras
The spectacular Spinel Tiara and Parure is composed of pear, cushion and round spinels set within a stylized scroll diamond motif, set into a Tiara, a Necklace, a pair of Earrings, and a Comb, which date from the early 19th century, likely being created by the famed Fossin of Chaumet, though the necklace and earrings were made at a later date, around 1840.
The Spinel Tiara and Parure originated from the infamous Princess Catherine Bagration, the niece of the great Prince Potemkin who married into an ancient Georgian-Russian Dynasty, who was known for her beauty, love affairs and unconventional behaviour travelling around Europe.
Princess Catherine Bagration inherited the jewels of Prince Potemkin but the fate of this parure was unknown until it came up for auction at Christie’s Geneva in November 1973, when it was purchased by S.J. Phillips, before being acquired by the future 6th Duke of Westminster in 1977 for his bride, Natalia Phillips, who herself had Russian descent, being a great-granddaughter of Grand Duke Michael of Russia and a direct descendant of Alexander Pushkin.
Natalia Phillips wore the Bagration Spinel Tiara for the first, and so far only, time for her Wedding to the then Earl Grosvenor (soon-to-be the Duke of Westminster) at St. Mary’s Church in Luton in October 1978.
Over a decade later, the Duchess of Westminster wore the Bagration Spinel Parure for King Constantine and Queen Anne Marie’s Silver Anniversary Gala Dinner in Copenhagen in 1989.
The Bagration Spinel Parure was also worn by a model, likely Laura Montagu, now Countess of Burlington, who wore it during a photoshoot when she tried on major pieces of the Westminster collection in the 1990s.
Over the years, the Bagration Spinel Tiara and Parure have been photographed for books and also put on display, especially in connection with jewels of Russian heritage.
Most recently, the Bagration Spinel Tiara went on display at the Sotheby’s Platinum Jubilee Exhibition: ‘Power & Image: Royal & Aristocratic Tiaras’ in 2022, and lets hope we see it worn again soon, possibly at the Wedding of the Duke next month.
Bagration Spinel Tiara | Rosebery Tiara | Westminster Myrtle Wreath Tiara | Diamond Fringe Tiara | Westminster Halo Tiara | Diamond Necklace | The Duchess of Westminster’s Tiaras
https://www.instagram.com/p/CmY7Ogqu48o/
Bagration Spinel Tiara
Rosebery Tiara
Diamond Necklace
Westminster Myrtle Wreath Tiara
Diamond Fringe Tiara
Westminster Halo Tiara
Devonshire Tiara
Devonshire Diamond Rivière
Ruby Clasp
Wellington Tiara
Diamond Earrings
Diamond Tassel Earrings
Duchess of Buccleuch’s Tiaras
Northumberland Tiara
Duchess of Sutherland’s Tiara
Duchess of Bedford’s Tiaras
Marlborough Tiara
Portland Tiara
Duchess of Norfolk’s Sapphire Necklace
Rutland Tiara
Argyll Tiara
Manchester Tiara
Dufferin Tiara
Bath Tiara
Milford Haven Ruby Kokoshnik
Duchess of Devonshire’s Tiaras