During the First World War, Queen Marie of Romania had sent all of her jewels to Russia for safekeeping which was later seized by the Bolsheviks and never returned. In 1922, her husband, King Ferdinand, bought the spectacular Cartier Diamond Sautoir from which hung a 478.68-carat Cartier Sapphire Pendant. The price of Fr. 1,275,000 was paid in four instalments up to 1924, with a pledge to cancel the sale in the event of ‘serious and unforeseen circumstances’.
Queen Marie notably wore the Cartier Diamond Sautoir and the 478-carat Cartier Sapphire Pendant with an ornate Byzantine Crown, later wearing the Vladimir Sapphire Kokoshnik, for her Coronation Ceremony in Alba Iulia in 1922.
The Cartier Diamond Sautoir and the 478-carat Cartier Sapphire Pendant was frequently worn by Queen Marie with her Vladimir Sapphire Kokoshnik and Cartier Pearl Tiara for several portraits and galas over the next few years, including her iconic portraits.
Queen Marie continued to wear the Cartier Diamond Sautoir with the Vladimir Sapphire Kokoshnik and her Diamond Fringe Tiara into her widowhood, including for the La Petite Entente Banquet at the Royal Palace of Bucharest in 1936.
After Queen Marie’s death in 1938, the Cartier Diamond Sautoir was the most prominent jewel inherited by her grandson, King Michael of Romania, and notably worn a decade later by his mother, Queen Helen, for the Wedding Ball of her cousin, Prince Phillip of Greece, to Princess (now Queen) Elizabeth in London 1947, just a few weeks before the Romanian Monarchy was abolished and King Michael, with Queen Helen, went into exile.
Just a few months into exile, Princess Anne of Bourbon Parma wore Queen Marie’s Cartier Diamond Sautoir with the Greek Key Tiara when she married King Michael at the Royal Palace of Athens.
At some point in the following years, faced with financial difficulties, King Michael sold the 478-carat Cartier Sapphire Pendant to Harry Winston, but in the early 1960s, the Sapphire Pendant was acquired by the Greek Shipping Tycoon Stavros Niarchos, and presented it to Queen Frederica of Greece, who was incidentally the sister-in-law of Queen Helen and an aunt of King Michael. Auctioned in 2003, the Cartier Sapphire Pendant is currently on display in the Cartier Exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London for only the next few weeks.
The eventual fate of the Cartier Diamond Sautoir remains a bit of a mystery but it appears to have been broken up. Hans Nadelhoffer, the author of a book on Cartier, once related a story to Ashdean on RJWMB,
“about when he asked Queen Anne about the sautoir during a party at her home, that she replied she had no idea about its current whereabouts. Later, when she took him upstairs to look at a piece, he found pieces of the sautoir at the bottom of her jewelry box.”
Vladimir Sapphire Kokoshnik
Romanian Massin Tiara
Diamond Fringe Tiara
Diamond Loop Tiara
Cartier Pearl Tiara
Turquoise Tiara
Cartier Sapphire Pendant
Cartier Diamond Sautoir
Emerald Tiara
Fringe Tiara
Gold Tiara
Cartier Diamond Eagle
Greek Emerald Parure
Queen Marie of Romania’s Cartier Pearl Tiara
Cartier Sapphire Necklace
After the death of Queen Anne of Romania recently, we decided to do a post on one of her most glittering jewels, which was worn only once. Queen Marie’s Diamond Sautoir is composed of square links connected by diamond chain like links was designed by Cartier in 1919. Originally, the piece featured a 478.68 carat sapphire as a pendent, which was later replaced by a diamond pendent.
Embed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty Images
The diamond sautoir was bought by King Ferdinand of Romania for his consort, Queen Marie, in 1922. She wore it to her coronation held the same year, as well as in a painting by Sir Philip de Lazlo in 1924, and continued to wear the sautoir until her death in 1938, often with the brilliant Vladimir sapphire Kokoshnik Tiara. Both jewels were bought to replace the jewelry Queen Marie had sent to Russia for safekeeping during WWI, that were seized by the Bolsheviks and never recovered. Queen Marie was a fascinating personality. One of the many granddaughters of Queen Victoria of Great Britain who married a monarch, she was a dramatic person who dressed in caftans and turbans, was the first royal to write her autobiography, and was the key figure in securing Transylvania for Romania after WWI. She is still fondly remembered in Romania for her eccentricity and theatrical personalty.
The sautoir was inherited by Queen Marie’s grandson, King Michael, upon her death in 1938. Her son, Michael’s father, had a turbulent reign marked by scandal and political troubles. He was forced to abdicate by the government. King Michael gave his mother the title of Queen Mother, despite her having been divorced before her husband became king. Queen Mother Helen (nee. Princess Helen of Greece) was also given use of the diamond sautoir, along with the relatively few remaining Romanian royal jewels. Queen Mother Helen wore the sautoir in the 1940s with a diamond pendent. The enormous sapphire had been sold to Harry Winston and later appeared on Helen’s sister-in-law, Queen Fredrika of Greece.
Embed from Getty Images
When King Michael married Princess Anne of Bourbon Parma in 1948, the bride wore the Romanian diamond sautoir with the diamond pendent. King Michael had been recently exiled from Romania and the new Queen didn’t have a chance to wear the sautoir again. Ashdean on RJWMB once related a story told to him by Hans Nadelhoffer (the author of a book on Cartier), about when he asked Queen Anne about the sautoir during a party at her home, that she replied she had no idea about its current whereabouts. Later, when she took him upstairs to look at a piece, he found pieces of the sautoir at the bottom of her jewelry box. It is unknown if the pieces of the sautoir are still owned by King Michael.
nice post