Today marks the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Queen Elena of Italy, who was born on this day in 1873! The Montenegrin Princess who became the second Italian Queen during the tumultuous first half of the 20th century, Queen Elena possessed the spectacular Jewels of the House of Savoy, but one of her personal Jewels was this Musy Emerald Tiara!
Queen Margherita’s Savoy Knot Tiara | Queen Elena’s Emerald Tiara | Jewels of the House of Savoy
When Princess Elena of Montenegro was marrying Crown Prince Victor Emmanuel of Italy in 1896, jewels from the legendary collection of his mother, Queen Margherita, were used to create this versatile Tiara by Musy, which was composed of a base of diamond scrolls topped by five large emeralds ringed by diamonds, which could also be replaced by diamonds.
As one of her two Tiaras, Crown Princess Elena began wearing her Musy Emerald Tiara soon after her marriage for a series of events and portraits, sometimes along with Queen Margherita’s Emerald Necklace.
The Tiara continued to be worn after King Victor Emmanuel III’s accession to the Throne, with Queen Elena wearing the Musy Emerald Tiara with the Diamond Necklace of the Italian Crown Jewels.
At the same time, a Tiara off an almost identical design was worn by Queen Elena’s sister-in-law, Princess Natalia of Montenegro, for her wedding and a series of portraits taken in the early 1900s.
The Musy Emerald Tiara was not publicly worn nor depicted after the First World War, when Queen Elena wore the Savoy Knot Tiara, which may be due to the style but it could also have been among the Jewels given by Queen Elena to the Italian Government in 1915 when Italy entered WWI to help the Italian people.
Queen Margherita’s Savoy Knot Tiara | Queen Elena’s Emerald Tiara | Jewels of the House of Savoy
Someone might want to edit this. She wasn’t horn in 1952 as the article states as she was born 150yrs ago. Epic fail.