Romanian Massin Tiara

~ Saad719

Today marks the Anniversary of the Death of Queen Elisabeth of Romania, who died on this day in 1916. Born a Princess of Wied, she became the first Queen Consort of Romania, and was an artistic figure widely known by her literary name of Carmen Sylva. To mark the Anniversary, we are taking a look at the Romanian Massin Tiara!

Vladimir Sapphire Kokoshnik | Romanian Massin Tiara | Diamond Loop Tiara | Pearl Tiara | Cartier Sapphire Pendant | Diamond Sautoir

When the reigning Prince Carol of Romania married Princess Elisabeth of Wied in 1869, the bride received this spectacular Pearl and Diamond Tiara, featuring 16 large upright pearls, made by Oscar Massin, from the Romania Aristocratic Ladies Association.

Prince Carol became King of Romania in 1881, but the Tiara was worn on numerous occasions and for official portraits by Queen Elisabeth through the 1870s and 1880s, following which the Queen largely retired to purse her her writing, under the name Carmen Sylva.

King Carol and Queen Elisabeth had no surviving children, so his heir was his nephew, Prince Ferdinand, who had married Princess Marie of Edinburgh, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. In the late 1900s, Queen Elisabeth gave the Massin Tiara to Crown Princess Marie who wore it for numerous portraits soon afterwards.

Crown Princess Marie wore Queen Elisabeth’s Massin Tiara through the early 1910s, especially as events left to King Carol’s death and King’s Ferdinand’s Accession.

With the outbreak of the First World War, which Romania joined in 1916, Queen Marie sent all of jewels, including Queen Elisabeth’s Massin Tiara, along with Romania’s gold reserves to Russia for safekeeping, especially as much of Romania was soon occupied and the Royal Family had to retreat to Moldavia. However, while Romania emerged victorious from the War and almost doubled its territory, thanks to Queen Marie’s efforts, Russia had undergone their Revolutions, and the Bolsheviks had confiscated Queen Marie’s Jewels, which were never returned. Efforts to recover the jewels have been made as recently as 2018, but their eventual fate is unknown. Queen Marie later recalled:

I took a quite childish pleasure in my new dresses and beautiful jewels. Mama had been extraordinarily prodigal, giving many of her own magnificent Russian gems. These have all now been annexed by the Bolsheviks. It was difficult to realise that they were all mine.

To replace her jewellery collection, Queen Marie had to acquire the Vladimir Sapphire Kokoshnik, a Pearl Tiara, a massive Cartier Sapphire Pendant and a Diamond Sautoir among other jewels.

Vladimir Sapphire Kokoshnik | Romanian Massin Tiara | Fringe Tiara | Diamond Loop Tiara | Pearl Tiara | Cartier Sapphire Pendant | Diamond Sautoir

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Vladimir Sapphire Kokoshnik

Romanian Massin Tiara

Fringe Tiara

Diamond Loop Tiara

Cartier Pearl Tiara

Cartier Sapphire Pendant

Diamond Sautoir

In 1869, the Romania Aristocratic Ladies Association gave this grand diamond and pearl tiara, featuring 16 large upright pearls, made by Oscar Massin, as a wedding gift to Princess Elisabeth of Wied, when she married Prince Carol of Romania, who became King in 1881. The Tiara was worn for a variety of portraits until the 1880s, when the Queen largely retired to purse her her writing.

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King Carol and Queen Elisabeth had no surviving children, so his heir was his nephew, Prince Ferdinand, who had married Princess Marie of Edinburgh, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. In the 1900s and the 1910s, the Massin Tiara was worn exclusively by Crown Princess later Queen Marie, for a variety of portraits, and was her only Romanian heirloom, the rest having been given as wedding gifts from her British and Romanov relatives. At the start of the First World War, Queen Marie sent all of her jewellery to Russia for safekeeping, and they were not returned by the Soviets following the Bolshevik Revolution. While there have been recent demands for their return by Romanian Authorities, Queen Marie’s jewellery, and this Tiara, presumably remain in Moscow. After the war, she replenished her collection with the Vladimir Sapphire Kokoshnik and a Pearl Tiara among others.

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