Today marks the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of the legendary XVIII Duchess of Alba de Tormes, Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart de Silva Falcó y Gurtubay, who was born on this day in 1926! The vibrant billionaire Head of the illustrious House of Alba, who was the world’s most titled aristocrat, the Duchess inherited several magnificent heirlooms, including this Russian Diamond Tiara!
Alba Ducal Coronet | Duchess of Alba’s Pearl Tiara | Russian Diamond Tiara | Duchess of Alba’s Tiaras
A magnificent Diamond Tiara composed of diamond loops set as a Diamond Kokoshnik, hence why it became known as ‘La Rusa’, and was listed in family inventories as “a Russian crown with diamonds” mistakingly linking to to Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia.
What is known is that the Russian Diamond Tiara originated from the Duchess’ maternal grandmother, the Duchess of Híjar and Aliaga, and had passed been along to her daughter, the 17th Duchess of Alba, who wore it for an Official Ceremony at the Royal Palace of Madrid in the late 1920s, as shared by @archivodejoyas.
Several decades later, the ‘La Rusa’ Tiara was worn by the 18th Duchess of Alba for Infanta Pilar’s Debut Ball in Estoril in Portugal in 1954, though in her memoirs she erroneously recalled wearing her Pearl Tiara.
Infanta Pilar’s coming-out party was a very emotional event. For the occasion, I chose a white dress with ruffles and wore a pearl and diamond tiara.”
Not long afterwards, the Duchess wore the Diamond Kokoshnik Tiara for a series of official portraits taken by the photographer Juan Gyenes at the Palacio de Liria in Madrid.
The Duchess of Alba also paired the Russian Diamond Tiara with the heirloom Emerald Necklace for one of the galas prior to the wedding of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, in Athens, in 1962.
In 1977, the Russian Diamond Tiara was worn by a reluctant Princess María of Hohenlohe-Langenburg when she married the Duchess’ second son, the then Duke of Aliaga and now Duke of Hijar, in Marbella, as the Duchess of Alba recalled:
Then there was that incident with the tiara, the platinum and diamond one, the one we knew as ‘tLa Rusa,’ which I had inherited from my grandmother Hjar. It was a much-loved and symbolic jewel for the House and for me. And Alfonso, Duke of Aliaga—the title that corresponded to the firstborn son on the House of Hjar, my mother’s line—a Grandee of Spain, was the first of my children to marry. I understood that they didn’t choose a more suitable place for their wedding, but I found it hard to understand why she didn’t want to wear our tiara, since I had offered it to her with all my affection and respect for tradition. Finally, she reluctantly accepted.”
Over a decade later, Doña Matilde Solís-Beaumon wore the Russian Diamond Kokoshnik Tiara without complaint when she married the the Duke of Huéscar, the heir to the Dukedom of Alba in Seville in 1988.
Quite the opposite would happen with Matilde Solís, Carlos’s future wife, who a few years later would wear “La Rusa” without any problems.
Mati and Carlos got married in the same place I did: at the main altar of Seville Cathedral. Mati was radiant. She wore a marvelous wedding dress, like something out of a fairy tale, designed by José María Cerezal. And she proudly wore our tiara, “La Rusa”—it was only a short time later that I had to sell it. Carlos wore the Seville Royal Cavalry uniform that my father loved so much and that looks so good on my sons. He even looked taller.”
However, despite its dynastic importance, in the 1990s, the Duchess of Alba auctioned off the Russian Diamond Kokoshnik Tiara to buy a horse for her son, the Duke of Arjona, who who represented Spain in show jumping at the 1992 Summer Olympics and later won the gold medal at the Spanish Show Jumping Championship in 2006
By the mid-eighties, he knew without a doubt that he wanted to be part of the Spanish team for the Barcelona Olympic Games, and before long, he had earned a spot on the national squad entirely on his own merits. There were, however, some rather complicated matters to resolve: I had to sell my Russian tiara so that Cayetano could purchase a magnificent horse—Gigoló—and thus devote himself fully to riding and competing.
After being auctioned at Christie’s, the Russian Diamond Kokoshnik Tiara was acquired by Joseph Saidian & Sons Jewellers in New York from an American Dealer for around €200,000. After various owners, it was most recently put up for sale by MS Rau Jewellers for €2.5 million in 2022.
Alba Ducal Coronet
Empress Eugénie’s Pearl Tiara
‘La Rusa’ Diamond Tiara
Fleur-de-Lys Tiara
Chaumet Tiara
Cartier Pearl Tiara
Mellerio Shell Tiara
Empress Eugenie’s Emeralds
Aquamarine Parure
Turquoise Tiara
Queen Victoria’s Strawberry Leaf Tiara
Cartier Diamond Bandeau
Joyas de Pasar
Diamond Rivière
Diamond Earrings
Diamond Bracelets
Cartier Stomacher
Emerald Brooch
Spanish Fleur-de-Lys Tiara
Spanish Floral Tiara
Prussian Diamond Tiara
Queen Victoria Eugenie’s Cartier Pearl Tiara
Queen Maria Christina’s Loop Tiara
Mellerio Shell Tiara
Ansorena Fleur de Lys Tiara
The Joyas de Pasar
Queen Victoria Eugenie’s Diamond Earrings
Queen Victoria Eugenie’s Diamond Bracelets
Queen Victoria Eugenie’s Diamond Rivière
Queen Sofia’s Wedding Necklace
Queen Maria Cristina’s Pearl Brooch
