The crown of the Russian Empire is truly a masterpiece of jewelry! Two craftsmen took a direct part in its creation: a court jeweler named Georg-Friedrich Eckart and a professional in diamond art, Jeremiah Posier.
Maximum task
The Crown of the Russian Empire (the photo of which is given in this article) saw the light in the distant 1762. She was specially ordered in order to coronate the wife of the then deceased Peter III - Catherine II. Eckart was entrusted with the creation of sketches of the future crown, and Posier - the direct selection of precious stones.
The most important condition placed before the masters was this: in no case should it be allowed for the imperial crown of the Russian Empire to be heavier than two kilograms. It should be noted that this condition was met with maximum accuracy. Finished jewelry weighed 1993.8 grams.
Regardless of the complexity of its design, the headdress of the future Empress Catherine II was created for a relatively small juice - in a couple of months.
Appearance and Symbols
It is curious that the shape of the finished jewelry was made in Eastern traditions. The crown of the Russian Empire is divided into two silver hemispheres, symbolizing the union of the West and the East. The majestic drawing of this product is not only beautiful, but also filled with a very deep meaning: the laurel branches located in its lower part symbolize fame, and oak leaves and acorns are the strength and strength of the imperial power.
As for its size, the height is 27.5 centimeters, and the length of the inner hole is 64 centimeters.
The crown of the Russian Empire consists of more than 5 thousand precious stones. Of these, exactly 4936 are faceted diamonds, the total weight of which is 2858 carats! In addition to diamonds, pearls were used in the crown to emphasize the beauty of diamond lace. The precious metals included in the decoration of this jewelry were silver and gold. The crown of the headgear is a very rare gem of red color called noble spinel.
Popular and famous
The large imperial crown so closely “settled down at court” that after Catherine II this headdress was a necessary condition for the coronation of all subsequent emperors, beginning with Paul I and ending with the last of the Romanov dynasty - Nicholas II.
Today we can safely say that this crown is the most famous of all its predecessors and followers until the end of the Romanov monarchy in Russia.
In 1984, this unique jewelry monument was solemnly restored by jewelers Nikolaev V.V., Aleksakhin G.F. and artist Sitnikov V.G. Today this unique piece of jewelry is among the most unique exhibits (imperial power and scepter) of the Diamond Fund of Russia.
Last time...
The most recent case when the crown of the Russian Empire was used was a state event in 1906 - a ceremony to mark the opening of the first State Duma, in which the last owner of the Russian land, Nikolai II Romanov, participated.