Priceless emerald necklaces and brooches with huge sapphires that once adorned the gowns of Russian tsarinas later found new owners: American socialites and the wives of oil tycoons.

Following the 1917 Revolution, the Bolsheviks sold the Romanov family’s treasures off to international buyers while keeping only the most valuable pieces in Russia. This luxurious jewelry collection appealed not only to the tastes of European monarchs but also American socialites and famous jewelry houses.

Maria Pavlovna’s Emeralds

Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna (1854-1920), the spouse of Vladimir Alexandrovich (son of Emperor Alexander II), was one of the few Romanovs who managed to take her jewelry abroad after the revolution. She had a large collection of jewels that she was able to bequeath to her children after the death of her husband. This parure of huge emeralds became famous thanks to photographs of a Romanov costume ball in 1903. In…