The Crown of the Russian Empire is truly a masterpiece of jewelry art! Two masters were directly involved in its creation: a court jeweler named Georg-Friedrich Eckart and a diamond art professional, Jeremiah Pozier.
Maximum Task
The Crown of the Russian Empire (the photo of which is given in this article) saw the light back in 1762. It was ordered specifically for the coronation of the wife of the then deceased Peter III - Catherine II. Eckart was entrusted with the creation of sketches of the future crown, and Pozier with the direct selection of precious stones.
The most important condition set before the masters was this: under no circumstances should the big imperial crown of the Russian Empire be heavier than two kilograms. It should be noted that this condition was met with maximum accuracy. The finished piece of 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 - a couple of months.
Appearance and symbols
It is curious that the shape of the finished piece of jewelry was made in oriental 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 glory, and oak leaves and acorns are the strength and strength of imperial power.
As for its dimensions, it is 27.5 centimeters high and the inside hole is 64 centimeters long.
The crown of the Russian Empire consists of more than 5 thousand precious stones. Of these, exactly 4936 are cut diamonds, the total weight of which is 2858 carats! In addition to diamonds, pearls were used in the crown, necessary to emphasize the beauty of diamond lace. The precious metals included in the decoration of this piece of jewelry were silver and gold. The crown of the headdress is a very rare red gem called noble spinel.
Popular and famous
The large imperial crown "took root" so closely at court that after Catherine II this headdress was a necessary condition for the coronation of all subsequent emperors, from Paul I to 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 successors until the very end of the Romanov monarchy in Russia.
In 1984, this unique jewelry monument was solemnlyrestored 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 orb and scepter) of the Russian Diamond Fund.
One last time…
The most recent occasion when the crown of the Russian Empire was used was a state event in 1906 - a solemn ceremony on the occasion of the opening of the first State Duma, in which the last owner of the Russian land, Nicholas II Romanov, participated.
