The Chaumet Lacis Tiara for the Russian Imperial Wedding in October!

THE CHAUMET LACIS TIARA FOR PRINCESS VICTORIA ROMANOVNA

 

The Chaumet Lacis Tiara.
Photograph (c) Chaumet.

In news that will delight royal jewellery watchers, the future Princess Victoria Romanovna Romanoff will be wearing a magnificent tiara created by Maison Chaumet when she marries Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia. Grand Duke George is the son of Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, head of the Russian Imperial House, and Prince Franz-Wilhelm of Prussia. Victoria Romanovna Bettarini is the daughter of Ambassador and Sigra. Roberto Bettarini. Maison Chaumet has crafted exceptional tiaras, jewels, and timepieces at the very heart of the place Vendôme since 1780. The High Jewellery savoir-faire of the Maison has been passed down through generations of jewellers for almost 240 years. The bride-to-be of the heir to the Imperial House of Russia recently joined Jérôme Carron and David Nivière of Point de Vue when she visited Chaumet's Parisian headquarters to select her nuptial diadem. Victoria was presented with eleven tiaras, one of which was the Chaumet Bourbon-Parma Tiara, from which to made her choice. After consideration, Victoria Romanovna decided upon a piece that has never been worn before: the Lacis Tiara. 

Grand Duke George Mikhailovich and the future Princess Victoria Romanovna.
Photograph (c) Russian Imperial Chancellery.

Maison Chaumet provides this description of the tiara:

Lacis tiara in white gold, set with one oval-cut D VVS1 diamond of 5.02 carats, one pear-shaped D VVS2 diamond of 2.21 carats and brilliant-cut diamonds.

A subtle interplay of light and transparency is orchestrated by the crossing of fils couteau mountings, an iconic virtuosity of the Maison which seems to render the metal structure invisible in order to let the stones sparkle.

Recalling the stone latticework and mashrabiyas of contemporary architecture, with its white gold interlacing Lacis delineates symmetrical and delicate jewellery while also suggesting maze of narrow streets. This modern reinterpretation of diamond mesh, an historic Chaumet signature, is especially striking in the form of a light tiara, a secret watch, and rings and bracelets with airy volumes.

The Lacis tiara took over 800 hours of work by Chaumet’s jewellers, polishers and gem-setters to create. The tiara's creation was completed in July 2020. The tiara is made of white gold and over 438 brilliant diamonds of varying sizes.

Source: Chaumet Lacis tiara

The Lacis Tiara.
Photograph (c) Chaumet.

A side view of the Lacis Tiara.
Photograph (c) Chaumet.

In Point de Vue, Rebecca Victoria Romanovna Bettarini notes that she was particularly drawn to this piece as its shape recalls a kokoshnik, the traditional Russian headdress. The Lacis tiara was created by Benoît Verhulle, the Chaumet chef d'atelier. It will be a worthy addition to this historic Russian imperial wedding.

MAISON CHAUMET AND THE ROMANOVS

 

Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna Senior and the Chaumet Waterfall Tiara.

 

Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, wife of Grand Duke Vladimir (the brother of Tsar Alexander III and the uncle of Tsar Nicholas II), was certainly the Russian imperial client most in contact with Joseph Chaumet. The grand duchess's first major acquisition, in 1899, was a “waterfall” tiara typical of the jeweller’s designs: three clusters ended in dangling briolette-cut diamonds that gave the illusion of drops of water about to fall. Indeed, the Waterfall Tiara was intended as a gift from Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich to his wife on the occasion of their silver wedding anniversary. It is worth noting that Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna is the great-great-grandmother of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich.

Princess Irina Alexandrovna Yusupov wearing her Chaumet Sunburst Tiara.

Another notable Romanov client of Chaumet was Princess Irina Alexandrovna of Russia, Princess Yusupov, who arranged for all of the jewels she received for her wedding to be designed and created by the jewellery firm.

 

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For an English-language translation of the Point de Vue article, please see The Russian Legitimist. 

For an English-language interview with Monsieur Benoît Verhulle of Maison Chaumet, please see “The Chaumet method is to say that we will succeed."