Jewels of the Tsars: The Romanovs and Imperial Russia

by Prince Michael of Greece

The world’s fascination with the Russian imperial family endures, and with this stunning book a new spotlight is added. Jewels of the Tsars , the first book to examine the family’s unparalleled collection, is illustrated with extraordinary photographs taken under special conditions at the Kremlin’s Diamond Fund, and accompanied by 18th- and 19th-century portraits and photographs of the Tsars, their families, and their court. Prince Michael of Greece, a Romanoff descendant, writes with an insider’s knowledge of his family’s passion for rare and beautiful jewels, and their place in the troubled history of Imperial Russia.

Genres: History, Art, Nonfiction, Russia, Royalty, Fashion, Romanovs

189 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2006

About the author

Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark, Michel de Grèce (modern Greek spelling: Μιχαήλ της Ελλάδας) is a member of the Greek royal family and descendant of the Romanovs. He is the author of several historical novels and biographies, as well as a contributing writer to Architectural Digest.

Reviews

[Antigone · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is gorgeous. One hundred and ninety-two pages printed on high-quality stock, filled with exquisitely detailed photographs of the jewels, the portraits, and the majestic palaces that constitute the aristocratic legacy of the imperial dynasty of the Romanovs. A pure confection for the eye...which, as all diligent bibliophiles are more than well aware, is only half the battle in presentations like this. We must account, also, for the text. And here we are equally blessed. Prince Michael of Greece, a descendant of this august ruling family, provides the necessary historical framework in a tone that is deliciously urbane and rich in royal anecdote.

The following example weaves between a stunning angle of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna's tiara in diamonds and pearl, and a portrait of Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna - two heady female forces in the court of Nicholas I:

Under Nicholas I, the grand duchesses were elevated to the status of demi-goddesses. Whenever they entered into marriage alliances with foreign powers, with great sovereigns or princes, their overriding duty was to retain their Russian identity. The Tsar ensured that they left the Russian court armed with monumental dowries and jewelry collections such as had never before been seen in the west. When Anna Pavlovna, the Tsar's favorite sister who had married to become Queen of the Netherlands, lost her jewels in a fire that destroyed her newly built palace, Nicholas promptly replaced them all with exact replicas. To this day, the presence of a Romanov ancestor in the family tree of any of the royal families of Europe, impoverished or otherwise, may reliably be deduced from the size of their jewels.

If you are interested in imperial Russia and/or are looking to grace a table with a sincerely beautiful book - you might consider this.

[Lora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glorious photography and more that exhibits the art of Russian nobility jewelry, their exquisite portraits, and more. Just a rich book to flip back and forth through.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an adequate coffee table book describing and documenting the fabulous wealth, in the form of gems and jewels, of the Romanovs, from Catherine the Great (mid-18th century) to the death of the last Tsar (1918).

Some of the photos are magnificent, and some of the text is insightful. However, I can't but compare this to its peer group, the best of which better document the history and value of individual pieces. The best show the treasures in more than one context - as they appear today and then as shown in photos or paintings from the past. There are a few instances of this here, but not many, not nearly enough.

If you are explicitly interested in Romanov jewels, this may be as good as it gets. But if you're looking for the best coffee table books on royal gems and jewels, there are much better options. Not surprisingly, many of those options cover the Windsors of the United Kingdom.

[Stela Idrizi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very fascinating book! History being told by the means of jewelry. My favorite pieces were "The great imperial crown of Russia" and " Tiara of diamonds" made for Maria Feodorovna, wife of Paul I. The jewelry in this book puts things made today into shame. I enjoyed reading this.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

High quality presentation, anecdotes and history provided for some of the jewels as well as the tsars and tsarinas they belonged to. The language is a little romanticised and purple in description during passages but it is what it is.

[Katherine Nestor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. Very descriptive and the pictures are absolutely beautiful

[Emily Von pfahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, but at the same time found it disturbing for a number of reasons. The first is how any group of people could possibly own that much jewelry (only a fraction of which was shown in the book). Also, how over the top most the jewels were. Then the was the disturbing fact that the whereabouts of a large portion of these fabulous jewels were either lost or dismantled and sold. And finally, I found it disturbing that family members bought the jewelry from those who managed to survive the revolution at a fraction of their cost to add to their own already overflowing coffers. But the pictures in the book are fabulous and Prince Michael of Greece does a very good job of explaining where the items came from, who owned them originally, and what happened to them if known.

[louisa]

Paired with The Great Game, made an interesting contrast. Written by a descendant whose still royalty, so most definitely possessing a slant. Interesting how tsarinas and their dowry jewels were deployed as pr for the image of the endlessly rich and powerful tsar during the 19th century. Prince Michael cracks something like you can always tell if a royal house has a tsarina in their line by the quality of their jewels.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow.

The Russians really knew how to buy, wear and give jewels. This book is eye-candy of historical pieces, many that are lost to the world as they were most likely broken up before they were sold during the Russian revolution.

The author, being a family member and historian offered good background to the pieces and the owners fof the pieces. Wonderful pieces of art of the Russian royals are depicted throughout.

[Wikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book. Beautiful photographs. Well-written mini history of the lives and jewelry of the Tsars and Tsarinas and life at court, from Catherine the Great to the ill-fated Nicholas II and Alexandra. Leaves the reader wanting to know more about these fascinating people, and of course, what happened to so many of these jewels?

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations. The text is a pretty basic overview of the Russian monarchy from Catherine the Great to Nicholas II & the fall of the empire. It works to describe the world in which the pieces were created and place them in their historical context. It's a beautiful book and a quick read.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

hell yeah ridiculous wealth that brought down a country what upppppp