The Cartiers and The Romanovs

I’m so excited for this month’s talk when I’ll be joined by Prince Dimitri (the g-g-g-grandson of Tsar Alexander II) for a uniquely personal journey back in time to the opulent palaces of pre-revolutionary Russia.

Diamonds and high drama is a beguiling mix at the best of times but in the context of the Romanovs it becomes intoxicating. This image shows one of Cartier’s best clients of the early 20th century: #grandduchess Vladimir, wearing her Cartier #tiara and #devantdecorsage. Behind her is an original letter I dug up during that decade I spent down the rabbit holes of family research, written by a Cartier rep in 1908 requesting an audience with the #Russianroyals (it clearly did the trick). I’ve been fascinated by #grandduchessvladimir for years now: how she led the St Petersburg social scene before being forced to flee her country, how her Romanov emeralds ended up adorning #barbarahutton and how, decades after her death, a multi-million dollar cache of long-lost jewels were discovered in two pillowcases in Stockholm. No surprise then that when the opportunity came up to speak to someone directly connected to her extraordinary tale (Prince Dimitri is her g-g-grandson), I jumped at it...

We hope you can join us for this behind-the-scenes webinar on 19 Nov as we share intertwining stories of #thecartiers and #theromanovs from the perspective of both families. Yes, there will there be gems aplenty: enormous #sapphires , emerald necklaces, ruby tiaras and rock crystal #bandeaus - but in a way that’s just the icing on the cake. Because as you’ll see, the history we’ve uncovered, with all its twists and turns, is almost more like a Bond film than real life: spies and smuggling, marriages and murders, glamorous costume balls and secret arrests, all set against the fairytale façade of a snow-filled #StPetersburg.