Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna the Younger of Russia

A postcard I bought of the Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna the Younger. She was only 18 when she was forced to marry a Swedish prince for political reasons.

Grand Duchess Marie with her grandma who was Queen Olga of Greece, her great grandma, and her son, Prince Lennart.

Grand Duchess Marie of Russia with her son, Prince Lennart of Sweden.

Marie with her first husband, Prince Wilhelm of Sweden.

Grand Duchess Marie on her wedding day in 1908. She is wearing the Romanov nuptial tiara, large cherry drop diamond earrings, a large diamond necklace, and the Romanov nuptial brooch.

Marie and Wilhelm.

Grand Duchess Marie in 1930.

The parents of the Grand Duchess, her father being the Grand Duke Pavel of Russia, pictured with her grandma, Queen Olga of Greece. Her mother died when she was very little, and she had no recollections of her.

Grand Duchess Marie at the age of 6. 

Marie in traditional Swedish dress.

Grand Duchess Marie in a nurse uniform during World War I, where she worked tirelessly helping soldiers.

The Russian Imperial Family on the balcony of a palace. To the far left is Grand Duke Pavel, father of the Grand Duchess Marie. Empress Alexandra Fedorovna and Tsar Nicholas II are center left, and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna the older is just to the right of them.

I own Grand Duchess Marie's first volume of her autobiography, Education of a Princess, which details her life in Russia. The Seattle Public Library owns a copy of her second volume, Education in Exile, which details all the struggles she met with when she left Russia, living in France, England, and finally, in America. Sadly, all the photos were torn out of the book, which is such a shame, as the book is from the 1930's, and is a rarity to find.

Halo and Kokoshnik Tiaras

A diamond halo tiara

The diamond halo tiara of Loelia, Duchess of Westminster. The tiara can be heightened with the addition of a diamond strand around the outer edge of the tiara.

The diamond and cabochon emerald tiara of the Grand Duchess Yelisaveta of Russia. It later belonged to the Russian Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna the Younger, who was a first cousin to Tsar Nikolai II. She was forced to sell all her jewels after the Russian revolution, and she eventually settled in New York City.

A Cartier "diademe russe", a tiara in the Russian Kokoshnik style.

A unique diamond kokoshnik tiara, in which blue enamel has filled in the spaces in the floral design. This is by far my most favorite tiara.

A diamond mesh tiara.

A sunray style tiara, with a large gray pearl at its center.

A black steel, ruby and diamond tiara.

A large diamond sunray tiara, with a central sapphire stone.

One of my all-time favorite tiaras. This is a beautiful diamond floral style kokoshnik with a nice, openwork design. Unfortunately, it was unsold and taken apart in the early 20th century.