For Catherine the Great, jewelry was about much more than adornment.
The formidable Russian empress — who reigned from 1762 to 1796 after overthrowing her own husband, Peter III — understood that jewelry could also communicate power, authority, wealth and status. She was known to pile on her glittery pieces both in the ballrooms of high society and while meeting with her generals about battle plans.
A champion of the Enlightenment movement at the time, she also embraced the notion of jewelry as art and collaborated with the top court jewelers on specially commissioned designs.
As her collection grew, she dedicated an entire room in St. Petersburg’s Winter Palace, named the Brilliant Room, to storing and displaying her jewels and other treasures.
Portrait of Empress Catherine II (1729-1796) in Her Coronation Robes, 1766. Found in the collection of Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen. Artist Erichsen (Eriksen), Vigilius (1722-1782).
Heritage Images via Getty Images
Read on to find out where Catherine the Great’s royal gems ended up after her death in 1796.
The Imperial Crown Jewels
The Imperial Crown of Catherine II the Great. Found in the collection of State Hermitage, St. Petersburg.
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Catherine’s most impressive pieces were part of the Russian Imperial Crown Jewels, passed down to successive Romanov rulers until the monarchy was abolished in 1917 amid the Russian Revolution. The centerpiece of the collection is the Imperial Crown, created for Catherine’s 1762 coronation by Genevan court jeweler Jérémie Pauzié.
Designed in the Byzantine style, it features two gold and silver half-spheres, symbolizing the eastern and western Roman empires, along with 75 pearls and nearly 5,000 Indian diamonds forming laurel and oak leaves to represent power and resilience. The ornate crown, which weighs more than 5 pounds, is topped with a 398.62-carat ruby spinel and a diamond cross.
The Orlov diamond from the Imperial Scepter of Russian Empress Catherine the Great, 17th century. Found in the Collection of The Diamond Fund of the Russian Federation, Moscow.
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Another standout of the Crown Jewels collection is the Orlov diamond, a 189.62-carat sparkler from India’s Golconda region. The stone was given to Catherine by her then-lover Count Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov — in what is believed to have been an attempt to regain her favor — and she had it incorporated into the Imperial Scepter in 1774. The Orlov is a rarity among historic diamonds due to its original Indian rose-cut style.
The Imperial Crown Jewels are currently kept in the Kremlin Armoury in Moscow.
Emerald Necklace and Brooch
Catherine had a particular passion for emeralds, and one of her most famous was a rectangular-cut gemstone clocking in at more than 107 carats. Upon her death in 1796, the empress’ personal jewelry collection was passed on to her children. Cartier eventually purchased the emerald from the Russian royal family in 1927 and had it cut into a pear shape to enhance its brilliance.
The bauble was then suspended from a dazzling diamond necklace and acquired by wealthy business magnate John D. Rockefeller Jr. in 1954. After being sold again in 1971, the necklace remained in the hands of private collectors. It resurfaced in 2019 when Christie’s put it on the block and sold it to a private collector for more than $4 million.
In 2010, Christie’s auctioned an emerald brooch that belonged to Catherine. The hexagonal-cut stone is set within an openwork two-tiered, rose-cut diamond surrounded, bordered by mine-cut diamonds and mounted in silver-topped gold. The brooch sold for more than $1.65 million.
Bow Necklace
A magnificent diamond necklace with a stunning bowknot clasp thought to be commissioned by Russian Empress Catherine the Great (Estimated at $3-5 million), is unveiled at Sotheby’s London on October 11, 2016 in London.
Ben A. Pruchnie
Catherine’s personal jewelry collection included a diamond necklace detailed with a distinctive bowknot clasp. The necklace and the clasp were commissioned individually by the empress — sometime between 1760 and 1780 — and she would wear the two pieces together and separately.
The necklace remained in the Russian imperial family until 1927 when it was brought to London and sold as part of an auction of the Russian State Jewels. The jewelry piece was auctioned again in 2016, by Sotheby’s in Geneva.
Diamond and Ruby Pendant Watch
Catherine the Great’s Diamond and Ruby Pendant Watch.
Photo: Edward Owen
Catherine once owned a unique pendant watch featuring a diamond-encrusted star, sunburst and key hung from a round pavé diamond case detailed with a ruby cipher topped with the imperial crown. The watch is housed at the Hillwood Estate Museum in Washington, D.C., the former home of socialite Marjorie Merriweather Post, a significant collector of Imperial Russia-era art.
