Princess Mathilde's Tudor Rose Brooch

One of Princess Mathilde's most beautiful pieces of jewellery was the tudor rose brooch. This large, glimmering brooch, created by the famous Parisian jeweler, Theodore Foster, in 1855, was in the shape of an open rose with two rose buds and eleven leaves. It had thousands of Brazilian green rose-cut diamonds mounted in silver-topped gold.

The gorgeous brooch was sold in 1904 after the Princess's death. Janesich, the Art Deco jeweler, acquired it. It was eventually sold by Cartier to Mrs Cornelius Vanderbilt, a society queen of New York. It came into the hands of the jeweler, Fred Leighton.

Model, Chandra North, looked extremely glamorous when she wore the lovely brooch as a hair ornament to an event in 1998. The brooch was sold by Christie's in 2004 for $701,900. You can see a picture of the brooch here: Tudor Rose Brooch

New Post Soon

I now know what 'overland flooding' means! Luckily, only my entrance, garage and lift were affected. I've also been lucky enough to have a short holiday!

I hope to write a new post soon!

Anna Pavlova and the Kaiser

Anna Pavlova was very frightened. Her lipstick had left a red mark on the Kaiserin's pristine white glove! She saw the upset look on the Empress's face. The great Russian ballerina apologised profusely. Luckily the Kaiser told her that it didn't matter.

It was May, 1914. The ethereal ballerina had just danced in a command performance for the Kaiser's grandson's christening. The Kaiser was very impressed.

During their conversation afterwards Pavlova told him that she kept in condition by exercising every day as she had been trained. The Kaiser agreed that 'that was the only way to succeed.'

He was also very pleased when she told him that she disliked the tango, a dance that was becoming more popular. The Kaiser also hated this 'immoral' dance.

Pavlova was happy after the performance. The Kaiser had allayed her concerns about the glove, perhaps partly because he liked his conversation with her. If she had marked the Tsarina's glove, she thought that there may have been serious consequences!