The Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara
Dating back to 1919, The Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara stands as a prominent specimen of early 20th-century lapidary art. It was commissioned by Dame Margaret Greville from a premier Parisian jewelry workshop, reflecting the high society's affinity for the kokoshnik silhouette, a design deeply rooted in Russian traditional dress that influenced European court fashion. The architectural foundation of the piece is constructed from platinum, adorned with a meticulous pavé arrangement of brilliant and rose-cut diamonds. The central focus is an extraordinary 93.70-carat cabochon emerald, supported by twelve smaller emeralds distributed symmetrically along the arc.
Following the death of Dame Margaret Greville in 1942, the ornament was transferred to the British royal family as part of a significant legacy. Despite its value, the greville emerald kokoshnik remained in private storage for most of the 20th century. While other items from the same collection were frequently utilized in state functions, this specific piece was not publicly documented until it was inherited by the monarch in 2002.
A historic shift occurred in October 2018 when the object was selected as the Princess Eugenie wedding tiara. This event at St. George’s Chapel represented the first public appearance of the greville emerald kokoshnik tiara since its creation a century prior. The use of this Princess Eugenie tiara departed from the expected tradition of wearing the York family heirlooms, providing a notable contrast to the bridal aesthetic.
The presentation of the Princess Eugenie's Wedding Tiara without a veil highlighted the intricate geometric precision and the significant scale of its central gemstone. The Art Deco characteristics of the emerald tiara Princess Eugenie wore demonstrate the transition from classical motifs to modern design principles. While some informal accounts refer to the piece as the Princess Eugenie crown, it is officially classified as a tiara within the sovereign’s private collection, granted on loan for the ceremony.
The public debut of the greville emerald kokoshnik tiara provided a rare insight into the hidden archives of historic jewelry. As a masterwork of its era, the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik remains a vital historical record of early 20th-century elite patronage and the enduring legacy of the Greville collection within the royal treasury.
