L E G AC Y
IMAGES: MARIE BETTELEY/JOSH DADDY; LYON & TURNBULL AND RGIA
SEPTEMBER
DIAMONDS.NET
ABOUT THE
AUTHORS
A third-generation jewelry
dealer and graduate
gemologist, Marie Betteley
began her career at
Christie’s in New York,
where she rose to head of
the Russian department.
After 10 years at Christie’s,
she launched her own
business, opening a gallery
in Manhattan specializing
in Russian jewels. An
authority on imperial
Russian decorative arts
and jewelry, she consults
for auction houses,
museums and collectors.
mariebetteley.com
David Schimmelpenninck
van der Oye is a professor
of Russian history at Brock
University in Ontario,
and a fellow of the Royal
Society of Canada. A
leading specialist in the
imperial era, he is the
author of
Toward the
Rising Sun
and
Russian
Orientalism
.
russianhistory.ca
the Russian crown jewels as exquisite examples.
“We’re lucky because we have a record of the
collection before the majority of it was sold to the
West. Sometimes I can tell from across an auction
viewing roomwhen a jewel is Russian, just by its
grand scale.”
The most iconic, she says, are the jewels of
the imperial regalia: “Catherine the Great’s
diamond crown by Pauzié, dating from
; the
Orlov scepter; the gold orb; and the magnificent
mantel clasp and diamond-encrusted collar of
Saint Andrew the First Called — all preserved
in the Diamond Fund of the MoscowKremlin.
Symbolizing Romanov rule and power, [these items
were] worn for every coronation until the demise of
the dynasty in
.”
Other notable jewelry worn at court included
“lavish parures set with rubies, emeralds, sapphires
and diamonds, and diamond rivières, which were de
rigueur in imperial Russia. Most were commissioned
by the imperial family or aristocracy, particularly
for weddings. One example of many is the diamond
rivière Hahn created for Grand Duchess Irina, who
married Felix Yusupov in
. Included in the
chapter on Hahn is the original sketch and details
from the archives.”
T HE C O L L E C T O R ’ S MA R K E T
The book also explores the market for these Russian
works, something Betteley knows intimately as a
dealer. “Russian gem-set jewelry from before
is very collectible and tends to go for far more than
comparable jewels fromEurope or America. This is
because there are so few examples on the market.
I’m always interested in buying mostly from the
public, as that’s when you get wonderful, often
dramatic family stories. It’s also a good time for
collectors to buy Russian jewels, as prices are not as
astronomical as they were years ago.”
The book, she comments, is aimed at both serious
collectors and people curious about the Romanovs
and Russia’s past. “With an extensive glossary of
hallmarks, I believe it will also appeal to jewelry
professionals, dealers, appraisers, art historians,
curators, librarians, bloggers, and lovers of beauty
and history around the world.”
Betteley hopes to transmit her own sense of
wonder to the readers, offering them “a new
understanding of how important Russian jewelry
and silver was in the history of the arts.”
Beyond Fabergé: Imperial Russian Jewelry
by Marie
Betteley and David Schimmelpenninck van der Oye
will be published October by Schiffer Publishing.
schifferbooks.com
“We introduce
readers to such
leading lights as
the House of Bolin,
Friedrich Köchli,
and Carl Hahn”
Left: Russian Art Nouveau
aquamarine demi-parure, St.
Petersburg, circa 1910.Below: The
Grachev service, a presentation gift
from the Russian government to
Rear Admiral Charles Davis, Jr.
