The iconic brooch by the Carl Fabergé firm recreated by the CHAMOVSKIKH Jewellery House’s skilled craftsmen was donated to the Gokhran (State Precious Metals and Gems Repository) on the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, which is quite symbolic, since the original jewellery piece was presented as a wedding gift by Nicholas II to his bride, the future Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in 1894.
The project to recreate the historical jewel arose on the initiative and with the support of the Foundation for the Development of the Art Industry and Jewellery Art and the Women’s Patriotic Society, and is dedicated to the 130th anniversary of the wedding of Russia’s Emperor Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna.
The brooch studded with aquamarine and diamonds, made by the CHAMOVSKIKH company’s jewellers, was donated to the Gokhran of Russia, the main repository of items made of precious metals and precious stones in Russia, at a grand ceremony. The ceremony took place in the Moscow Metropol Hotel where a Handover Agreement was signed by Andrey Yurin, Head of the Gokhran of Russia, and Alexander Chamovskikh, the owner of the CHAMOVSKIKH Jewellery House.
The event featured welcoming speeches by the author of the historical reconstruction concept and the president of the Foundation for the Development of the Art Industry and Jewellery Art Galina Ananyina, as well as Deputy Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation Alexey Moiseyev and the heads of the Gokhran and the Assay Chamber in the presence of representatives of the jewellery community and leading media.
“In recent years, the Ministry of Finance has been keeping a strong focus on supporting jewellery creativity in its various forms,” noted Alexey Moiseyev. “The Empress’s brooch recreated by skilled craftsmen is a precious gift to be added to the Gokhran of Russia’s jewellery collection on the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity.”
The significance of the event was emphasized by Andrey Yurin saying “Today, we regularly hold jewellery exhibitions and competitions, where we always make a Gifts and Latest Acquisitions section. This brooch will certainly be displayed in this section and I think, we will find an opportunity to present it in the Diamond Fund of Russia, so that visitors coming to our country could also see these achievements of modern jewellers.”
The history of the original brooch created by Carl Fabergé is majestic and dramatic: in August 1894, three months before the wedding, the Tsarevich (an heir apparent of a Russian Tsar), future Emperor Nicholas II, bought the brooch for 1,100 rubles as a gift to his wife-to-be. The beautiful platinum brooch was decorated with a huge sparkling aquamarine of a bluish-green color, a Ural gemstone, surrounded by a lot of smaller diamonds. The one-of-a-kind flawless aquamarine was from the Aduysky mines. This brooch was listed in the account books as “Purchased by the Crown Tsarevich Nicholas for his bride as a wedding gift ...”. A payment receipt signed by Henrik I. Wigström, one of the famous jewellers in the Fabergé team, was preserved. Alexandra Feodorovna loved this brooch so much that she could not part with it even when she was imprisoned in the Ipatiev House - until her tragic death on July 17, 1918.
Source: CHAMOVSKIKH press service. Photo courtesy of Alexey Polyakov.
When reconstructing the jewellery piece, the CHAMOVSKIKH craftsmen redesigned the openwork setting made of white gold, creating an original transformable brooch with a removable loop so that brooch can be worn as a necklace both in an upright position and at an angle. A large square aquamarine weighing over 114 carats is surrounded by 672 round-cut diamonds. The jewellery was first displayed at the Moscow Financial Forum in 2024.
According to Alexander Chamovskikh, his company’s goal is “To make people fall in love with both this brooch and the legacy of our emperor and empress, as well as with the history of Russia; help people remember this to make the patriotic spirit even stronger in our country.”
“After more than 100 years, the piece of jewellery worthy of being the country’s national heritage will once again be in the treasury of the Russian state,” commented Galina Ananyina, President of the Foundation for the Development of the Art Industry and Jewellery Art.
Other precious exhibits were also displayed at the ceremony, such as a set of silver commemorative medals “The Imperial Family. Holy Royal Passion-Bearers” made in 2020 for the 20th anniversary of the canonization of the Imperial Family members as “passion-bearers, new martyrs and the believers professing the Russian Orthodox Church religion”. Premium jewellery from the famous collections created by CHAMOVSKIKH Jewellery House were displayed.
Galina Semyonova, Editor in Chief of the Russian Bureau, Rough&Polished
