Thank you Nathanial, Josefine, and Gwynnan. Boffer, George V was truly between a rock and a hard spot and it was a difficult decision for the British. It's a shame that hoards of beautiful jewels confiscated by the Bolsheviks were no doubt sold or broken down and the precious metals melted down for other purposes such as selling off for arms. Whenever I view the Vladimir Tiara without the pearl or emerald pendants, it appears so "empty". --Previous Message-- : Boffer, thank you. I know this history is : well-known to many readers here, but not to : me. I appreciate you taking time to explain. : Would anyone be willing to list which pieces : were bought by Queen Mary? Were they bought : from Alexandra's sister? I often confuse : the titles of members of the Russian : imperial family. : : : : : --Previous Message-- : It was Her Majesty's Grandfather George V, : who : was on the throne during the Russian : Revolution. : : And although they didn't offer exile to the : Russian Tsar, they did send HMS Marlborough : to rescue the Dowager Tsarina and other : lesser members of the imperial family. : It is said Queen Alexandra who emphatically : ordered her son to send the ship to rescue : her sister. : Saving the lesser members of the Imperial : family was diplomatically and politically : fine, and the British did the best they : could to help them under the circumstances : : But they feared the diplomatic and political : ramifications of offering exile to a deposed : Ruler in the middle of war. George V : believed it could spark a similar revolution : in Britain, he was stuck between a rock and : a hard place. : : The jewels that were sold by the : Grand-Duchess Vladimir and other members of : the Russian Imperial Family had been : smuggled out of Russia with during the : revolution by people who had survived. And : they were sold late in the 20s when it : became apparent that the Whites had lost the : Russian Civil War and there was no going : back, then they realised that they had to : sell the jewels for money. : : The jewels that were confiscated by the : Bolsheviks, from those that were killed in : Russia have never been seen again. : (Other than the sale of very important : jewels and stones by the Bolsheviks after : the revolution) all the other hoards of : jewels have disappeared. : : : : :
on December 20, 2011, 11:32 pm, in reply to "