In commemorating the dedicated sale of Gioielli Nobili in Geneva in 2007, Sotheby's had offered jewels from the legendary collection of The Royal Jewels of the Bourbon Parma Family, the Duchess of Windsor, the historical jewels of the Princes von Thurn und Taxis, Doria Pamphilj and glamorous treasures by Daisy Fellowes and the superb von Donnersmarck Tiara.
Adorned on the elegant evening gowns of queens and illustrious ladies amidst the splendor of mansions, palaces and castles, these jewels have a story to tell, reflect a way of life and encapsulate a bygone era. Among this season's noble jewels is a piece from the collection of Her Highness Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, which has a unique history born out of the Roman unrest. Maria Pavlovna's jewelry was secretly collected from the Vladimir Palace in St. Petersburg and stored in a safe. The jewels were then disassembled, the pieces folded into old newspapers, ready to be smuggled from St. Petersburg bound for London.
The Grand Duchess Vladimir had entrusted her jewels to Albert Henry Stopford, a British antiquarian and art dealer specializing in Fabergé and Cartier jewelry and a diplomatic courier to secretly bring his collection safely to London. During wartime the safest way from Petrograd to England or France was by train first north through Finland, which was in Russian hands at that time, and on to Sweden and then to Bergen or Arendal in Norway. As German U-boats patrolled the North Sea and coastal waters were mined, the voyage from southern Sweden to Newcastle or Scotland was chosen as the shortest and safest journey for the steamer. The reality of these dangers is recorded in Stopford's diary of 14 January 1916 “Not a bad crossing. As we approached Arendal, Norway we nearly ran into a mine. The sudden turn of the steamer knocked us all off our seats. All along the southern coast of Norway, where there are many currents, melted mines are constantly being washed up.”
Stopford left Petrograd on 26 September 1917 taking with him Maria Pavlovna's fabulous collection of jewels, including the sensational sapphire brooch and earrings, to embark on what was to be a very anxious ten-day journey. Upon his arrival in England, Albert Stopford placed the jewels in a safety deposit box in a London bank where they remained for two years, by which time Maria Pavlovna had reached Europe.
