In 1874, the Ruby Lotus Parure was made for Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna by the jeweler Bolin.
Tsar Alexander II and his first wife Tsarina Maria Alexandrovna gifted their only surviving daughter this ruby parure the same year as her wedding to Prince Alfred, the second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The ruby parure consisted of a tiara, necklace, and devant de corsage. The tiara has a lotus flower motif made of Burmese rubies, surrounded by diamonds. An official description:
"An important ruby and diamond tiara, by Bolin, Moscow, 1874, of openwork foliate scroll design set with cushion-shaped diamonds, decorated with six flowerhead cluster motifs each set with cabochon rubies in cushion-shaped diamond borders, the original faceted rubies have been sustituded at a later date, slightly imperfect"
Maria Alexandrovna wearing the necklace and deviant de corsage
Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna and Prince Alfred had one son and four daughters together. She left the ruby parure to their daughter, Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Princess Alexandra then passed the parure to her daughter-in-law Princess Margarita of Greece (the oldest sister of the current Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip).
Princess Margarita wore the tiara to several royal weddings, including the wedding of Princess Sofia of Greece and Juan Carlos of Spain in 1962. When she passed away in 1981, the tiara was presumably left to her children who sold it at auction in 1989.
Princess Margarita wearing the tiara
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