Customer Reviews

Jewels of the Tsars: The Romanovs and Imperial Russia

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I never write reviews but I received this book last night and felt inspired to speak up. This is probably one of the most beautiful books I have ever seen. I devoured it immediately and stayed up late to do it. I was shocked when I got to the end and checked the clock.
The entire book is in color, the jewels are shown close up and at times in portraits so you can have an image of how they would have looked or been arranged with other pieces.
The book is arranged in chronological order by monarch starting with Catherine the Great through post revolution times, though that material is understandably short. The portraits are typically full page and so beautifully rendered you can almost smell the paint. The paper is of a really high quality, heavy with a nice sheen making the book that much more beautiful.
It also offers quite a bit of interesting information about where the jewelry has ended up after the revolution and the history of the family. It's not an in-depth history, but that was never the purpose. It does offer some interesting tidbits and trivia. The author is clearly passionate about the topics which is infectious and makes you want to keep reading. The pictures almost always have captions that are very informative. If you don't want to really read but just enjoy the photos, you can easily do that and still gather quite a bit of information without being overwhelmed with text.
If you are at all interested in the subject matter, this is worth every penny. It's absolutely stunning. I believe there is one about the British crown jewels by Prince Michael of Greece by the same publisher as well. I'm going to go find out!

Very well done book on the crown Jewels of the czar's. The text is light and interesting, not too indepth and the images are supurb. I saw many of the crown jewels in Houston during the traveling exhibit on the imperial treasures of the Kremlin, I was blown way by the beauty of the Faberge peices and the imperial crown of diamonds and Sable that Peter the Great wore, this book is a great deal like the book I bought at the museum on that trip, it was a Russian book and was fantastic, this one is just as good. At any rate, I highly recommend this book. If you appreciate Russian culture or just the beauty of fine jewlery, then I cant imagine you not being pleased with this book.

Everything about "Jewels of the Tsars" is a class act. This is a beautifully-bound volume using the finest heavy glossy paper. The hundreds of photographs are ideally lit and enlarged for maximum impact and enjoyment of precious details. Many of the paintings and photographs are rarely seen and so lovely. This is more than a coffee table book, it is a precious gift, a collectible. The copy is accurate and very well-written by Prince Michael of Greece. No detail from cover to cover has been ignored. This is a labor of love. I highly recommend "Jewels" to everyone who loves Russia, history, and exquisitely crafted jewels as a person treasure or a gift. Vendome Press obviously used "Jewels" as it's vehicle to produce a jewel of its own. It's worth twice the price.

GRAB THIS BOOK!!!! The Jewels of the Tsar is a lush book, informative and jaw-dropping. The wealth of the romanovs is all over the pages. Large emeralds, brilliant diamonds and vivid sapphires are only a few that will make you realize how great is the jewelry collection of this imperial family.

Done chronologically, I am amazed seeing the coronation regalia in its finest setting.

One interesting trivia here says that a tiara once belong to the Empress Alexandra was sold and bought by the Marquess of Londonderry and subsequently acquired by Imelda Marcos of the Philippines. This particular tiara is still intact and still on its original setting contrary to the news that Imelda had the tiara broken down to form other jewelry. The Tiara is housed in the vaults of the Central Bank of the Philippines.

Great book! Well done Prince Michael!

Yes, this book is a beautiful book! How can it not be with such magnificent jewels to show? I liked the way in which Prince Michael grouped the pieces by reigns. It makes it easier to follow in this manner.The quality of the photographs is better than in most jewelry books - except for the ones on the British royals.
My one disatisfaction with the work is that it did not include jewels owened by other Romanoffs. It would be great if some author compiled the history of the beautiful pieces owned by other members of that dynasty which survived the revolution and are now in other royal and private collections. The saga of jewels smuggled out during the Bolshevik years and their journey through Europe and America would be very interesting and exciting reading .

I had always thought that, other than the Coronation Crown Jewels, the Bolsheviks had stolen, sold or destroyed a good percentage of the Romanov jewels. This book puts to rest this myth. Excellent photography of the highest caliber fully illustrates that the Kremlin, and a few other places, have a significant number of exceptional jewels. Stunning works of jeweled art are coupled with outstanding pictures of Tzars, Tzarinas, Grand Duchesses, etc. The whole book is magnificant - I keep looking at it over and over again. It is a book long overdue - Thank you Prince Michael for making it a reality.

I was really blown away by the pictures of the Jewels, especially the cherry earrings for the new Brides, I had read about these earrings but it is nothing to actually seeing how large the stones really are. Good historical pictures with various pieces. A wonderful index for the historian trying to get a handle on the lifestyle of the upper classes and the royalty of russia before the revolution.

What arrived of the book was breathtakingly beautiful! Unfortunately, pages 97-112 were duplicated and pages 112-128 were completely missing! Thus, only 4 stars. I believe an intact book would've received 5 stars. Hope this was a unique mistake and that a replacement copy will not have the same flaw. Despite the quality control issue, I'd recommend the book to anyone interested in Russian history, jewelry, or anyone who just appreciates beautiful things. I'm looking forward to adding a "complete" version of this book to my considerable book collection of Russian history and literature.

I have a fascination with anything concerning the Romanovs. Their jewels were a part of their mystique and a symbol of their power. The book has great photos and just enough well written commentary. These jewels are historic and there are many photos or period paintings of people actually wearing the jewels that are being shown in the photos. I highly recommend the book.

While the subject of the Imperial Crown Jewels has not yet been exhausted, and this book assembles for the first time a large portion of the former collections, Prince Michael of Greece is not an Historian, gemologist, or specialist in decorative arts.

While this book, like his others, has a romantic and lyric chronology enhanced by the ruthless dropping in of uncorroborated family lore, these personal titbits are less interesting that the pieces themselves who have been done a disservice by inadequate research and fact-checking.

Page after page of this book are riddled with errors, inconsistencies and projections. Aigrettes are called brooches, diadems called chokers, the immense value of colored diamonds emphasized, which the actual stones shown are foiled to impart color. Members of the family are misidentified, the structure of the Diamond Fund misstated, and recreations misrepresented.

Do buy this books for the marvelous photographs, many taken orginially for inclusion in the "Jewels of the Romanovs" Show catalogue at the Corcoran Gallery, but which was never published in full.