The peridot parure of Archduchess Isabella of Austria.
The peridot parure of Archduchess Isabella of Austria.
The parure was attributed to the Habsburg Imperial Jeweller Kochert and originally made for the Archduchess Henriette, wife of Archduke Karl of Tuscany. The parure passed on from Archduke Karl to his nephew and heir, Archduke Friedrich, the husband of Archduchess Isabella.
The parure consists of a tiara, necklace, earrings and a corsage ornament, with large fine quality peridots set in flower and leaves setting of the 1820's. After the death of Archduchess Isabella's widower in 1936, the parure was auctioned off in 1937. It was purchased by Count Johannes Coudenhove-Kalergi, the father of the parure's last owner.
After the death of Countess Maria Coudenhove-Kalergi the jewels were again auctioned off in 2001 and purchased by the jewelry firm Fred Leighton. The necklace and earrings were worn by Joan Rivers to the Acadent Awards a year or so after the sale. http://royal-jewels.blogspot.fr/