diamonds total weight c. 40 ct, manufactured at the behest of Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria on the occasion of her daughter Archduchess Hedwig’s wedding to Count Bernhard zu Stolberg-Stolberg, gold 580 and silver, an old-cut diamond c. 2.80 ct, two old-cut diamonds total weight c. 2.40 ct, smaller old-cut diamonds and diamond rhombs total weight c. 34.80 ct, workmanship 1918, total weight 132.4 g, the diadem is also divisible into 7 brooches, fitted case for the diadem, an extra fitted case for 7 numbered brooch elements, 6 ornamental elements with additional components, 3 handwritten cards signed Countess Hedwig zu Stolberg-Stolberg

When Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria commissioned the Royal & Imperial Court and Chamber Jewellers Köchert to make a wedding diadem for her daughter Hedwig, the war of the previous few years was already casting dark shadows on the royal and imperial Danube monarchy.
After the events in Russia and the war in Italy, on 20 April 1918 the “Neuigkeits-Welt-Blatt” newspaper only offered a small report on page 3 on the impending wedding of Count Bernhard of Stolberg-Stolberg to Archduchess Hedwig of Austria-Tuscany.

The wedding took place in Wallsee Castle in Lower Austria on 24 April 1918. Due to the political situation, it was a small wedding attended by close family only. Emperor Karl and Empress Zita sent representatives.
line with this, the wedding present from Archduchess Marie Valerie also looked almost modest. Made from seven individual pieces, the diadem resembles a broad hairband, broken up with three double loops. This piece of jewellery drew on individual stylistic elements that had already been used in older drafts by Köchert between 1890 and 1895 and which also crop up in bracelets, necklaces and brooches. The navette-shaped straight and symmetrical bars contrast with the almost playful loops created from double bands.
The overall appearance is not showy: instead, it offers a sophisticated and elegant finishing touch.

To highlight the diamonds located at the heart of each loop, a halo setting (a circle of diamonds around a central stone) was selected. The construction of the piece itself offers additional options for the wearer: all seven parts can be worn individually as brooches. The casings and tools required for this conversion have been kept in full and are stored in their own case. Converting the diadem into brooches, of course, gives innumerable variants for the wearer; the individual elements can even be integrated into hair up-dos.

In addition to the historical background, this piece of jewellery is special thanks to its exceptionally good condition and the completeness of the accessories.
The handwritten cards from Countess Hedwig of Stolberg-Stolberg provided with the diadem prove the personal relationship between the original owner and this exceptional item up for auction.

Blog: Imperial Wedding Diadem