It is Style File Friday again, meaning we have a new Royal Jewellers post. There is nothing like statement tiaras to carry us through to the weekend. So far we have seen a theme of European capitals throughout this series. We have Fabergé in St. Petersburg, and Cartier, a Paris staple to this day. Garrard holds down the fort in London to represent the UK, and Boucheron joins the Paris crowd. Unsurprisingly, we head back to St. Petersburg for another firm this week. For our Royal Jewellers series, we are looking at the history of the House of Bolin.
The Early History of Bolin
The earliest written record of the company dated back to 1796, but 1790 has been claimed as the firm’s founding date. Andreas Roempler, a German immigrant and goldsmith, began his business in the late eighteenth century. (If you are keeping track of founding dates, we have: Garrard in 1722, Bolin in 1790, Fabergé in 1842, Cartier in 1847, and Boucheron in 1858.) He was making pieces for the Russian court by 1796, and was immediately recognised for his skill.
The House Becomes Bolin
The house did not take on the name of Bolin originally. Roempler’s daughter married Carl Edward Bolin, a Swedish immigrant. He had joined Roempler in business in 1833 and when Roempler died in 1834, Bolin and his brother-in-law, Gottleib Ernest Jahn, took over the business as partners. His brother, Henrik Conrad, joined the firm in 1836.
By 1839, Bolin was given the title of Jeweller to the Imperial Court, which understandably resulted in the shop becoming even more popular amongst the aristocracy. In 1852, Henrik opened a shop in Moscow and though it was closed by the 1880s, his family would continue to be involved over the coming decades.
A New Generation
As we have seen in each jeweller we have profiled, the business was handed down to the next generation. Carl Edward died in 1864, and his sons, Gustaf and Edward, took over. The firm continued to be incredibly popular in the Russian court, though Fabergé quickly became popular as well. In the last quarter of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, Bolin was tasked with modifying many different tiaras and pieces created by other jewellers. (You will often see notes that Bolin has touched a piece later in its history, either replacing the jewels, adjusting the frame, or making a bigger change.)
The Revolution Leads to Change…
This is an obvious heading, as change is inherent in revolution. However, interestingly for the House of Bolin, the Russian Revolution did not signal the end of their house like it largely did for Fabergé. Vasily Bolin, grandson of Carl Edward, had had the forethought to open a branch in Germany in 1912, as the Russian Imperial family spent their summers there.
While the house closed down in St Petersburg with the revolution and much of their Russian stock was confiscated by the new government, they still had their German shop. The family had kept their Swedish citizenship and were able to open a new store in Stockholm. This is possibly the smartest thing they could have done, as we can still see the benefit of it now.
Crown Jewellers…. Again?
While Bolin served as Jeweller to the Imperial Court under three Tsars, including Alexander III and Nicholas II, there obviously were no more Russian Tsars to serve. However, the family had moved the business to Sweden, who also happened to have a monarchy. King Gustaf V of Sweden appointed W.A. Bolin as the Swedish Court Jeweller, and the firm has held that role ever since.
A Modern Engagement Ring
Before we dive into the big guns, aka the tiaras, we do need to take a moment to appreciate Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden’s engagement ring. It has not been confirmed by Bolin yet, but many think that the house created her engagement ring. While this may seem like a fairly standard engagement ring for many of us, it broke with tradition in the Swedish Royal Family.
Historically, women in the Swedish Royal Family have worn a plain gold band to mark their engagement, so Prince Daniel chose to take a newer path when he engaged. Given that the couple are still happily married and now have two children- Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar- he seems to have made a good choice.
Empress Alexandra’s Pearl and Diamond Crown
This piece is too large to properly title it a tiara, so crown is used here. We do not know exactly when Bolin created this piece, but historians usually earmark it around the turn of the twentieth century. The Tsarina was first seen wearing it at the 1906 opening of the Duma. (This was a significant event, as it was the first meeting of the Russian parliament.)
This stunning piece was made with over 400 diamonds and 10-11 larger swinging pearls, as well as several smaller pearls. Heartbreakingly, we have no idea where this diadem is now or if it even exists. It was included in a government catalogue of confiscated Romanov jewels shortly after the Revolution, but we have not seen this piece since.
Grand Duchess Vladimir’s Tiara
A favourite around here- and one I have been lucky enough to see in person- we have the Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara. The Grand Duchess was aunt (by marriage) to Tsar Nicholas II and one of the most influential women at the Russian court. She commissioned Bolin to create this tiara at some point around 1890. Leslie Field describes the tiara in The Queen Jewels (1987): “a diamond tiara of fifteen interlaced circles, with a swinging oriental pearl suspended in each”. Although it was given to Cartier in the early 1910s who then copied it, it is a Bolin creation.
This was a favourite of Queen Elizabeth II. Her grandmother, Queen Mary, purchased the tiara in 1921 and had the largest of the Cambridge emeralds hung in the frame. It can now be worn with pearls, with emeralds, or widowed (with neither). Here is hoping we will see it at the 2023 coronation!
Were you familiar with the history of the House of Bolin?
Cheers,
The Historian
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