Almost 60 years ago, Farah Pahlavi became the first consort in Iranian history to be crowned. She was also the first woman to be crowned anywhere in the Muslim world. It was only fitting that her crown was also one of a kind.
Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, commissioned the crown for his third wife Farah Pahlavi (Farah Diba) in 1966. She was just 29 at the time.
According to Iranian tradition, the crown could only be adorned with gems from the National Treasure, held in the royal vault at the Iranian Central Bank in Iran's capital Tehran. As the precious stones couldn't be allowed to leave the country, French merchants were called in.
Enter French luxury jewelry company Van Cleef & Arpels. Pierre Arpels, a key figure at the French maison, was flown into Iran to build the crown, shrouded in absolute secrecy. The drawing for the Imperial consort's crown was selected out of 50 submissions.
Pierre Arpels made 24 trips to Tehran over a period of six months which culminated in carefully choosing the gems, stored in bowls inside the Central Bank, for the Empress' crown. The invaluable customised parure consisted of 36 emeralds, 36 spinels and rubies, 105 pearls and 1,469 diamonds. A central emerald of anywhere between 92 carat to 150 carat also found a place of honour in the queen's crown.
Eventually, Pierre Arpels set up a temporary workshop in the Treasure Chamber, located in the basement of the Central Bank of Iran in Tehran. This time he was accompanied by a Van Cleef & Arpels supervisor and designer.
Farah Pahlavi's crown, as crafted by Van Cleef & Arpels. Photo: Van Cleef & Arpels
The crown, lined with an emerald-green velvet cap, was also accompanied by a pair of earrings - two emerald pendants - and a necklace. It weighed 4.3 pounds (almost 2 kg).
The appearance of the crown worn by Farah Pahlavi, who was impressed by the coronation of Queen Elizabeth, was more European than the traditional Pahlavi crowns, whereas the Shah's crown reflected Iran's Sasanian past.
In its structure, the crown resembled a band topped by swags and loops that separate ornaments from the bigger to smaller in size. That way the largest jewel would be above the centre of the wearer's forehead, with the smallest one at the back of her head.
The necklace is another story altogether. It is embellished with an engraved hexagonal emerald fashioned as a pendant, four emerald-cut emeralds, four pear-shaped pearls, 11 cushion-cut yellow diamonds and diamonds cut in antique-style.
So, on October 26, 1967, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi first crowned himself the Emperor of Iran, followed by Farah Pahlavi at Golestan Palace, the official royal Qajar complex, in Tehran, where coronations of Qajar and Pahlavi kings were traditionally held.
Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi crowns Farah Pahlavi, the Empress of Iran, in 1967. Photo: Cambridge University Press
The royal couple rode a blue horse-drawn coronation carriage from Marble Palace, their royal residence, to Golestan Palace, was put together by a Viennese coachmaker called Joseph Kliemann. It is reported that the coach cost USD 78,000 (over Rs 7 lakh) at the time.
For her coronation wardrobe, Farah Pahlavi chose French couture. Six maids of honour followed her, carrying the train of her coronation robe.
Besides the crown and its accompaniments, Van Cleef & Arpels also created other jewels for the coronation, including parures for the Shah's daughter and sisters.
It was the only that one time during the historic coronation that the crown was revealed to the public. Today, it is locked away in the Treasure Chamber and under 24/7 security by armed guards. One of the rarest royal artifacts, Farah Pahlavi's crown is an enigma too.
Also Read | How Persian Ruler Nadir Shah Looted The Peacock Throne From Delhi And Took It To Iran