Empress's Crown

The Empress's Crown or Shahbanu’s Crown is part of the coronation regalia used by the third Shahbanu (Empress) of Iran (Persia), Farah Pahlavi. The crown is part of the Iranian National Jewels, and is currently on display at the Treasury of National Jewels in Tehran.

This crown is historically significant in the Iranian tradition. The two Sassanian empresses regnant, Boran and Azarmidokht, c. 630, were the last two that were crowned as shahbanu before Farah Pahlavi, the wife of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, assumed the title on being crowned queen in 1967 for the first time since the Muslim conquest of Persia in the 7th century.

Background
Following in the footsteps of policies initiated under the White Revolution that directed the further emancipation of Iranian women, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi determined to make a symbolic gesture by crowning his consort, Empress Farah, during his own elaborate coronation ceremony in October 1967. Until that date, the wives of Persian monarchs had never been crowned since the Muslim conquest of Persia, so it was therefore necessary to design a new crown for the occasion. That honor was bestowed upon the French jewelers, Van Cleef & Arpels.

In accordance with tradition, the gems used were selected from loose stones already in the Imperial treasury. Since it was against the law for items from the treasury to leave Iran, Van Cleef & Arpels were obliged to send a team of jewelers to Tehran in order to construct the crown, a process which occupied them for six months.

Composition
The frame of the crown is made of white gold and is lined with a cap of green velvet. The crown contains 36 emeralds, 105 pearls, 34 rubies, two spinels, and 1,469 diamonds. The largest emerald is located in the center of the sunburst on the front of the crown, and weighs approximately 92 cts. The two large spinels are approximately 83 cts., and the largest pearl is approximately 22 mm long.

In her memoir, the former Empress extolls the beauty of the crown but notes that it was also quite heavy, weighing nearly two kilograms.