Pahlavi Crown

The Pahlavi Crown is part of the coronation regalia used by the Pahlavi Shahanshahs of Iran (Persia) and is part of the Iranian Crown Jewels.

Background

Following the ascension of the Pahlavi Dynasty in 1925, Reza Shah ordered a group of Iranian jewelers, under the supervision of Haj Serajeddin, to create a new crown to replace the Kiani Crown which had been used by the Qajar dynasty. Inspiration for the new design was drawn from paintings and historical references to crowns used during the Sassanid Empire, which had ruled Persia from 224 to 651 AD.

The Pahlavi Crown was commissioned and first used for the coronation of Reza Shah on 25 April, 1926. It was used for the last time during the coronation of his son and successor Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi on 26 October, 1967. The crown is currently on display with the rest of the Iranian Crown Jewels at the Central Bank of Iran in Tehran.

Although the Pahlavi Crown was not assembled until the early 20th century the stones used in its production, as per tradition, were selected from the thousands of loose stones already in the Iranian Imperial Treasury.

Composition

The frame of the crown is made of gold, silver and red velvet. It has a maximum height of 29.8 cm, a width of 19.8 cm and weighs nearly 2,080 grams. A staggering 3,380 diamonds, totaling 1,144 carats, are set into the object. The largest of these is a 60 carat yellow brilliant ("diamond") which is centrally placed in a sunburst of white dimonds.

Found in three rows are 369 nearly identical natural white pearls. The crown also contains five sizeable emeralds ("totaling 200 carats"), the largest of which is approximately 100 carats and located on the apex of the crown.