Crown Jewels of Ossetia

The Ossetian Crown Jewels are a set of antique jewellry that have been worn by successive monarchs and their consorts. Most of them can be found at Reiza Palace, though some are scattered around between Wentyn Castle and various museums. Some have been lost over time, but most survive. When Ambrai I was crowned the first prince of Ossetia, there was neither time nor money to design and create a crown. A crown of golden laurel leaves (Item 1 - Coronation Crown of Ambrai I) was quickly fashioned as a replacement. It is featured on his coronation painting but can only be seen with digital equipment - it is not visible to the naked eye. This crown was only ever worn by him and was put into storage after the coronation. It is kept at Reiza Palace.

When coronation preparations began for Ambrai II, a new crown (Item 2 - Crown of the Ossetian State) was designed and built, apparently to the specifications of Ambrai I. It is made of gold and decorated with nineteen enamel pictures as well as precious stones (rubies, sapphires, emeralds and amethysts), semi-precious stones (pearls, agates) and almandine. Four pendants hang from chains on each side, and one at the back. At the top sits a golden dragon. Oddly enough, it is not the dragon found in the royal family's crest. The reasons for this are unknown. Eleven princes have been crowned with it, and it is still in use today, the last coronation being for Ambrai XII some few years ago. It is a "closed" type of crown, as opposed to an "open" type. Closed crowns are designed such so as to symbolise the monarch's complete control over the country, while open crowns symbolise that the monarch is subject to serve the country by ruling it, rather than just ruling it. Since the founding of the Magisterial Council and the changing of the monarchy from absolute to constitutional, many people have been pushing for the creation of a new, open type crown. Nothing has come of such discussion however and it is likely that, due to the State Crown's historical significance, nothing ever will. The plans for the coronation of Ambrai XIII still include the State Crown.

The crown used during the coronation of a Princess (Item 3 - Consort Crown) was designed alongside the State Crown, but is of a completely different type. It is a much smaller, less grand open crown. It contains no fabrics or cushioning parts, and thusly fits into the hair of the princess, rather than sitting on the head of the prince as the State Crown does. The Consort Crown is made of iron covered with beaten gold, and is quite heavy because of it. Three hundred and forty two crystals sit alongside each other that gives the crown a sparkling appearance. A large diamond hangs in the middle, and sits on the brow of the princess. Two blue diamonds point up on either side on the second points. A thin stretch of pure gold finishes the crown at the very end. It is very different to the State Crown - open type as opposed to closed - because the princess has no real power while the prince lives. When he dies she becomes head of state until the coronation of his heir, at which point she loses the title of princess and, thusly, her regnant powers. The only exception to this rule was the Princess Iliena Feiran, who ruled for twenty-two years after the death of her husband, Ambrai VIII until their son Ambrai IX came of age.

The fourth crown on our list is the most expensive. Known informally as the "Lady's" crown (Item 4 - Crown of the Former Princess), it was created by the order of Ambrai III who wished to honour his mother, the princess Zelda, consort of Ambrai II. Arguably more beautiful than the Consort Crown, it is certainly more expensive. It has slightly larger crystals of the same type, with more of them - four hundred and twenty eight. A very large amethyst sits in the middle, flanked by smaller amethysts in a circle, themselves surrounded by more crystals. Two more amethysts sit on either side of this arrangement, and more again are set at certain points around the crown. Three large diamonds sit on top in the middle of the front piece, with four more smaller diamonds surrounding a deep garnet in the middle. This arrangement is repeated without the garnet at points around the crown, like the amethysts. The reason that so many amethysts are present is because the colour of the crest assigned to a former princess is a deep purple. This crown is only ever worn during matters of state in between the death of the previous monarch and the coronation of his heir, and during the coronation.