How did Sisi have the idea for her legendary hair adornments?
The Magic Flute by Mozart, performed at the Imperial and Royal Court Opera, is said to have been the inspiration for Sisi’s decidedly good hair day. One of the characters in the opera, the Queen of the Night, was wearing a costume littered with stars, and Sisi was so taken with the act that the (otherwise thrifty) Kaiser issued a commission to Köchert to deliver a not insignificant number of stars of all sizes, which he then proceeded to present to his ravishingly beautiful wife to mark their first anniversary.
The most famous piece of jewelery in Austria
he jewellery propelled Sisi to become a veritable style icon across Europe, primarily due to the extravagant way in which she wove the stars into her magnificent hair. Thanks to Franz Xaver Winterhalter’s painting of the young Kaiserin, the stars became by far the most famous jewellery Austria had ever produced. The image, and the stars themselves, were endlessly copied – and continue to be so to this day.
After the death of her son, Crown Prince Rudolf, the empress hardly wore any of her jewellery, generously giving much of it to her ladies-in-waiting, friends and relatives. In 1900, two years after Sisi’s death, the famous set of 27 stars was given as a wedding present to her granddaughter – Rudolf’s only daughter – Elisabeth Marie, who was also known as the Red Archduchess. Unfortunately, no trace is left of those particular stars. Today, only three pieces from the other, more extensive collection of stars belonging to Empress Elisabeth are known. The House of Köchert has been trying for decades to find any of the other originals. If anyone has a tip – please contact us!
Thanks to unfailing demand, we continue to create Sisi’s Stars according to the original designs to this day. They can be had in a range of different sizes and price classes, as stud earrings, brooches or hairpins. Whether worn as extravagantly as the Kaiserin herself or in a more modest way, they are a delicious reference to the “old Austria” and an ever-popular souvenir.
