Allison Speaker of Shperdstown, West Virginia was chosen as the 2011 United States Cherry Blossom Queen at the National Conference of State Societies Grand Ball on Friday, April 8 in Washington, DC when the wheel of fortune landed on West Virginia. Allison is a candidate for a Master's Degree in Public Policy at American University. She is wearing the Mikimoto Crown given by the Mikimoto Company to The Washington Board of Trade in 1957 for use at this annual ball. The crown has 1,585 pearls personally selected by Mr. Mikimoto and they are set in a frame of 14 karat gold and a band of ermine. Above the base is a coronet of perfectly matched pearls and delicately hand crafted gold blossoms, scrolls and leaves. While the crown was appraised in 2005 at about $300,000, the actual value is impossible to guess because the crown design is unique and its history is also unique. Photo courtesy of Shutterbloom.