Auction in Geneva –
A 300-carat diamond necklace sold for 3.55 million francs
With nearly 500 300-carat diamonds, exceptional fluidity and a halo of mystery, an 18th century necklace sold for 3.55 million francs on Wednesday in Geneva.
A woman wears this historic necklace during a Sotheby’s press briefing on November 7, 2024.
AFP
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The neglected item, which has survived the centuries intact by a “miracle”, according to Andres White Correal, head of the jewelry department at Sotheby’s Europe, was estimated at between 1.6 and 2.5 million francs. After very lively bidding, the necklace was sold for 3.55 million francs, reaching the sum of 4.26 million francs after taxes and commissions.
The buyer who wished to remain anonymous and made her offer by telephone is “overjoyed,” Andres White Correal told AFP. “She was ready to fight, and she did,” he said, adding that it was an “electric night.”
“There is clearly a niche in the market for historic jewelry with fabulous provenance (…) People are not just buying the item, they are also buying the whole story attached to it,” he said. -he added.
A link with Marie-Antoinette
To add to the appeal of this exceptional piece, some of the diamonds that make up the necklace come from a jewel at the center of the famous “Queen’s Necklace Affair” which further tarnished Marie-Antoinette’s reputation. . “This spectacular antique jewel is an incredible survivor of history,” Sotheby’s said in a press release presenting the sale.
The necklace made up of three rivers of diamonds ends at both ends with two impressive pompoms. The design highlights the transparency of the precious stones and gives great flexibility to this “rare and very important” Georgian period piece, according to the auction house.
“The jewel passed from family to family. We can start at the beginning of the 20the century, when it was part of the collection of the Marquess of Anglesey,” said Andres White Correal. Members of this aristocratic family are said to have worn the jewel twice in public: at the coronation of King George VI in 1937 and at the coronation of his daughter Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
“Masterpiece”
Beyond that, little is known about the necklace, the jeweler who designed it and the original customer. But the opulence of the room necessarily reserved it for royal families, of high nobility or immensely rich.
“It is a masterpiece of the Georgian era and a masterful lesson in design, manufacturing and technical innovation for the era,” writes Andres White Correal. “Quite simply, this jewel is the ultimate in 18th century jewelry design.e century,” he adds.
According to Sotheby’s, its diamonds likely came from the legendary Golconda mines in India, considered to produce the purest diamonds in the world.
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