A sublime necklace for sale at Sotheby’s could be linked to Queen Marie Antoinette

Belonging to the family of her husband, Charles Paget, the 6^e Marquis of Anglesey, this jewel of approximately 300 carats presents three rows of brilliant-cut diamonds, finished at each of its two ends by a pompom, also in diamonds.

Also worn at the coronation of Elizabeth II

Sixteen years later, it was the turn of the new Marchioness of Anglesey, their son’s wife, to wear this 18th-century jewel to another coronation. That of Queen Elizabeth II.

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In the 1960s, her husband, the 7^e Marquis of Anglesey chose to part with it. 64 years later, it is the turn of its current owner to part with it. This exceptional piece of jewelry, which was in a private Asian collection, is indeed announced for sale at Sotheby’s in Geneva this fall 2024.

The ultimate in 18th century jewelry

“This rare and important diamond jewel is a sublime survivor of the opulent court life of the Georgian era, defined by its unrivalled pomp and splendor; it is arguably one of the most magnificent and intact Georgian jewels in private hands,” notes Andres White Correal, President of Jewelry for Europe and the Middle East and Head precious jewels at Sotheby’s.

“Compared to other surviving imperial and royal jewels from the same period, this necklace stands out; it is a fortune in diamonds, and also a masterful example of exquisite design, craftsmanship and technical innovation for the period,” he adds, calling it “the pinnacle of 18th-century jewellery design.”

But there is another point that makes it of interest to collectors. Returning to the mysterious origin of this remarkable necklace which probably dates back to the decade preceding the French Revolution, the prestigious auction house notes that such a jewel could only have been created “for royalty or a high-ranking aristocrat in one of the glittering courts of the Ancien Régime – especially the French or English courts”.

As for the 500 diamonds probably coming from the legendary Indian mines of Golconda which compose it, some of them could come from the necklace which has remained famous in the history of France for the scandal which involved Queen Marie-Antoinette under the name of “the affair of the necklace”.

This scam, plotted by Madame de La Motte by duping Cardinal de Rohan, then Grand Almoner of France and who wanted to regain the lost favors of the wife of Louis XVI, was harmful to the latter.

Although she had absolutely nothing to do with the purchase of this necklace for which the jeweller was demanding payment and although Madame de La Motte and her accomplices were judged, Marie-Antoinette, already very unpopular with the population, was considered guilty of having wanted the cardinal’s downfall.

An estimate of between 1.6 and 2.5 million euros

Estimated at between 1.6 and 2.5 million euros, this sumptuous necklace was exhibited at Sotheby’s New Bond Street in London from September 23 to 25, before being presented during the month of October successively in Hong Kong, New York, Singapore, Taipei and Dubai. It will be put up for sale by Sotheby’s at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Geneva on November 11, with online bidding open from October 25 on Sothebys.com.