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DIAMONDS AT AUCTION

MARIE ANTOINETTE

SOTHEBY’S TO HOST A ROYAL SALE EXTRAORDINAIRE,
AS JEWELRY OF LAST FRENCH QUEEN GOES ON THE BLOCK

This coming November 14, a collection of jewelry that once belong to Marie Antoinette, the last Queen of France, which later came into the hands an aristocratic family, will go on the block at Sotheby’s in Geneva. It had been the property of a noble family, and had been passed down from generation to generation, before the decision was made to put it up for sale.

A symbol of France, Marie Antoinette was actually a member of the Austrian royal family, before her marriage 1770 at the age of 14 to Louis-August, the prospective heir to the French throne.  She was still a teenager when her husband was coronated as King Louis XVI in 1774, and she became queen. It was a position she held until September 1792, when in the wake of the French Revolution a republic was declared, and the monarchy abolished. After a one-day trial by a revolutionary tribunal, she was found guilty of embezzling the state and of high treason, and sentenced to death. She was beheaded at the guillotine on October 16, 1793.

For the bourgeoisie revolutionaries, Marie Antoinette symbolized the excesses of the French monarchy. Although much that has been said about her was not quite accurate, including her alleged response to a peasant food shortage, when was quoted as having declared “let them eat cake,” she still lived a wildly extravagant life.

JEWELS FOR PERSONAL ENJOYMENT

For Marie Antoinette, the crown jewels were used for personal enjoyment. The legendary Regent Diamond, a 140.5-carat stone that first was set in the coronation crown of Louis XV, was later worn as a favorite hair ornament by Marie Antoinette. It disappeared in 1792 and was found years later in in an attic in Paris.

The collection that will be auctioned  belongs to the Bourbon-Parma family, which was related to the royal houses of both France and Spain, and emperors of Austria and the dukes of Parma. The jewels had been smuggled to Austria when Marie Antoinette was first sent to prison.

Among the jewelry once belonging to Marie Antoinette is a diamond pendant necklace, which includes a natural pearl so large that it is said to weigh down clothing. It has a pre-sale of between $1 million to $2 million.

The 140.5-carat Regent Diamond.

A LOCK OF THE FRENCH QUEEN’S HAIR

Also on sale is a diamond ring, with the queen’s initials, which still contains a lock of Marie Antoinette’s hair, with and estimated sales value of between $20,000 and $50,000. A tiara once worn by the queen has an estimated sales value of between $350,000 and $550,000.

The collection also includes a miniature portrait of the queen, a pre-sales value of between $8,000 and $12,000, a natural pearl and diamond pendant, with an estimated worth of $1 million to $2 million, and a diamond brooch in a double bow design with a pear-shaped yellow diamond, estimated to be worth $50,000 to $80,000.

“I can’t imagine more important pieces coming to auction unless something from Queen Elizabeth I became available, and that’s not going to happen,” said Frank Everett, sales director of Sotheby’s Luxury and Lifestyle Division, speaking to the New York Times. “I don’t know what will ever match it again. I might have to retire.”

On the Bourbon-Parma family’s sale is a diamond pendant necklace, featuring a large a natural pearl, with a pre-sale estimate of between $1 million and $2 million. (Photo courtesy of Sotheby’s)

 
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