A famous gemstone that was once associated with France’s unfortunate queen will be making headlines once again. This time, it’s set in a redesigned ring that will go under the hammer on June 17 this year. The sale will happen in New York and may bring up to $5 million.
Photos courtesy of Christie’s.
The 10.38-ct, kite-shaped fancy pink stone, known as the Marie-Thérèse diamond, has been passed down in a royal European family for over two centuries. Before her unfortunate Flight to Varennes when Marie Antoinette tried to flee to Paris, she entrusted her precious jewels to her hairstylist Léonard Autie, hoping that she would one day take them back.
But this wasn’t bound to happen. The only surviving daughter of the French queen and King Louis XVI, Marie-Thérèse, ended up inheriting this treasure. After her marriage to the Duke of Angoulême, she bequeathed the precious stone to her niece, Marie Thérèse de Chambord, who gave it as a wedding present to her own niece, Queen Marie Theresa, several years later.
The gem was redesigned into a hairpin after being a part of a tiara. When it made its appearance 30 years ago at Sotheby’s in Geneva, it was in a case with the imperial seal of Austria’s Empress Elisabeth’s personal jeweler, A. E. Köchert.
Photos courtesy of Christie’s.
Since then, the diamond went through another transformation, this time done by a talented jeweler Joel Arthur Rosenthal almost three decades after it was seen in public for the last time. The new design combines historical and modern style by placing the famous pink stone beneath an unusual fleur-de-lis motif.
Because this pink diamond ring has an unbroken royal provenance, it’s going to get a lot of attention, even though it’s not the most expensive lot at the event. “The diamond isn’t only nature’s masterpiece but a beautiful testament to European history. And most importantly, it has a well-documented and ongoing royal lineage,” says Rahul Kadakia, head of jewelry at Christie’s.
According to the auction house, the gem originated from Golconda, the Indian mines where such famous stones as Koh-i-Noor and Regent Diamond were found.
Photos courtesy of Christie’s.
As we mentioned, the Marie-Thérèse ring won’t be the most valuable lot at the auction. The Blue Belle, a luxurious necklace featuring a massive 392.51-ct sapphire mined in Sri Lanka a little over a century ago, is the priciest item at the auction. Lord Nuffield had planned to give it to Queen Elizabeth for her coronation, but things got changed in the end. It will yield an estimated $8.1 million to $12.5 million after being sold for $6.9 million 11 years ago.
But as other auctions have demonstrated, pieces associated with Marie Antoinette can bring astronomical prices. Take a pair of her diamond bracelets, for example, that sold for $8.21 million 4 years ago, which was three times their estimated price. Thus, we hope that the Marie-Thérèse diamond will also outperform its presale expectations and will be purchased by someone who truly values historical pieces.
