A rare diamond necklace, possibly linked to Marie Antoinette, is set to go up for auction this November at Sotheby’s Royal & Noble Jewels sale, with an estimated value reaching up to INR 23.43 crore ($2.8 million). Crafted in the 18th century, just before the French Revolution, the 300-carat piece was last seen publicly in the 1970s before disappearing into a private collection.
In 1959, the necklace was showcased in London as part of The Ageless Diamond Loan exhibition, where it was displayed alongside other notable royal and aristocratic jewels, including the Williamson Pink Diamond and Queen Elizabeth II’s brooch set with the Cullinan III and IV diamonds.
In 1979, the piece was featured in the American Museum of Natural History’s Bicentennial Exhibition. At the time, it was said to have been made in 1776 by Collingwood and rumored to have been a gift from George III to the Duchess of Marlborough.
Featuring three rows of diamonds and tassels at each end, the necklace made its first public appearance in 50 years at Sotheby’s London showroom on Monday.
Some believe that a few of the diamonds in this necklace may have come from the notorious “Affair of the Diamond Necklace,” a scandal that damaged Marie Antoinette’s already shaky reputation as France’s last queen consort before the Revolution. The necklace once belonged to the Marquesses of Anglesey, a prominent Anglo-Welsh family, and was worn by family members at the coronations of King George VI in 1937 and Queen Elizabeth in 1953.
Image: Sotheby’s
According to Robb Report, Chairman of jewellery Europe and Middle East, Andres White Correal said, “This rare and important diamond jewel is a sublime survivor from the opulent court life of the Georgian era, defined by its unrivaled pomp and splendor; it is arguably one of the most magnificent and intact Georgian jewels in private hands.”
The diamonds, likely sourced from India’s famous Golconda mines, each weigh between one and one and a half carats and feature an old mine cut. Known as a négligé necklace, it can be styled with the tassels hanging down or tied in a simple knot around the neck.
The historic necklace is set to be auctioned at the Mandarin Oriental in Geneva on November 12. Before the sale, it will be on display in several cities, including London (September 23-25), Hong Kong (October 3-5), New York (October 9-10), Singapore (October 18-19), Taipei (October 21-22) and Dubai (October 28-30).
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