Sapphire-diamond jewellery set once owned by Napoleon's adoptive daughter fetches $3 mn
The rare sale of objects directly linked to the French emperor was met with great demand.
By Reuters |
AFP
Bids on the imperial consignment far outstripped pre-sale estimates. (In pic: Early 19th-century sapphire and diamond necklace, c. 1800, made with octagonal step-cut sapphires, rose and old-cut diamond, gold, 40.5 cm)
GENEVA: An imperial jewellery sale including a set of sapphire and diamond items that belonged to Napoleon's adoptive daughter fetched nearly $3 million at auction at Christie's in Geneva on Wednesday, as the rare sale of objects directly linked to the French emperor was met with great demand.
Bids on the imperial consignment far outstripped pre-sale estimates. There were nine items from the collection of Napoleon's daughter Stephanie de Beauharnais as well as a sapphire crown which previously belonged to Queen Maria II of Portugal.
"The collection of Stephanie de Beauharnais (and Queen Maria II) took towards 2.7 million Swiss francs ($2.97 million) hammer (price) ... almost three times the pre-sale estimate," Max Fawcett, the head of Christie's jewellery department in Geneva, said. "There was huge demand from collectors around the world."
Specialist Lukas Biehler tells the story behind a dazzling set of diamond and sapphire jewels once owned by Napoleo… https://t.co/LzBwd1n6aj
The nine items in the Beauharnais set, which were sold individually, included a necklace and tiara adorned with sapphires from mines in what was then known as Ceylon, now Sri Lanka.
The jewels date back to the early 19th century and are believed to have been a wedding gift for de Beauharnais, who was adopted by Napoleon and his wife Josephine de Beauharnais.
ADVERTISEMENT
Early 19th-century sapphire and diamond earrings, made with pear and cushion-shaped sapphires and old-cut diamonds, and brooch circa 1800, made with an oval-shaped sapphire and old-cut diamonds. The nine jewels were among 144 lots that went under the hammer on Thursday, achieving total sales of 57.8 million francs.
The crown of Portugal's Queen Maria II, set with a Burmese sapphire in the centre, fetched the highest bid among the ten imperial items at a realised price of 1.77 million francs, 10 times the lower end of its 170,000 - 350,000 franc pre-sale estimate.
Meanwhile, a D colour, Internally Flawless Rectangular step-cut diamond of 100.94 carats, estimated to sell for 12-18 million francs, closed at 12.84 million francs.
"We really saw that the appetite for top jewellery is still really strong in today's market," Fawcett said.
ADVERTISEMENT
From 'Pink' Diamond To The World's First Microchip: Items That Failed To Sell At Auctions
1/5
In 2016, Sotheby's had a manuscript by Ludwig van Beethoven up for auction. The single-page manuscript was described as the "Autograph manuscript of the 'Allegretto' in B minor for string quartet (WoO 210), composed for an English visitor to Vienna in 1817". It has the words "composed and written by Beethoven himself November 29, 1817 at Vienna" inscribed on it. The manuscript was expected to fetch about 200,000 pounds. The auction house made a statement that there were no takers because of a Beethoven scholar's claim that the manuscript was not authentic.
Image: Sotheby's
In 2016, Sotheby's had a manuscript by Ludwig van Beethoven up for auction. The single-page manuscript was described as the "Autograph manuscript of the 'Allegretto' in B minor for string quartet (Wo..
Read More
In 1996, Albert Einstein's earliest available manuscript in which he elaborated on his theory of relativity was auctioned by Sotheby's in Manhattan. The item, which was expected to sell for $4 million-6 million, failed to meet the minimum bid. The 72-page untitled manuscript was written in 1912, seven years after Einstein's special theory was first published.
In 1996, Albert Einstein's earliest available manuscript in which he elaborated on his theory of relativity was auctioned by Sotheby's in Manhattan. The item, which was expected to sell for $4 millio..
Read More
In 1958, Jack Kilby at Texas Instruments made the world's first microchip by hand. The second prototype of this historic chip went under the hammer in 2014, but failed to meet the reserve price. Kilby won the Nobel Prize for the creation of the microchip and his other contributions to the computing era. Christie's had estimated that the chip would bring in between $1-2 million.
Image: Christie's
In 1958, Jack Kilby at Texas Instruments made the world's first microchip by hand. The second prototype of this historic chip went under the hammer in 2014, but failed to meet the reserve price. Kilb..
Read More
Cook was a famous explorer and was the man who claimed Australia for Great Britain in 1770, naming eastern Australia 'New South Wales'. One of Cook's wai st coat s passed through a few hands, including Australian pianist Ruby Rich who altered it to suit a woman's body. It landed up in an auction in 2017. The 250-yearold waistcoat was valued close to $1.1 million by Aalders Auctions.
Photo: Aalders Auctions
Cook was a famous explorer and was the man who claimed Australia for Great Britain in 1770, naming eastern Australia 'New South Wales'. One of Cook's wai st coat s passed through a few hands, includi..
Read More
Father Jamie McLeod had bought an artwork from a small antique shop in Cheshire for £400. It later came to light that the artwork was an original Van Dyck painting. It was discovered after a television show evaluated the painting. In 2014, Christie's set an estimate of 400,000-500,000 pounds for the painting titled 'Head Study of a Man in a Ruff', which failed to sell.
Image: Christie's
Father Jamie McLeod had bought an artwork from a small antique shop in Cheshire for £400. It later came to light that the artwork was an original Van Dyck painting. It was discovered after a televisi..
Friday work quote of the Day by Napoleon Bonaparte: "The reason most people fail instead of succeed is they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment"2026-06-18T17:15:35Z
