BFMTV : "Switzerland: a diamond necklace belonging to Marie-Antoinette sold for 4.5 million euros".

A woman poses with an 18th-century diamond necklace weighing around 300 carats, during a press presentation at Sotheby's auction house in Geneva, November 7, 2024. - Fabrice COFFRINI

It's a priceless piece of jewelry. A necklace adorned with 500 diamonds, weighing 300 carats, sold for 4.5 million euros at the haute joaillerie sale organized by auction house Sotheby's, held this Wednesday, November 13, in Geneva, Switzerland.

"The opulence of this diamond jewel reflects the genius of the jeweler and underscores the power and rank of the person for whom it was created," said Sotheby's.

And with good reason: the necklace, which dates from the Georgian period (1714 to 1830), has adorned the necks of several women of royal blood, the auction house said. Composed of three rivers of diamonds, it can be tied around the neck or draped with the dangling tassels.

The most recent owner, Shirley Paget, Marchioness of Anglesey, wore it to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Her mother-in-law, Marjorie Paget, also had the opportunity to display the precious jewel during a photo shoot with renowned British photographer Cecil Beaton in 1937.

In addition to its extravagance, the jewel's success is undoubtedly due to its"timelessness, which perfectly matched the fashion of the time, but also the luxurious and sumptuous social life of the interwar period", according to Sotherby's.

"The first time I held the necklace in my hand, I was overwhelmed by its exquisite beauty. The historical significance of this jewel also prompted us to research its fascinating history," explains Sotheby's.

While it is not known when the necklace came into the possession of the Anglesey family, the establishment claims that some of its diamonds came from the infamous"Queen's Necklace".

The scandal unfolded in 1785. To win back Marie-Antoinette's favor, Cardinal de Rohan decided to give her a sumptuous necklace containing almost 650 diamonds, weighing 2,800 carats, explains the Château de Versailles website.

Naive and unsuspecting, he entrusts the jewel to the pseudo-Comtesse de La Motte, a swindler posing as a relative of the sovereign, who promises him a return to grace. But once the necklace is in her possession, she promptly disappears, leaving the jewel unpaid.

The crown jewelers, not receiving their due, complained to the Queen. Scandal broke out. The cardinal is arrested in the Hall of Mirrors, amidst the astonished courtiers. Against all the odds, the man was finally cleared and Madame de La Motte arrested and tried along with her accomplices.

Although innocent, the queen ended up being the scapegoat. Public opinion suspects her of having deliberately provoked the loss of the Cardinal, whom she already detests.

According to Sotherby's, the necklace was dismantled and sold by the Comte de La Motte to an English jeweler named William Gray. Gray then used many of the royal diamonds to make other jewels, including that of the English aristocrats Anglesey.

Very few 18th-century jewels have survived intact. As fashions changed, they were often dismantled, the precious stones reused and integrated into new models. "The survival of this necklace is therefore something of a miracle", says Sotheby's.

Read the article on www.bfmtv.com

By Orlane Edouard

Published November 15, 2024