The Christie’s Auction House in New York City is set to showcase and auction a collection of rare and historically significant jewels, including the 10-carat Marie-Thérèse Pink Diamond and the Blue Belle Sapphire necklace. These pieces, steeped in royal history and rare gemstone quality, are expected to draw considerable attention from collectors and connoisseurs around the world.
The Marie-Thérèse Pink Diamond, a kite-shaped fancy purple-pink diamond, is believed to have a lineage tied to Queen Marie Antoinette of France. According to records, the diamond was entrusted to Antoinette’s coiffeur before her failed escape from Paris in 1791. It was later passed to her only surviving child, Duchess Marie Thérèse de Angoulême, and eventually came into the possession of Queen Marie Theresa of Bavaria. The diamond last appeared at auction in Geneva in 1996 before being quietly removed from public view.
Revived by Parisian jeweler Joel Arthur Rosenthal, the diamond has been re-set in a modern design, enhancing its allure. Christie’s estimates that it could sell for between $3 million and $5 million, with the Blue Belle Sapphire necklace, a 392.52-carat Sri Lankan sapphire, expected to fetch between $8 million and $12 million. These gems are part of a broader collection of magnificence, reflecting centuries of European aristocratic legacy and gemstone history.
The Blue Belle Sapphire necklace, intended to be presented to Queen Elizabeth on the occasion of King George VI’s coronation, never entered the royal collection but instead passed through several distinguished owners. Christie’s international head of jewelry, Rahul Kadakia, has described the sapphire as ‘a gem of exceptional size, color and clarity, extraordinarily rare,’ and a piece that ‘must be considered among the most prestigious colored gemstones to appear on the market in many years.’
The auction house has announced that the collection of jewels will be on display to the public for free from June 12 through June 16 before the live auction on June 17. These auctions not only highlight the craftsmanship and rarity of the pieces but also underscore the ongoing interest in historical artifacts and high-value gemstone collectibles. The event promises to be a significant moment in the world of luxury and art collecting, with the potential to set new benchmarks in the jewelry market.