This Diamond Necklace Associated With A Royal Scandal Just Sold For $4.8 Million Dollars
A diamond necklace associated with Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France, has sold for $4.8 million at an auction in Geneva.
The 300-carat necklace consists of glittering gems, some of which may have contributed to a royal scandal and led to the queen’s downfall, according to Sotheby’s, the auction house that sold the necklace.
Marie Antoinette is one of the most famous figures in European history. She was born in 1755 in Austria and married the future King Louis XVI of France in 1770.
Her husband became king in 1774, allowing them to enjoy a lavish life of royalty. Soon enough, rumors began swirling about her expensive tastes. She especially loved jewelry.
Two years before Louis XVI ascended to the throne, his grandfather, King Louis XV, had a 2,800-carat necklace made for his mistress, Madame du Barry. It contained nearly 650 diamonds. However, he died before it was completed.
In 1785, the jewelers tried to sell the necklace to Marie Antoinette instead, but she declined the offer. Then, a noblewoman and con artist named Jeanne de la Motte pretended to be the queen and managed to steal the necklace.
She immediately sold the individual diamonds on the black market. Eventually, she was caught after the jewelers reached out to Marie Antoinette. The queen stated that she didn’t know anything about the purchase and was acquitted in court.
Jeanne de la Motte was arrested and branded with a hot iron as punishment for the theft. Even though Marie Antoinette was found to be innocent, the scandal still caused her reputation to take a hit, highlighting her notoriety for luxury items and fancy parties.
Her extravagant spending habits were not well-received by the French people, who were experiencing economic hardship at the time.
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It is believed that the 1785 incident helped spark the French Revolution. Eight years later, Marie Antoinette was beheaded shortly after the execution of her husband.
The diamonds from the necklace were sold off, with one jeweler purchasing 350 of them. Between the 1780s and 1830s, some of the gems may have been incorporated into the necklace that was just sold at auction.
It features 500 diamonds that likely came from India’s Golconda mines. The diamonds are arranged into three long strands with a tassel at each end.
“It is a masterpiece of the Georgian era and a masterclass in design, workmanship, and technical innovation for the period,” said Andres White Correal, a jewelry expert at Sotheby’s. “Today, it is as relevant, alluring, and appealing as when it was made over 200 years ago.”
At one point, the necklace was in the possession of the Pagets, a British aristocratic family with close ties to the royals.
Marjorie Paget, the Marchioness of Anglesey, wore the necklace to King George VI’s coronation in 1937. Her daughter-in-law wore it to Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953.
In the 1960s, the family sold the necklace to a private collector. In 1976, it was put on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
Now, it has sold for $4.8 million at a Sotheby’s auction in Geneva. The unnamed buyer also plans to sell the necklace sometime in the future so that others can enjoy it as well.
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