Latest news with #MarieThérèse
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A Pink Diamond That Belonged to Marie Antoinette's Daughter Just Sold for $14 Million
Say what you will about the volatility of the art market, but the jewelry world doesn't seem to have the same problem. This morning, at Christie's New York's Magnificent Jewels sale, just minutes after a Mughal carved Colombian emerald necklace with a serious royal provenance sold for $6.22 million (more than double its estimate), another royal jewel swiftly took away its thunder. But then again, any association with Marie Antoinette tends to have that effect. The heirloom in question, lot 44, which sold for $13.98 million, is a diamond and blackened platinum ring featuring a fancy kite-shaped 10.38-carat purple-pink diamond. That stone, likely from the legendary Golconda mines, can be traced back to the 18th century—and directly to the collection of Marie-Thérèse de Angoulême, the eldest and only surviving child of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI. As for where Marie-Thérèse got this rock in the first place? One theory is that it could have come from her mother herself, who made no secret of her love of rare gems (among other expensive things). We all know that in 1791, as Marie Antoinette was preparing to flee Paris, she entrusted her jewels to her hairdresser for temporary safekeeping. Of course she would never see those treasures again—they were eventually given to Marie-Thérèse. Could this pink diamond have been among them? It's an enticing idea, though there is a more plausible explanation: the diamond was gifted to MT sometime in the 1820s by her uncle, Louis XVIII, who had become King of France after the fall of Napoleon in 1815. Marie-Thérèse, who had become accustomed to wearing the crown jewels, asked XVIII if she could keep some. The answer was no (they were state property); instead, the generous king bought 200 diamonds to replace the crown diamonds of his niece's favorite tiara. The invoice for this purchase (which is at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris) lists a 10.24-carat diamond—experts believe it's this same pink stone. Marie-Thérèse never had children, so her jewels were divided among her niece and nephew. The tiara went to the Duke of Chambord, who left it with his wife, Duchess Marie-Thérèse, who later dismantled it and gifted the stones to her niece, the future Queen Marie Theresa of Bavaria. And so the pink diamond was passed down through subsequent generations until it was finally sold in 1996 to an anonymous buyer, who commissioned JAR to set it in its current design. While some jewelry experts have wondered if the fleur-de-lis setting was a bit too on the nose, given the rock's centuries-old Bourbon provenance, who can blame him? You Might Also Like 12 Weekend Getaway Spas For Every Type of Occasion 13 Beauty Tools to Up Your At-Home Facial Game
Euronews
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Video. Pink diamond linked to French royalty expected to sell for millions
The 10.38-carat kite-shaped gemstone, believed to have once belonged to Marie Antoinette's daughter, Marie Thérèse of Angoulême, dates back to the mid-18th century. Although no official records confirm its early ownership, the diamond has long been linked to royal lineage. After reappearing at a Geneva auction in 1996, the stone vanished from public view. Now mounted in a ring designed by Parisian jeweller JAR, it is on a world tour with stops in Los Angeles, Geneva, and Hong Kong. Christie's will present the piece on 17 June, expecting bids between €2.8 million and €4.6 million.
