An Infamous Diamond Necklace Just Sold At Auction … And It Wasn’t Cheap

When it comes to auctioning off items with historical significance, you never know just how high the bidding might go. And for one piece of jewelry with a storied past, the demand drove its final price to more than twice its $2 million estimated value.

Diamonds are forever

The necklace in question is undeniably valuable based on its stunning design alone. Here’s a quick rundown of the most notable features:

• Nearly 500 individual diamonds
• A total weight of 300 carats
• Stones linked to Marie Antoinette

That last point deserves a bit of elaboration. Rumors persist that at least some of the diamonds in the 18th-century piece originated as part of a scandal involving French Queen Marie Antoinette.

In an incident later known as the “Affair of the Diamond Necklace,” the mistress of King Louis XV intended to receive an expensive piece of jewelry but the king’s death disrupted the plans. From there, a woman pretending to be the queen was able to obtain the necklace by fraud.

As for how many, if any, of those diamonds ended up in the necklace auctioned off for nearly $5 million this month in Geneva, that will probably remain a mystery. But that’s just one of the reasons it fetched such a high sum.

A history of its own

Aesthetically speaking, the necklace is recognized as one of the most stunning of the entire period, with exquisite attention to detail and design. And it doesn’t hurt that it made an appearance at two coronations of British royalty, including that of Queen Elizabeth II.

Here’s how Sotheby’s head of royal and noble jewels Andres White Correal explained it: “This rare and important diamond jewel is a sublime survivor from the opulent court life of the Georgian era, defined by its unrivaled pomp and splendor.”

Chris Agee November 15th, 2024

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