Three antique diamond necklaces have exceeded their high auction estimate. These pieces are more than mere jewels; they bear witness to our history and to a unique jewelry art.
Diamonds are appreciated not only for their beauty, authenticity and incomparable shine, but their rare nature has always made them an investment object throughout the ages. We have further proof of this today in the form of three sumptuous pieces whose history and style make them collector’s items. Bearing witness to the meticulous craftsmanship and creativity that left a mark on the century they came from – centuries shrouded in intriguing history, as in the case of the necklace from Queen Marie-Antoinette’s ensemble – these objets d’art remind us just how crucial it is to acquire and preserve them.
A fabulous 500-diamond necklace (300 carats in total) caused quite a stir recently. It belonged to the British family of the Marquesses of Anglesey, and it has a shared history with Queen Marie-Antoinette. Estimated at between CHF 1.6 and 2.2 million, it sold for CHF 4.26 million, almost doubling its high estimate. This historic sale on November 13 will go down in the annals of Sotheby’s in Geneva. While the origins of the necklace remain a mystery, some historians have speculated that it may be composed of diamonds from the famous necklace whose scandalous disappearance implicated Marie-Antoinette in 1785 (the famous “Affair of the Diamond Necklace”). Archival drawings show a certain similarity between the two pieces, but no proof has been provided. The style of this necklace, known as “négligé” due to its flexibility – allowing it to be worn as a scarf or tied at the front – as well as its transformability, are emblematic of the Georgian style, embodying a new way of life for the aristocracy.
An Art Deco Cartier necklace belonging to the Sassoon dynasty, an influential British family of Iraqi origin, exceeded its high estimate by three and a half times at Christie’s in Geneva. It sold for just over $5 million, against an estimate of between $1 and $1.5 million. Totaling almost 140 carats, this rare 1935 jewel also has a thrilling past – during the Second World War, it miraculously escaped the bombardment of the bank where it was stored in a safe-deposit box.
Another diamond necklace sold at Christie’s on November 12 above its high estimate. This was another exceptional piece, a maharajah’s necklace made by Van Cleef & Arpels. Sold for CHF 5.49 million, it exceeded its initial estimate (CHF 3.5 – 5 million). The stones it is set with are exceptional, in particular the three pear-shaped diamonds on the central pendant of 25.50, 11.24 and 11.13 carats. Typical of the transformability pioneered by Van Cleef & Arpels, it can be turned into 7 different necklaces, 3 bracelets, 1 brooch and a pair of earrings.
While these jewels do not match the importance of the famous ceremonial necklace of the Maharajah of Patiala* (2,930 diamonds for 962 carats, including a 234.65-carat De Beers yellow diamond of South African origin), they left their mark on their era through their style, the complexity of their creation and their role as witnesses to history.
*Today, the Patiala necklace is a major piece of Cartier’s heritage. It is partly made of lab-grown stones, following the disappearance of some of the original stones including the famous yellow diamond.
