At its spring auction in New York, Christie's auction house offered an extraordinary gem: the Marie-Thérèse Pink, a 10.38-carat kite-cut pink diamond dating back to the 18th century. The stone was said to have belonged to Queen Marie-Antoinette and then passed to her daughter, Princess Marie-Thérèse of Angoulême, and later to her niece, Princess Marie-Thérèse of Chambord. Her will named Queen Theresa of Bavaria as the next owner. The diamond has survived in European royal families for generations, preserved in a velvet case with a pin bearing the Imperial Austrian coat of arms, circa 1868. It was last seen publicly in 1996. At Christie's, it sold for $14 million—almost triple its high estimate.
The second most valuable item at the auction was the Blue Belle necklace, set with a 392.52-carat sapphire from Ceylon (Sri Lanka), discovered in 1926. The stone was intended to be presented to Queen Elizabeth II for the coronation of King George VI in 1937, but ultimately did not end up in the British royal collection. After years of circulation between prominent private owners, it resurfaced and sold for $11.3 million.
The auction attracted enormous interest from collectors. As Rahul Kadakia, Head of Jewellery at Christie's, emphasized, this year's results demonstrate the growing demand for gems with a unique history, rarity, and the highest level of craftsmanship.
Photos: Christie's
