Russian royal jewelry smuggled out of the country during the 1917 revolution, along with rare-colored diamonds, will be up for auction next week in Geneva, Switzerland, in search of collectors willing to pay high prices for the rarities.
A pink-orange diamond weighing 25.62 carats, estimated at 3.6 million to 5.38 million Swiss francs (more than R$27 million), placed in a ring, is the star of the biannual jewelry auction lot. Sotheby’s auction house in the Swiss city on November 10th.
“A beautiful crystal, it’s a fantastic color with a little orange, but not too much, so it’s a very subtle color,” said Olivier Wagner, head of sales and jewelry specialist at Sotheby’s Geneva.
“The market is very dynamic and, after the pandemic, people are eager to buy jewelry and something tangible that they can enjoy.”
For collectors of historic jewelry, a large oval sapphire and diamond brooch and matching earrings from the jewelry box of Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, aunt of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II, are also in the lot.
“They belonged to the Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, who was the queen of social life in St. Petersburg. She was the wife of Grand Duke Vladimir, then son of the Tsar (Alexander II), and she had a fantastic collection of jewelry,” said Wagner.
The royal ensemble, entrusted to his friend, British diplomat Albert Henry Stopford, who took them to London for safekeeping along with other jewels.
Pavlovna escaped revolutionary Russia and died in France in 1920. His brooch and earrings are being sold by a European royal family who bought them at auction in 2009, the auction house said.
luxury week
Sotheby’s is expanding its luxury week with an online “Fashion Through Time” sale aimed at younger collectors, many of which include bags named after movie stars Grace Kelly and Jane Birkin, and sneakers worn by the late NBA star Kobe Bryant.
(This text is a translation. To read the original, in English, click here)
Reference: CNN Brasil
I’m James Harper, a highly experienced and accomplished news writer for World Stock Market. I have been writing in the Politics section of the website for over five years, providing readers with up-to-date and insightful information about current events in politics. My work is widely read and respected by many industry professionals as well as laymen.
