Jewelry sold to Napoleon's daughter at auction for $ 1.65 million

Jewelry decorated with sapphires and diamonds belonging to Napoleon's adopted daughter was sold at auction in Geneva for 1.5 million Swiss francs ($ 1.65 million), far exceeding Christie's estimates.

The nine jewels, which were sold separately, remained in the same family's ownership since they were presented to Napoleon's adopted daughter, Stephanie de Warnier, on the occasion of her marriage at the Tuileries Palace in Paris in 1806.

"We have seen a very strong demand from collectors all over the world," auction commissioner Max Fawcett told reporters, without revealing the names of the buyers.

After Switzerland finally relaxed its restrictions related to Covid-19, about twenty bidders and spectators attended the auction hall on Wednesday, in addition to about twenty representatives of the British house who were in charge of receiving auctions by phone.

The jewels went on sale to mark the bicentenary of Napoleon's death this month.

Experts had estimated the estimated value of the nine pieces offered for sale individually, including the Diadem crown, necklace, earring, ring and bracelet, at 430,000 Swiss francs.

The Diadem crown was sold for 420,000 Swiss francs (463,000 dollars), while its estimated value ranged between 140,000 Swiss francs and 250,000 Swiss francs.

Thirty-eight sapphires from Ceylon were used in the manufacture of this jewelery at the turn of the nineteenth century.

Among other historic items at auction, "Christie's" offered a remarkable sapphire crown that belonged to Maria II, Queen of Portugal in the mid-nineteenth century.

The crown was sold for 1.77 million Swiss francs (1.95 million dollars), after it was estimated at a price ranging between 170,000 and 350,000 Swiss francs.

Among the many gemstones that Christie's auctioned, a rectangular white diamond of 100.94 carats (estimated price ranged between $ 12 million and 16 million) was sold from a rough 207.29 carat diamond discovered in Yakutia, Eastern Siberia in 2016. , In exchange for about 12 million dollars.