A pair of rare natural pearls believed to have been owned by the last empress of France sold for a world record auction price of more than $3.3 million. The Doyle New York auction house, which sold the pearls Monday, said they were purchased by a telephone bidder who requested anonymity.
The price surpassed the prior world record for a pair of natural pearls set in May 2013 by Sotheby’s Geneva belonging to actress Gina Lollobrigida for $2.4 million. That pair broke the earlier record of $1.99 million set by Christie’s New York at the sale of the collection of Elizabeth Taylor in December 2011.
The drop-shaped pearls were accompanied by a hand-written note that refers to them as having belonged to Empress Eugenie of France, the wife of Napoleon III (the last emperor of France), the auction house said. In 1887, following the fall of the monarchy, an historic auction of the French Crown Jewels took place in the Louvre, lasting 12 days.
Doyle New York has a detailed description of the pearls provenance, owned by the family of two prominent industrialists of America’s Gilded Age.
They were first purchased by George Crocker (1856-1909), the son of Charles Crocker, who founded the Central Pacific Railroad in California. They were later owned by the descendants of Henry Huttleston Rogers (1840-1909) of Massachusetts, an American industrialist who made a fortune as a partner with John D. Rockefeller in Standard Oil and a founder of the Virginia Railroad.
The pearls measured nearly an inch in height and a half-inch wide, and were warm gray in color, according to the auction house. They were mounted with antique silver and diamond caps, which were set onto a circa 1920 platinum and diamond pendant.
The pearls were accompanied by a report from the Swiss Gemmological Institute SSEF describing them as natural saltwater pearls with no indications of artificial color modification. The Institute added a statement describing them as “very rare and exceptional, and thus this pair of pearls can be considered a very exceptional treasure of nature.”Please join me on the Jewelry News Network Facebook Page, on Twitter @JewelryNewsNet and on the Forbes website.
The gold ring, with an origin listed as 18th Century, is adorned with two pear-shaped stones (also described as “tear shaped” in media reports), a blue sapphire and diamond that rest side by side facing opposite directions. Each gem weighed one carat each, according to the auction house.
Bidding at the at the Osenat auction house in Fontainebleau opened at 10,000 euros but the first bid was for 50,000 euros and quickly went up to $130,000 euros, then pacing itself to $450,000. Several bouts of laughter were heard during the bidding as seen through the auction house’s live website. Right before the hammer fell at 630,000 euros someone pushed it to 640,000, which produced more laughter. After approximately 50 bids, the ring sold for 730,000 euros.
The sale was held Sunday to honor the 250th anniversary of Joséphine's birth, according to reports. The ring was described as modest by the auction house, purchased from someone who had not yet acquired great wealth and power. However, it gain a lot of international interest based on its historical significance.
Empress Joséphine was 32 years old, six years older than Napoleon, and a widow with a son and daughter at the time of their marriage on March 9, 1796, just before Napoleon departed for his Italian command, according to the auction house.
The ring is from the collection of Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie, according to the auction house. Napoleon III, the last monarch of France, was the nephew and heir of Napoleon. It was sold at Sunday’s auction of the “Collection of Prince Victor Napoleon and Princess Clementine of Belgium.” Please join me on the Jewelry News Network Facebook Page, on Twitter @JewelryNewsNet and on the Forbes Website.
Napoleon Bonaparte was one of the world’s fiercest warriors but he also had a flair for romance. In 1796, as a symbol of his love for his wife-to-be Joséphine, he presented her with a diamond and sapphire engagement ring. This same ring will be up for bid March 24 at the Osenat auction house in Fontainebleau, France. It is estimated to fetch $13,000 to $20,000.
The gold ring, with an origin listed as 18th Century, is adorned with two pear-shaped stones (also described as “tear shaped” in media reports), a blue sapphire and diamond that rest side by side facing opposite directions. The carat-weight of the two gems was not provided by the auction house.
Updated information: The carat-weight of each gem is approximately one carat each, said Jean Christophe Chatignier, a partner with the auction house, who responded to my e-mail Monday morning.
Empress Joséphine was 32 years old, six years older than Napoleon, was a widow with one son at the time of their marriage on March 9, 1796, just before Napoleon departed for his Italian command, according to the auction house.
The ring is from the collection of Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie, according to the auction house. Napoleon III, the last monarch of France, was the nephew and heir of Napoleon.
Empress Joséphine did not produce an heir, although Napoleon formally adopted her son Eugène and cousin Stéphanie. Napoleon chose to divorce Joséphine so he could remarry for an heir. In March 1810, he married Marie Louise, Archduchess of Austria. The couple had one child, Napoleon Francis Joseph Charles. He became Napoleon II in 1814 and reigned for only two weeks. He was given the title of the Duke of Reichstadt in 1818 and died of tuberculosis in 1832 at the age of 21, with no children.Please join me on the Jewelry News Network Facebook Page, on Twitter @JewelryNewsNet and on the Forbes Website.
