Any association with Marie Antoinette tends to capture immediate attention at auction, often driving estimates far beyond expectations. This was evident in May 2023, when a simple portrait of a dog, thought to be Marie Antoinette's beloved Pompon, sold at Sotheby’s for $279,400, despite being estimated at a modest $3,000 to $5,000. Another striking example was Sotheby’s sale of an impressive pendant featuring a large pearl and diamonds, once part of Marie Antoinette's jewelry collection. On November 14, 2018, it set a new record for a natural pearl in Geneva, fetching CHF 36,427,000, well above its estimate of CHF 1,600,000 to 2,900,000.
Nearly six years on, Sotheby’s will once again return to Geneva with another stunning piece of jewelry, as the 'Royal & Noble Jewels' auction is set to take place on November 11.
See also: Crown Jewels: 5 Times Royal Jewellery Made Auction Headlines
The piece in question is an extraordinary necklace from the late Georgian era, measuring approximately 67 cm in length and featuring a lavish diamond adornment of around 300 carats, elegantly arranged across three chains with two tassels at the ends. The necklace can be worn either open or styled with a simple knot.
The exact provenance of the piece can no longer be traced, but it is known to have been owned by the Marquesses of Anglesey during the first half of the 20th century. The then-incumbent Marchioness of Anglesey wore it at the coronation of King George VI in 1937 and again at the coronation of his daughter, Elizabeth II, in 1953. In 1959, the necklace was displayed in the 'The Ageless Diamond Loan' exhibition in London, and twenty years later, it featured in an exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Between these two exhibitions, the piece changed hands when the family of the Marquess of Anglesey parted with the heirloom, leading to its inclusion in a significant private collection in Asia.
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The necklace is believed to have been manufactured in the 1780s, and this is where Marie Antoinette enters the picture, albeit indirectly. Some of the white diamonds used in the piece are said to have once belonged to the necklace at the heart of the infamous Necklace Affair, which ultimately led to the downfall of the French Queen after a gang of fraudsters stole the highly valuable necklace in her name. This scandal came to light in 1785, although the necklace had already left France. In London, it was dismantled, and the high-quality diamonds were sold individually to dealers on Bond Street. As a result, some of these diamonds may have made their way to the jeweller who created the current necklace, though this cannot be substantiated.
See also: How the Affair of the Diamond Necklace Ruined Marie Antoinette
One fact remains: the extraordinary necklace is currently on public display for the first time in nearly 50 years at Sotheby’s London on New Bond Street, until September 26. Following this, a tour showcasing further highlights from the 'Royal & Noble Jewels' auction will visit Hong Kong, New York, Singapore, Taipei, and Dubai, before culminating in Geneva, where the auction is scheduled for November 11. The estimated value for this exquisite piece of late Georgian jewellery is CHF 1,600,000 to 2,400,000 (approximately $1.8 million to $2.7 million), but the potential connection to Marie Antoinette could drive the bids even higher.
