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AFP - Getty Images
This 35-carat pear-shaped diamond that Marie de Medici wore at her coronation in 1610 will be auctioned on May 15, 2012, in Geneva.
A huge diamond coveted by European kings, queens and princes for centuries, used to reinforce alliances between nations and pawned to pay off royal debts goes on sale at Sotheby's in Geneva on May 15.
The auction house called the "Beau Sancy" gem "one of the most important historic diamonds ever to come to auction," reflecting its part in the fluctuating fortunes of Europe's royal families for more than 400 years.
The stone, a 35-carat modified "pear double rose cut" diamond belonging to Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia and head of the former ruling dynasty of the German empire, is expected to fetch $2 million to $4 million.
"It's a stone that appeals to me greatly as a survivor of all those tumultuous events," said David Bennett, chairman of Sotheby's jewelry in Europe and the Middle East.
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"Stones from royal collections hardly ever appear at auction. In my career this is an absolute one-off," he told Reuters by telephone from New York.
Bennett, who sold a pink diamond for $46.2 million in 2010 which was a record for any jewel at auction, said estimating the value of a stone like the Beau Sancy was difficult given its rarity.
“It is the most important and oldest stone to come onto the art market, Phillip Herzog von Wurttemberg, chairman of Sotheby’s Europe told the Local, an English language website in Germany. “It is set very simply in a hook with a loop so it could be put on a necklace.”
The diamond originated from the mines in India near Golconda and was acquired by Nicolas de Harlay, Lord of Sancy, in Constantinople in the 1500s, explaining its name.
In 1604 it was bought for 75,000 livres by French King Henry IV as a gift for his wife, Marie de Medici.
Jealous queen?
According to Sotheby's, the queen had long coveted the stone, especially after learning that de Harlay had sold a larger diamond called the Sancy and now part of the Louvre Collection to King James I of England.
Henry IV was assassinated in 1610, and after years of rivalry between Marie and her son King Louis XIII, she was eventually exiled in disgrace.
She escaped to the Netherlands, and to settle her debts her possessions were sold, including the Beau Sancy which was acquired by Prince Frederick Henry of Orange-Nassau for 80,000 florins, the largest expenditure in the state budget of 1641.
In the same year, the diamond was used as a sweetener to help seal the wedding of Frederick's son William to Mary Stuart, daughter of King Charles I of England.
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Following Mary's death in 1660, the Beau Sancy was pawned to settle her debts, but in 1677 the stone re-entered the Treasure of the House of Orange-Nassau following the wedding of William III to Mary II Stuart.
The couple ascended the throne of England in 1689, meaning the Beau Sancy entered the collection of the Queen of England, but since the couple had no children, the diamond returned to the Netherlands.
Hidden in crypt
From there it moved to the Prussian monarchy in 1702, becoming the principal ornament of the new royal crown of Prussia, but its dramatic story did not end there.
The diamond remained in Berlin after the last king of Prussia fled to exile in November, 1918 at the end of World War I, and at the end of World War II it was transferred to a bricked-up crypt for safe-keeping.
British troops found the stone and returned it to the estate of House of Prussia, where it has remained ever since.
The Beau Sancy, which has been shown publicly only four times in the past 50 years, will be exhibited to the public in an international tour before the Geneva auction, according to Sotheby’s.
Here are the dates and locations of the public exhibitions:
- Hong Kong -- March 30- April 2
- New York - April 14-16
- Rome - April 19
- Paris - April 24-25
- London - April 27-30
- Zurich - May 2-3
- Geneva - May 11-15
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
Now sit back and watch the top 1 % of the worlds 1 % ers go ape sh*^ for this.
No it's more like sit back and watch people b*tch, whine and complain because someone can afford something that they themselves can't.
They say diamonds are forever--especially if you ever try to sell one back.
Owning a diamond like this has Historic meaning---
"I'll take it"!---diamonds are forever, but solid marriages are not.
To ever the highest bid goes to, it will be encased in a Safe, not to be enjoyed. Maybe it is Queen Elizabeth, Princess Kate Middleton, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Buffett, Forbes, or your modest neighbor.
It is simply gorgeous---one has to appreciate the finer things in life, and first their family, good health, and then the magnificent Diamond.
bob1/:
It is not bad having money like this. You must be jealous---no worries when rich like this. Try it; your language in the comment would change, and so will you!
Ever hear of personal Freedom from worrying about where the next dime is going to come from?
This stone will fetch a far greater price then the value stated .... this is not a trinket stone .... and will be sought after by the the worlds elite .... and may bring at least 4 to 5 times the appraised value ..
It's truly priceless!
It's a rock!
But a very pretty rock!
I'll bet it's a lot older than 400 years. We haven't made rocks like that in at least 1000 years.
Neat piece of history
Now that lab made diamond gemstones are beginning to flood the market I think we're going to see a lot more of these stones being 'unloaded' by their royal owners.
I guess that the Prussian prince really needs the money... And, after all, it's only an old one --- the stone I mean.
Two to four million dollars for a rock of this renown? Pocket change to the truly wealthy. Probably fetch more like $50 million. Man, I wish I were rich.
I wish I had enough money to be the underbidder at the auction for this rock. Then I'd still have the cash and someone else would be stuck with the rock. I couldn't wear it to Church, or to drop the kids off at school, or to the gym, or to the grocery, or to fill up the car, or to ball games or air shows, or when hubby and I visit the neighbors. The only place I could wear it without unseemly comments would be WalMart because nobody there would believe it was real, but I don't shop WalMart anymore because I never saw anything there that was made-in-America. I couldn't even wear it to the toilet because I'd be afraid it would fall in. Yep, just enough cash to be the underbidder would be the ticket!
Who needs it? It's just a shiny rock.