Marie Antoinette’s two diamond bracelets were sold for £6million after being expected to fetch up to £3million at an auction today, 228 years after her death.
Both the silver and yellow-gold bracelets have three strands each and 112 diamonds.
It was purchased by a mysterious member of the European royal household at Christie’s Geneva auction.
Marie Antoinette bought the bracelets originally for 250,000 lire in 1776. This was just two years after she took the throne along with King Louis XVI.
The two bracelets contained 112 diamonds and sold for £6million after being expected to fetch up to £3million at an auction today
They were kept secret by King Louis XVI, her husband. The bracelets were captured in Paris as part of the French Revolution.
Marie Antionette placed bracelets in the wooden chest, which was donated by Count Mercy-Argenteau to Austrian ambassador. It was located in Brussels in 1791.
She originally bought the bracelets for 250,000 livres in 1776, just two years after taking the throne with her husband King Louis XVI, paying for them partly with gemstones from her personal collection and with funds provided by her husband.
Marie Antoinette’s two diamond bracelets were sold for £6million after being expected to fetch up to £3million at an auction today, 228 years after her death
Unsurprisingly, however, a Cartier diamond and ruby bangle, owned by Wallis Simpson The Duchess Of Windsor, which was gifted by the Duke to her as their first marriage anniversary gift, didn’t sell.
It had been estimated to fetch up to £1.62 million.
Tobias Kormind, the managing director of Europe’s largest online jeweller 77 Diamonds, said: ‘This evening’s auction was both shocking and fantastic.
They were kept hidden by her and King Louis XVI, her husband. The bracelets were captured in Paris as part of the French Revolution.
Marie Antionette put the bracelets into a wooden box that was given to Count Mercy-Argenteau by Austrian Ambassador. This chest was found in Brussels, 1791.
One mystery member of the European royal household sold these stunning bracelets at Christie’s Auction in Geneva, Switzerland.
“Amazing results for bracelets owned Marie-Antoinette who was confirmed to be true royalty, and the Duchess Of Windsor who seemed more like an impostor queen, whose bracelet appeared to have lost its luster despite having been crafted from precious Burmese rubies, and commissioned by jeweller Cartier.
It doesn’t matter how you view it, the power of being able own a piece from history is powerful.
“If history is not your thing, then you should own it.” The magic and halo effect that royal provenance has on the minds of new, uber-wealthy collectors is still something they long for.
The bracelets was joined by a ruby and diamond Cartier bangle that once belonged to Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor and was expected to reach up to £1.62 million
Simpson was presented with this bracelet by the Duke of Windsor (the former British King Edward VIII) on June 28, 1938, their first anniversary.
“The trio of regal bracelets on today’s block belonged once to two self-confessed jewellery addicts: the legendary royals and the controversial monarchs.
‘Marie Antoinette owns a pair 112-diamond bracelets. While the Duchess was given an extravagant bracelet with ruby Cartier and diamonds by the Duke of Windsor for their first marriage anniversary.
With some of her jewellery selling for more than ten times the expected price, record breaking attention was attracted to the jewels.
Wallis Simpson, the Duchess-of Windsor’s ruby and diamond Cartier bracelet (pictured), was gifted by Wallis Simpson to her for their first anniversary. It didn’t sell
An 1957 Cartier brooch made of diamond, ruby, and emerald Cartier from the jewellery collection of the Duchess. It was sold in 1987.
The auction sold her collection for $50 million, breaking a record as the most expensive single-owner auction of jewellery collections.
Elizabeth Taylor, a high-ranking friend of Elizabeth Taylor’s, was one of the buyers.
Mr Kormind added: ‘While many women might expect a paper-themed gift to mark a first wedding anniversary, the Duke had famously abdicated the throne in order to wed the twice-divorced Wallis Simpson and the rubies on this cuff bracelet are said to mark the passion, love and courage shared between these disgraced royals – it’s shocking they didn’t sell.’