Diamond necklace linked to Marie Antoinette sells for $4.8m

A stunning diamond necklace that is thought to be linked to the infamous French queen Marie Antoinette has recently been sold at auction for an impressive $4. 81 million. This exquisite piece of jewelry features two elegant tassels and is adorned with approximately 500 sparkling diamonds. The auction took place in Geneva, and the final sale price was nearly double the amount that Sotheby's auction house had estimated. Andres White Correal, a jewelry specialist from Sotheby's, described the evening as electric, and he shared that the anonymous female buyer was overjoyed with her purchase. She expressed her happiness by saying, 'I’m exceptionally happy that I won this lot; but I don’t own it, I’m merely the custodian until the next person will come along. ' This statement highlights the deep appreciation for the historical significance of the necklace. Marie Antoinette, born in Austria in 1755, became the queen of France when she married the future King Louis XVI. Tragically, she was executed by guillotine in 1793 at the age of 37 during the tumultuous period of the French Revolution. The necklace sold at auction is believed to contain some of the original jewels that were at the center of a scandal known as the 'affair of the diamond necklace' in the 1780s, which may have played a role in Marie Antoinette's downfall. A noblewoman named Jeanne de la Motte, who had fallen on hard times, deceived a cardinal into giving her the necklace without making any payment. Marie Antoinette was completely unaware of this transaction. When the cardinal was informed about the missing payment, he was arrested but later declared innocent. Jeanne was eventually caught and branded with a 'V' for 'voleuse,' which means thief, using a hot iron. Although Marie Antoinette was found to be innocent, her reputation suffered greatly, and she became unpopular among the French people, who accused her of being extravagant and a negative influence on the king. The original necklace was originally set with 650 diamonds and weighed around 2,800 carats. After the scandal, many of the jewels were sold on the black market. A jeweler working in London’s Bond Street confirmed that he purchased more than half of the original diamonds for £10,000 shortly after they disappeared. Experts believe that the age and quality of the diamonds in the necklace sold recently suggest they may match the originals. This necklace has a fascinating history, as it was worn by the Marquess of Anglesey during Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953 and also at King George VI's crowning in 1937. For nearly a century, it was part of the Anglesey family jewelry collection before being sold to a private collector in Asia in the 1960s.