During the French Revolution, which would lead to her and her husband King Louis XVI being executed in 1793, Marie-Antoinette shipped her jewels to her native Austria. Tuesday evening’s sale at Christie’s auction house in Geneva was the first time the pair of bracelets – until now passed down among descendants of European royals – have gone under the hammer.
The items, made from 112 diamonds, were expected to fetch a price of CHF4 million ($4.38). In the end, the total amount, including commission, was CHF7.5 million. The buyer, who bid by phone, was not named.
In 2018 in Geneva, Sotheby’s (another auction house) sold off a significant lot of Marie-Antoinette’s jewels for over CHF50 million – including a pearl pendant, which the queen would suspend from a necklace, which went for CHF36.4 million.
Olivier Wagner, an expert with Sotheby’s (another auction house) told the AFP news agency on Tuesday that the market for precious jewels is “very promising and dynamic at the moment”. He said there was a big demand for historical jewellery, especially among Asian clients.
“These [historical pieces] are jewels with a unique origin. People want to identify with those who owned them at the time, and they are ready to pay a price for this, for a history which is worth a lot more than the material value of the object,” Wagner said.
Russian items
On Wednesday, Sotheby’s is auctioning a brooch and a pair of clip-on earrings which once belonged to the family of the last Czars of Russia. Specifically, the jewellery – made of sapphire and diamond – belonged to Maria Pavlovna, the aunt of the last Czar Nicholas II.
The estimated price is between $300,000 and $500,000. Wagner says however that given the form of the market, this is a “conservative” estimate.
Beyond jewellery, on Thursday Sotheby’s will auction a pair of Nike sneakers that belonged to Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers basketball player who died in a helicopter crash in California last year. The shoes are expected to fetch up to CHF35,000. Bryant wore the sneakers in a March 17, 2004, victory over the L.A. Clippers, Sotheby’s said.
Young undocumented migrants gain easier access to vocational training
This content was published on
Rejected asylum-seekers and young undocumented migrants in Switzerland will have easier access to basic vocational training from June 1.
Migration: Swiss government wants to shorten reunification period for families
This content was published on
Family members of people temporarily admitted to Switzerland should in future be able to join them after two years instead of three.
This content was published on
2023 was a record year for the Rhaetian Railway in several respects. Never before has the narrow-gauge railway in Graubünden, eastern Switzerland, transported so many passengers and cars.
Swiss CFOs much more optimistic despite global uncertainty
This content was published on
The main concerns of business leaders in Switzerland are geopolitical uncertainty and the important trading partners Germany and China.
Record organ donation in Switzerland despite high rejection rates
This content was published on
More organ donations were recorded in Switzerland in 2023 than ever before. This was despite a high rejection rate of 58% by surviving relatives.
This content was published on
Seven years after the death of record-breaking Swiss mountain climber Ueli Steck, his estate is going to the Alpine Museum of Switzerland in Bern.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Russian tsar letters sold at Geneva auction
This content was published on
The letters, which were previously valued at between CHF60,000-80,000, were sold to different buyers, the Hotel Des Ventes auction house said. Dating from the 19th century and written in Russian, French and English, they were sold by an American who had received them from the wife of an American captain and journalist who was on…
Marie-Antoinette’s jewels soar at ‘once in a lifetime’ sale in Geneva
This content was published on
A royal treasure trove including jewels that belonged to French Queen Marie-Antoinette has fetched CHF53.5 million ($53.2 million).
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.