A diamond-studded necklace thought to be associated in a scandal that led to the eventual downfall of the last queen of France, Marie Antoinette, is reportedly going to be auctioned in Geneva next week.
The Georgian-era neck piece containing 300 carats of diamonds will be sold by an Asian private collector in Geneva on November 13 and this jewellery is valued at around 2 million Swiss francs ($2.29 million), although there’s a likelihood it would fetch much more according to Sotheby’s said.
The neck piece was in the middle of a scandal in the 1780s – an incident that has come to be known as the ‘Diamond Necklace Affair’ which involved a hard-up noblewoman named Jeanne de la Motte who in pretence as the French queen, acquired the necklace in her name without payment.
An ensuing trial found the queen blameless, however, this did nothing to allay her growing notoriety for extravagance which helped fuel the French Revolution and Marie Antoinette’s eventual beheading.
Meanwhile, Jessica Wyndham, the head of magnificent jewels sales for Sotheby’s had told Reuters on Thursday that “It’s likely or possible that some of these diamonds may have come from the famous diamond necklace that led to the downfall of Marie Antoinette.”
“What we’ve seen is that jewelry with a noble provenance can generate a huge amount of excitement,” she further added, quoting a pearl pendant belonging to the French queen which the auction house sold in 2018 for many times its early estimate.
The diamonds of the original piece, were made in 1776 and was eventually sold piecemeal on the black market so they are almost impossible to trace.
However, certain experts have said that the quality and age of the diamonds (to be auctioned) point to a match.
The necklace, which is similar to a neck scarf can be worn open or knotted at the front.
