Royal Pink Diamond with Ties to Marie Antoinette Sells for Nearly $14 Million
A rare 10.38-carat pink diamond believed to have royal French lineage and later set by famed jeweler JAR shattered estimates at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction.
Duchess Marie-Thérèse d’Anglouême’s jewelry collection is the stuff of literal legends. Many of the best pieces belonged to her mother, Marie Antoinette. Even the ones that may have a different provenance are impressive, like a 10.38-carat purple-pink diamond now heading to auction. This diamond, set in a ring by contemporary jeweler JAR, became the star of the Magnificent Jewels sale at Christie’s in New York on June 17, where it nearly doubled its high estimate to sell for an astounding $13.98 million.
In a famous, but unverified, story, doomed queen Marie Antoinette left her collection of extravagant jewels in the care of her trusted coiffeur (hairdresser) before her attempt to escape Paris in 1791. The jewelry was smuggled out of France and into the queen’s homeland of Austria, where Marie-Thérèse arrived in 1796. We don’t know if the spectacular pink diamond was among them. We do know that Marie-Thérèse passed it on to her niece Marie-Thérèse de Chambord, who gave it to her own niece Maria Theresa, the last queen of Bavaria. It is listed in Maria Theresa’s will as “a pink solitaire diamond from Aunt Chambord.” The diamond remained in the family until it was sold in 1996.
It is believed that Marie-Thérèse de Chambord had the diamond set in a gold and silver hairpin about 1868. The hairpin and its case are included in the auction lot.
The current owner of the diamond had jewelry company JAR design a new setting for it. It is now set in a blackened platinum ring adorned with tiny round colorless diamonds. A crest on the peak of the kite-shaped pink gem resembles both a crown and a fleur-de-lis, recalling the pink diamond’s connection to French royal history.
JAR was founded in 1977 by jeweler Joel Arthur Rosenthal. Called “the Fabergé of our time” by Diane von Furstenberg and “the Matisse of our time” by actress Ellen Barkin, a frequent client, JAR was the first living jeweler to have a retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is known for his use of intricate details, complex pavé settings, and striking color combinations. His designs combine diamonds with anything from precious gems to titanium to wood. Eleven other JAR pieces will be offered in the June 17 Magnificent Jewels auction.
Even without its historic provenance and the master craftsmanship of its current setting, the pink diamond is an extraordinary gem. Rahul Kadakia, Christie’s International Head of Jewelry, points out that it is “likely from the prized Indian region of Golconda,” the first known source of pink diamonds. According to the Gemological Institute of America, pink diamonds are among the rarest colors of diamond. Unlike other colored diamonds, they do not contain chemical impurities. Their unusual color is believed to come from distortions to the crystal structure during the stone’s formation.
In Kadakia’s words, “It has everything you could want in a piece of jewelry.” Rarity, style, an incredible history, and, above all, stunning beauty.
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