A diamond coveted by kings, queens and princes for centuries, used to reinforce alliances between nations and pawned to pay off royal debts sold for $9.57 million at Sotheby’s in Geneva on Tuesday night.
GENEVA: A diamond coveted by kings, queens and princes for centuries, used to reinforce alliances between nations and pawned to pay off royal debts sold for $9.57 million at Sotheby’s in Geneva on Tuesday night.
The auction house called the ‘Beau Sancy’ diamond “one of the most important historic diamonds ever to come to auction” , reflecting its role in the fluctuating fortunes of Europe’s royal families for more than 400 years.
The diamond originated from the mines in India near Golconda and was acquired by Nicolas de Harlay, Lord of Sancy, in Constantinople in the 1500s. In 1604 it was bought for 75,000 livres by French king Henry IV as a gift for his wife, Marie de Medici.
From there, the stone exchanged hands and travelled through several countries before it was found in Belin by British troops after the World War II.
They returned it to the estate of the house of Prussia, where it remained ever since.
No fewer than five bidders competed for the stone, driving the price to nearly five times above its pre-sale low estimate of $1.96 million in an eight minute battle before it was bought by an anonymous bidder, Sotheby’s said.
The stone, a 35-carat modified “pear double rose cut” diamond belonging to Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia and head of the former ruling dynasty of the German empire, had been expected to fetch $2 million to $4 million.
