Catherine the Great

Catherine The Great Brooch and Maximillian Diamond Sell Above Estimates

Jewelry is good, jewelry with history is even better. Earlier we considered the results from the recent Sotheby's auctions now a quick look at a couple of stunners from Christie's "Jewels: the New York Sale" which happened on Thursday. The Emperor Maximilian Diamond, a 39.55-carat, I color sold for $1.76 million nicely above the pre-sale estimate of $1 million and $1.5 million. The Emperor Maximilian Diamond is one of two large diamonds that the the Archduke Maximilian acquired in Brazil in 1860 before he was named Emperor of Mexico at Napoleon's urging. Later Napoleon dropped support of Maximillian and the young emperor found himself facing the firing squad. Legend has it that he was wearing this stone in a small pouch around his neck when he was killed. The stone was given to his wife, Princess Charlotte of Belgium, who later sold the jewel. The cushion-shaped diamond has been owned by famed diamantaire Laurence Graff and by Imelda Marcos.

But the piece I was most curious about was the Catherine the Great Emerald Brooch. The large emerald and diamond brooch adorned one of the world's most powerful and ruthless female leaders ever to live, Catherine II of Russia. She ascended to the throne in 1762 and her long reign marked a time of Russian expansion and success. She was also a noted jewelry collector with the resources to acquire the world's best gems. This brooch was given to Sophie Dorothea, princess of Württemberg, as a wedding gift on the occasion of her marriage to Catherine's son and successor Tsar Paul I in 1776. It has a hexagonal cut Colombian emerald estimated at between 60 and 70 carats. The stone is surrounded by rose and old mine-cut diamonds set in silver-topped gold. It was estimated to sell for $1 million to $1.5 million and went for $1.65 million to a private Middle Eastern buyer.

The Christie's sale racked up $41.25 million, with 85 percent sold by lot. The biggest seller wasn't either of the two pieces mentioned above, Instead that honor went to a heart-shaped, 28.28-carat D flawless diamond, which sold for $3.78 million, an impressive $133,000 per carat. History has its merits but for diamond lovers, a D flawless grading can be even more important than provenance.

Tags: auction, catherine the great, christies, d flawless, diamonds, emeralds, historical jewels, jewelry, maxmillian diamond

Catherine The Great's Brooch For Sale At Christie's

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Auctions

Usually when we talk about big stones for sale at Christie's we are talking about expensive diamonds but the upcoming sale at Christie's New York on April 22 will feature one amazing emerald. The large emerald and diamond brooch adorned once adorned one of the world's most powerful and ruthless female leaders ever to live, Catherine II of Russia. She ascended to the throne in 1762 and her long reign marked a time of Russian expansion and success. She was also a noted jewelry collector with the resources to acquire the world's best gems. This brooch was given to Sophie Dorothea, princess of Württemberg, as a wedding gift on the occasion of her marriage to Catherine's son and successor Tsar Paul I in 1776. It has a hexagonal cut Colombian emerald estimated at between 60 and 70 carats. The stone is surrounded by rose and old mine-cut diamonds set in silver-topped gold. It is estimated to sell for $1 million to $1.5 million.

Of course no Christie's sale would be complete without a huge diamond and this sale has a historic beauty. The Emperor Maximilian Diamond is one of two large diamonds that the the Archduke Maximilian acquired in Brazil in 1860 before he was named Emperor of Mexico at Napoleon's urging. Later Napoleon dropped support of Maximillian and the young emperor found himself facing the firing squad. Legend has it that he was wearing this stone in a small pouch around his neck when he was killed. The stone was given to his wife, Princess Charlotte of Belgium, who later sold the jewel. The cushion-shaped diamond has been owned by famed diamantaire Laurence Graff and by Imelda Marcos. It is also estimated to sell for 1 million to $1.5 million.

Tags: auction, catherine the great, christies, diamonds, emerald brooch, emperor maximillian, historic jewelry, jewelry, jewels at auction

Mysterious Cartier Pearls Linked to Catherine the Great

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Auctions

A mysterious pearl necklace that may have once belonged to Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, will be auctioned off by Bonhams in New York in December. Automotive billionaire Horace Elgin Dodge purchased the necklace from Cartier in Paris in 1920 for his wife Anna Thomson Dodge at the astonishing price of $825,000 - about $8 million in today's dollars.

The original Cartier invoice states that the "five row pearl necklace, consisting of 389 pearls weighing 4305 grains" was accompanied by an "enamel clasp representing Catherine, Empress of Russia" and "two diamond alternate clasps." Several newspaper accounts from the '20s suggested that the pearls did indeed once belong to Catherine; Anna Thomson Dodge's heirs maintain that Horace bought the pearls from Cartier on that basis.

Now reduced to three strands comprised of 224 pearls and two Cartier diamond clasps, the necklace (above) is estimated at $500,000- $700,000 - a hefty sum, to be sure, but far less than Horace originally paid. The reason for the depreciation has less to do with the reduction in strands than with changing fashion and an evolving jewelry marketplace.

In 1920, before the advent of cultured pearls, they were exceedingly rare and valuable, much more so than diamonds. Nowadays pearls have become more commonplace while diamonds are more precious, though a true connoisseur recognizes the value of the Dodge necklace, which is made of all natural pearls.

Gallery: The Dodge Pearls