A pink diamond formerly owned by Marie Antoinette’s daughter has been sold for $14 million

The Magnificent Jewels sale at Christie’s this morning met expectations.

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Despite the fluctuations in the art market, the jewelry sector appears to remain unaffected. This morning, during Christie’s New York’s Magnificent Jewels auction, just after a Mughal carved Colombian emerald necklace with significant royal pedigree sold for $6.22 million (exceeding its estimate by more than double), another royal treasure quickly overshadowed it. However, any connection to Marie Antoinette typically elicits that response.

Lot 44, an heirloom that sold for $13.98 million, is a ring composed of diamond and blackened platinum, showcasing a magnificent kite-shaped 10.38-carat purple-pink diamond. The stone, presumably sourced from the fabled Golconda mines, dates to the 18th century and is intimately linked to the collection of Marie-Thérèse de Angoulême, the eldest and sole surviving offspring of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI. Regarding the origin of the rock acquired by Marie-Thérèse? One hypothesis posits that it may have originated from her mother, who openly expressed her affection for rare gemstones, among other luxurious items. In 1791, as Marie Antoinette prepared to escape Paris, she left her diamonds to her hairdresser for temporary safety. Certainly, she would never encounter those things again, as they were ultimately bestowed upon Marie-Thérèse. Could this pink diamond have been included among them?

The notion is appealing; however, a more credible version exists: the diamond was bestowed upon MT by her uncle, Louis XVIII, during the 1820s, following his ascension as King of France after Napoleon's defeat in 1815. Marie-Thérèse, having become accustomed to donning the crown jewels, inquired of XVIII whether she might retain any. The response was negative (since they were state property); so, the benevolent king procured 200 diamonds to substitute the crown jewels of his niece’s cherished tiara. The paperwork for this acquisition, located at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris, specifies a 10.24-carat diamond, which experts assert is the identical pink stone.

Marie-Thérèse, having had no offspring, bequeathed her jewels to her niece and nephew. The tiara was entrusted to the Duke of Chambord, who bequeathed it to his wife, Duchess Marie-Thérèse. Subsequently, she disassembled it and presented the gemstones to her niece, the future Queen Marie Theresa of Bavaria. The pink diamond was transmitted through many generations until it was ultimately sold in 1996 to an unidentified purchaser, who commissioned JAR to create its present design. Although several jewelry experts have questioned whether the fleur-de-lis arrangement is overly explicit, considering the gemstone's centuries-old Bourbon heritage, one cannot fault him.