A sapphire from the Imperial Romanov family will be auctioned at Sotheby's for $1-2 million. The 197.8-carat stone is being sold as part of a Cartier diamond-encrusted bracelet. The auction will take place on November 11 in Geneva. In 1903, sapphire was worn by the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna to the famous costume ball at the Winter Palace. It is not known exactly when the stone arrived in the imperial treasury. After the revolution, the sapphire was sold, and in 1927 it was purchased by the opera singer Gana Walska. Later, the stone was set several times, and in 2015 Cartier created its current bracelet. Photo: Sotheby's.

A sapphire from the Imperial Romanov family will be auctioned at Sotheby's for $1-2 million. The 197.8-carat stone is being sold as part of a Cartier diamond-encrusted bracelet. The auction will take place on November 11 in Geneva. In 1903, sapphire was worn by the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna to the famous costume ball at the Winter Palace. It is not known exactly when the stone arrived in the imperial treasury. After the revolution, the sapphire was sold, and in 1927 it was purchased by the opera singer Gana Walska. Later, the stone was set several times, and in 2015 Cartier created its current bracelet. Photo: Sotheby's.