Romanov Sapphire to be auctioned in Switzerland for 160 million rubles: "The Romanov Sapphire, a rough Ceylon stone weighing 197.80 carats, will be auctioned at Sotheby's with an estimate of up to 160 million rubles. The auction will take place on November 11 in Geneva. It is recorded that he belonged to the Romanovs.
The stone was worn by Empress Dowager Maria Feodorovna at a ball in the Winter Palace in 1903. After the revolution, the sapphire came to an asset sale organized by the new government, then it was owned by the opera singer Gana Walska, and later it came into the hands of Cartier.