A sapphire from the collection of the Romanov dynasty was sold at an auction in Geneva.
It was put under the hammer for $4.9 million (about 411 million rubles). The sapphire, weighing 197.8 carats, is set in a diamond and rock crystal bracelet designed by the Cartier jewelry house. The decoration was created in 2015.
The auction was conducted by Sotheby's. Before the sale, the jewel was valued at about 1-2 million dollars.
As noted in the lot description, the gem was worn by Empress Dowager Maria Feodorovna during a ball in 1883. After the October Revolution, the Soviet government sold the sapphire. Since then, it has changed owners and frames several times. In 1971 and 1992, the stone was already featured in Sotheby's auctions.
"This extraordinary historical sapphire comes from the legendary collection of the Romanov family. The celebrated collection of the Russian Tsars was perhaps the most prestigious and expensive royal collection ever assembled, second only to the legendary treasures of the Mughal Empire,” Sotheby's says on its website.
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