The auction house's official website reported that one of the most expensive jewels of the French Queen Marie Antoinette, a rare 10.38-carat pink-purple diamond ring, was sold at Christie's "Magnificent Jewels" auction in New York for about $14 million.
The ring is called the "Marie-Therese Pink Diamond."
According to historical sources, in 1791, during an unsuccessful escape attempt from Paris, the queen secretly gave some of her jewelry to the royal hairdresser Leonard. Among those jewels was this unique diamond, which was carefully preserved. The diamond was saved during the French Revolution and later passed to the queen's only surviving daughter, Marie Therese.
This precious stone previously belonged to the imperial and royal families. In addition to its royal origin, the diamond adorns a ring created by the famous French-American jeweler Joel Arthur Rosenthal.
This exceptional stone, once part of the royal collection, was later sold to various individuals. In 1996, it was already sold once for $13.98 million, three times higher than the initial estimate of $5-7 million. The name of the current buyer has not been disclosed, but according to some sources, the diamond was purchased by a collector of Asian origin.
At the new owner's request, the diamond received a new luxurious design: it was set in a double ring decorated with a crown of 17 diamonds depicting the royal lily flower.
