A pearl and diamond pendant owned by Marie Antoinette before she was beheaded during the French Revolution sold for USD 36 million at an auction on Wednesday, shattering its pre-sale estimate of up to USD 2 million.
The Sotheby's auction at an ultra-luxurious hotel on the banks of Lake Geneva saw feverish bidding for a 10-piece collection owned by the ill-fated queen, featuring jewels unseen in public for two centuries.
The 10 items, which had been estimated to fetch a total of roughly USD 3 million, sold for a combined sum of nearly USD 43 million, Sotheby's said.
A diamond brooch pegged to go for roughly USD 80,000 sold for USD 1.75 million, excluding fees, one of several pieces that brought in more than 20 times its estimated worth.
But the highlight was the pendant featuring an oval diamond and drop-shaped pearl, which Sotheby's said went to an anonymous, private buyer, without giving further details.
Sotheby's also said the pendant set a new record price for a pearl jewel sold at auction.
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"Marie Antoinette's pendant is simply irreplaceable and the price it fetched is about far more than the gem itself," Eddie LeVian, the chief executive of jewellers Le Vian, said in a statement.
"It captures everyone's imagination," he added.
"This is the ultimate proof, if it were needed, that the world's ultra high net worth individuals love rare, natural fancy coloured diamond and pearls jewels as investments, and especially those with royal provenance."
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