Jewellery that once belonged to a trio of queens is about to go up for auction.
Gems from the collections of Queen Ingrid of Denmark, Queen Alexandrine of Denmark and Marie Amelie, the last Queen of Portugal, have all ended up in the sales room after passing through different branches of their royal families.
Sotheby’s in Geneva is auctioning a variety of gems with royal history including an emerald and diamond bangle that once belonged to Queen Marie Amelie which is expected to bring in up to 100, 000 Swiss Francs when it is sold.
The sale, Royal and Noble Jewels, takes place in Switzerland on November 11.
One of the star lots is an art deco emerald and diamond bracelet that belonged to Queen Alexandrine of Denmark. Measuring 180mm, it is made up of hundreds of diamonds studded with cabochon cut emeralds and it forms a cuff shape when wrapped around the wrist. Sotheby’s have put a start price of 35,000 Swiss francs on the lot which was passed from Alexandrine to her son, Prince Knud, whose wife, Princess Caroline Mathilde, wore it. From there it ended up with Princess Elisabeth of Denmark before being bought at auction in Copenhagen in 2022.
One of the most historic sets on sale also once belonged to European royalty. A demi-parure consisting of a necklace and earrings made up of sapphires and diamonds is on sale with a starting price of 220,000 Swiss francs and as well as bringing huge gems to its new owner, it will also come with a striking royal story.
These sapphires and diamonds are up for sale following the death of Princess Birgitta, an older sister of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. Following her passing last year, several of her jewels are now up for auction. Birgitta inherited this stunning set from her mother, Princess Sybilla, who had received them as a wedding present when she married Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden in 1932. The gems were presented to her by Ferdinand, the ex Tsar of Bulgaria. However, their royal history stretches even further back. it’s believed the sapphires in the set once belonged to Maria Feodorovna, Tsarina of Russia who had been born Princess Dagmar of Denmark.
Several more important pieces from the jewellery inherited by Birgitta from her mother are also on sale. Among the gems that once belonged to Sybilla are a pair of rings that are listed with a start price of 2,800 Swiss francs. One ring features a sapphire and an emerald in a crossover design, surrounded by diamonds, while the other is made of sapphires and diamonds.
Among the most unusual pieces that were worn by both Princess Sybilla and her second daughter, Princess Birgitta, is a brooch featuring a 23 carat padparadscha sapphire. The pink sapphire is surrounded by an intricate millegrain design filled with diamonds. It’s expected to raise at least 40,000 Swiss francs when it goes under the hammer.
There is also diamond bracelet, with a start price of 1,000 Swiss francs, a pearl bracelet also featuring diamonds with a start price of 2,8000 Swiss francs and a ring featuring an emerald weighing almost 8 carats which is estimated to reach a sale price of up to 18,000 Swiss francs.
Birgitta was also a granddaughter of Margaret of Connaught, Crown Princess of Sweden and a seed pearl and diamond necklace that belonged to the tragic wife of Gustaf VI Adolf is also up for sale with bids starting at 1,400 Swiss francs. It passed to Sybilla and then Birgitta, too.
A beautiful emerald and diamond bangle that belonged to the last Queen of Portugal, Marie Amelie, is also up for sale and expected to raise up to 100,000 Swiss francs as is an emerald and diamond brooch that was also the property of the queen.
Pieces that were one time in the collection of another Queen of Denmark are also due under the hammer. One lot is a silver and enamel cigarette case and powder compact that belonged to Queen Ingrid of Denmark, grandmother of the current monarch, King Frederik X. The starting price that lot is 5,000 Swiss francs. Another of her former possessions, a styptor which held make up and grooming accessories, features with a starting price of 2,200 Swiss francs.
Other lots include a number of diamond pieces linked to aristocratic families from England and Italy as well as a bracelet featuring the Romanov Sapphire, a gem that was once part of the Russian Crown Jewels.
Royal and Noble Jewels takes place on November 11.
Other notable pieces include a pair of ruby and diamond brooches that once belonged to an unnamed European royal family with a starting price of 3,500 Swiss francs.
One of the more unusual lots is a giant, unmounted sapphire. The gem, weighing over 13 carats, was once the property of a European royal family and is expected to bring in up to 30,000 Swiss francs.
More sapphires feature in the sale in the shape of a demi-parure featuring the gem, matched with diamonds. These are set into a necklace with detachable pendant and a pair of pendant earrings, with their modern design showing that they didn’t stay with the European royal family that owned them for long as they were only made in the 1980s.
