A royal expert has claimed that a king could consider bidding for an historic set of sapphires that once belonged to his mother after they appeared at auction.
King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden is being talked about as a possible buyer of a demi parure of sapphires and diamonds that were once the property of his mother, Princess Sybilla.
The gems appeared in the catalogue of a sale called Royal and Noble Jewels with Sotheby’s set to auction the gems in Geneva on November 11.
The catalogue shows that the necklace and earrings belonged to Princess Birgitta, an older sister of King Carl Gustaf. Birgitta died last year.
The gems are given their full provenance in the listing – they were among Birgitta’s possessions and she had inherited them from her mother, Princess Sybilla. Sybilla received them as a wedding present when she married Prince Gustaf Adolf in 1932. The gift came from Ferdinand, former Tsar of Bulgaria and the sapphires are believed to have once belonged to Maria Feodorovna, Tsarina of Russia, who had been born Princess Dagmar of Denmark.
This truly historic set are one of the star lots of the auction with a six figure estimate attached to them. However, according to one report in the Swedish media, King Carl Gustaf wasn’t aware that they were being put up for sale. The editor in chief of Svensk Damtidning, Johan T. Lindwall said ”The king is so conservative that this goes against his values. Selling his mother’s jewellery at auction goes against everything the king stands for.”
And he went on to say that it ”wasn’t out of the question” for King Carl Gustaf to buy back the jewels when they go up for sale.
The Swedish royal family has one of the most historic jewellery collections in Europe with pieces linked to some of the most famous of all regal names, including the Empress Josephine. It already owns a set of sapphires, known as the Leuchtenberg sapphires, which are only worn by Queen Silvia.
(Frankie Fouganthin / CC BY-SA Wiki Commons)
Princess Birgitta was fond of the sapphires jewels now up for sale and wore them to a number of royal weddings. She often paired them with all diamond tiaras. The demi parure going to auction is a half set of jewels and consists of a necklace and earrings.
There are other historic gems linked to Princess Sybilla going under the hammer including an unusual piece featuring a padparadsca sapphire – these stones are often pink, as is the one in this jewel
Also on sale at the auction are two pieces of emerald and diamond jewellery that once belonged to Maria Amelia, the last Queen of Portugal, and a diamond and emerald bracelet that was once part of the collection of Queen Alexandrine of Denmark.
The sale takes place on November 11.
