Napoleon's diamond brooch sells for more than $4.4 million at auction

(CLO) A diamond brooch that once belonged to French Emperor Napoleon was sold for more than $4.4 million in Geneva.

A diamond brooch once belonging to French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, believed to have been lost as he fled the Battle of Waterloo in the early 19th century, sold for more than 3.5 million Swiss francs ($4.4 million) at a Sotheby's auction in Geneva on Wednesday.

The brooch, which can be worn as a pendant, features an oval diamond of more than 13 carats, surrounded by smaller diamonds.

A diamond brooch that once belonged to French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Photo: Sotheby's

The historic jewelry was among the personal items Napoleon brought with him to Waterloo, along with medals, weapons, silverware, a hat and a jewelry box containing dozens of loose diamonds, according to Sotheby's.

According to a statement from the auction house, these treasures were found in a horse-drawn carriage stuck on a muddy road near the Waterloo battlefield.

The incident occurred as French Emperor Napoleon was in a hasty retreat after his defeat. In the chaotic escape, the Emperor was forced to abandon several immovable carriages, including the one carrying precious items.

The sale price far exceeded the initial estimate of 200,000 francs. The closing price was 2.85 million francs, before fees and surcharges, bringing the final total to more than 3.5 million Swiss francs.

Sotheby's did not disclose the identity of the seller and said the buyer was a private collector.

According to Sotheby's, the pin and several other items were presented as war trophies to Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III in 1815, just three days after the Battle of Waterloo.

These objects then remained in the collection of the Prussian Royal House of Hohenzollern for centuries, before becoming the property of a private collection in recent years.

Also on the auction is a blue beryl stone weighing more than 132 carats, believed to have been worn by Napoleon at his coronation in 1804.

The 132.66-carat blue beryl. Photo: Sotheby's

The stone sold for 838,000 francs, 17 times its original estimate.

A jeweler said the auction was particularly notable after the theft of Napoleon's jewels from the Louvre museum in Paris last month, when thieves made off with eight items and dropped one as they escaped.

Source: https://congluan.vn/chiec-pin-cai-kim-cuong-cua-napoleon-duoc-ban-dau-gia-hon-4-4-trieu-usd-10317712.html