One of the foremost historic diamonds \u2013 The Farnese Blue \u2013 will appear on the market for the first time in history this spring, after having remained in the same family for over three centuries. Given to Elisabeth Farnese, Queen of Spain (1692-1766), the legendary diamond has subsequently passed down through four of the most important royal families in Europe: Spain, France, Italy and Austria. Witness to 300 years of European history, from the aftermath of the Spanish succession War to the fall of the Habsburg Empire, the diamond has travelled across the continent for centuries. And all this time, it was kept secretly in a royal casket. Except for close relatives and of course the family jewellers, no one knew of its existence. The 6.16-carat pear shaped blue diamond will be offered in Sotheby\u2019s sale of Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels in Geneva on 15 May, 2018, with an estimate of $ 3.7 to 5.3 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
David Bennett, chairman of Sotheby\u2019s international jewellery division and co-chairman of Sotheby\u2019s Switzerland, said: \u201cIt is difficult to put into words the excitement of holding between thumb and forefinger a gem discovered centuries ago, knowing it originated in the legendary Golconda diamond mines of India. This stone has witnessed 300 years of European history, and in colour is reminiscent of historic Golconda blue gems such as the Hope diamond.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Philipp Herzog von W\u00fcrttemberg, chairman of Sotheby\u2019s Europe and managing director of Germany added: \u201cWith its incredible pedigree, the Farnese Blue ranks among the most important historic diamonds in the world. From the first minute I saw the stone, I could not resist its magic and as such it is a huge privilege to have been entrusted with this sale.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Farnese Blue comes to the market at a moment when interest in royal and aristocratic provenance is at an all-time high. In 2007, 20 years after the legendary sale of the Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor, Sotheby\u2019s held its inaugural sale dedicated to \u201cNoble Jewels\u201d in Geneva. Since then, the market for historic jewels has gone from strength to strength. Over the course of the last decade, Sotheby\u2019s has sold more than 1,100 lots of this type, achieving a combined total in this category of almost $285 million.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
One of the foremost historic diamonds \u2013 The Farnese Blue \u2013 will appear on the market for the first time in history this spring, after having remained in the same family for over three centuries. Given to Elisabeth Farnese, Queen of Spain (1692-1766), the legendary diamond has subsequently passed down through four of the most…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7862,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[96,100],"tags":[],"thb-sponsors":[],"class_list":["post-7861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diamonds","category-in-focus"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n