Jewellery belonging to royal families hits the auction market
A series of beautiful and historically-important jewels are set to hit the auction market next week.
They are expected to sell for record-breaking prices, as they are all linked to royalty throughout the world, and spanning hundreds of years.
The collection includes a set of sapphire jewels once owned by a member of Russia's ill-fated Romanov dynasty, diamond bracelets from Marie Antoinette's collection and a bangle given to the Duchess of Windsor as an anniversary present from her husband.
Two tiaras once owned by Empress Joséphine of France are also included in the sale, along with tiaras owned by other European royals.
Jewels by Bulgari, Harry Winston, Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier are also among the spectacularly glitzy collection.
Auction houses Christie's and Sotheby's are auctioning off the items next week to prospective buyers, as visitors try to outbid their chances of owning a piece of history.
The big ticket item at the Christie's auction, happening on November 9th in Geneva, is a pair of diamond bracelets that belonged to the last queen of France.
Image credits: Christie's
A blue velvet box, labeled 'bracelets off Queen Marie Antoinette', houses the double bracelets, each composed of three strands of diamonds and a large barrette clasp, for a total of 112 diamonds.
Now in the possession of a European royal family, the bracelets are said to sell for at $3 million.
"To find jewels with over 200 years of French royal history is truly something that collectors and passionate jewellery people from all over the world will be keeping an eye on," Max Fawcett, head of Christie's jewellery department in Geneva, said.
Also being auctioned at Christie's is a ruby and diamond bangle owned by Wallis Simpson.
Image credit: Christie's
The former King Edward VIII ordered the Cartier bracelet for his American wife on their first wedding anniversary in 1938 after abdicating the throne.
The jewellery is expected to sell for close to $3 million.
The bangle features an inscription that reads, "For our first anniversary of June third".
Featured at the Sotheby's Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels sale is a sapphire and diamond brooch and matching ear-clips once owned by the Romanov dynasty of Russia.
They are from the collection of Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, the cousin of Tsar Nicholas II.
With a range of other royal jewels up for auction, the auction houses in Geneva are expecting a bidding war that will result in millions of dollars of profit.
Image credits: Sotheby's / Christie's