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Romanov sapphire bracelet smashes auction estimate, sells for $4.9 million
CNN • • business
Key Points:
- A bracelet featuring a 197.80-carat Romanov sapphire, once part of the Imperial Russian crown jewels, sold for nearly $5 million at a Sotheby’s auction in Geneva, far exceeding its pre-auction estimate of $1.02 million to $2.04 million.
- The sapphire, cushion-shaped and set in a geometric diamond bracelet by Cartier, originally belonged to the Romanov family, the last Russian monarchy, and was visible on Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna’s skirt in 1883.
- After the Russian Revolution, the Romanov jewels were sold off by the Soviets, with this sapphire eventually acquired by socialite Ganna Walska in 1927 and later remounted by Cartier in 2015 onto the current bracelet.
- Sotheby’s highlighted the bracelet’s combination of historical significance and Cartier’s Art Deco artistry, noting that previous Romanov jewel auctions have also surpassed their estimated values by large margins.
