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Romanov sapphire worn by Russian empress fetches $4.9M at auction
NBC News • • business
Key Points:
- A 197.80-carat Romanov sapphire on a diamond bracelet sold for over 4.1 million Swiss francs ($4.9 million) at a Sotheby’s auction, far exceeding its estimated price of 850,000 to 1.7 million francs.
- The cushion-shaped Ceylon sapphire, likely originating from the Mughal Empire, was part of Russia’s imperial jewels in the 19th century and is considered one of the most significant surviving gemstones from the Russian court.
- The sapphire was famously worn by Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna at the Winter Palace Ball of 1903, an event regarded as the last grand spectacle of Imperial Russia.
- After the Russian Revolution, the gemstone was inventoried before being sold off by the Soviet government during dispersal sales of imperial treasures.
- The buyer of the sapphire was a private collector whose identity was not disclosed.
