Sold for 8.1 million dollars - Marie Antoinette's bracelets

 Fabulous and you do not get much more French than  this, a piece of French history.....

Two diamond bracelets, which Marie-Antoinette had hidden in a wooden chest before being guillotined during the French Revolution, were sold at the “Christie's Magnificent Jewels” auction in Geneva for $ 8.1 million, this Tuesday, November 9, reveals Forbes. The sum supplanted pre-sale estimates of between $ 2 million and $ 4 million, the economic review reports. The buyer, who was bidding over the phone, took only five minutes to acquire the jewelry. It has not yet been identified, while interest in the property of the former queen of France continues to grow, notes the Guardian. These jewels are presented as one of the last vestiges of the monarch's jewelry cabinet, the Christie's press release says.
Marie-Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI, who did not deny herself any pleasure, had ordered these diamond bracelets in 1776, two years after she became queen, from her personal jeweler Charles Auguste Boehmer. The two three-row bracelets are set with 112 diamonds, made up of the “old cut” stones in gold and silver, says Christie's. According to Jean Marc Lunel, specialist in jewelry from the auction house, it is “miraculous” that they could have been kept in such good condition.
 
Kept for over 200 years
The royal jewels had been carefully wrapped in cotton by the queen in January 1791, while she was imprisoned in the Tuileries Palace. Since the French Revolution was in full swing, it secretly sent them to Count Mercy-Argenteau, former Austrian Ambassador, who resided in Brussels. The sovereign thought she could get them back after the war. But she was guillotined in October 1793. The diamond bracelets were returned to her daughter Marie Thérèse of France, who passed them on to members of her family in order to keep them in a private collection, in which they have been kept since. Forbes. “Despite Marie-Antoinette's imprisonment during the French Revolution and her unfortunate death in 1793, the bracelets survived and were passed on to her daughter, Madame Royale, and then to the Duchess of Parma,” said Max Fawcett, chef from the jewelry department of Christie's, before the sale.
“Finding jewelry with over 200 years of French royal history is truly something that collectors and jewelry enthusiasts around the world will not forget,” he added. According to Marie-Cécile Cisamolo, associate specialist at Christie's Geneva, "[The crown jewels] revive and transport part of French history to the world today". In 2018, the monarch's jewelry was already in high demand. A diamond and pearl necklace had been sold for as little as $ 36 million, recalls the American magazine.
Marie-Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI, who did not deny herself any pleasure, had ordered these diamond bracelets in 1776, two years after she became queen, from her personal jeweler Charles Auguste Boehmer. The two three-row bracelets are set with 112 diamonds, made up of the “old cut” stones in gold and silver, says Christie's. According to Jean Marc Lunel, specialist in jewelry from the auction house, it is “miraculous” that they could have been kept in such good condition.
A pair of diamond bracelets, having belonged to Queen Marie Antoinette, of 18.7 cm each, estimated between 2 and 4 million dollars, were auctioned for 8.1 million dollars, on November 9, by the house of Christie's in Geneva. COURTESY OF CHRISTIES ©
Kept for over 200 years
The royal jewels had been carefully wrapped in cotton by the queen in January 1791, while she was imprisoned in the Tuileries Palace. Since the French Revolution was in full swing, it secretly sent them to Count Mercy-Argenteau, former Austrian Ambassador, who resided in Brussels. The sovereign thought she could get them back after the war. But she was guillotined in October 1793. The diamond bracelets were returned to her daughter Marie Thérèse of France, who passed them on to members of her family in order to keep them in a private collection, in which they have been kept since. Forbes. “Despite Marie-Antoinette's imprisonment during the French Revolution and her unfortunate death in 1793, the bracelets survived and were passed on to her daughter, Madame Royale, and then to the Duchess of Parma,” said Max Fawcett, chef from the jewelry department of Christie's, before the sale.
“Finding jewelry with over 200 years of French royal history is truly something that collectors and jewelry enthusiasts around the world will not forget,” he added. According to Marie-Cécile Cisamolo, associate specialist at Christie's Geneva, "[The crown jewels] revive and transport part of French history to the world today". In 2018, the monarch's jewelry was already in high demand. A diamond and pearl necklace had been sold for as little as $ 36 million, recalls the American magazine.