Christie's Book Highlights the Jewels of Tragedy

I continue here with part two of my series about Victor Meylan's fabulous book, Christie's: The Jewellery Archives Revealed. In this segment, I'll share about the jewels associated with tragedy. First of all, those belonging to tragic lovers. Then, those seized by revolutionaries in countries riddled with war.  

With Love From Christie's

Chapter 6, From Christie’s with Love, focuses on jewelry owned by troubled lovers. Elizabeth Taylor, Empress Soraya, and Marie Mancini stand out. Elizabeth Taylor's jewels from all her many lovers sold for more than $130 million. Empress Soraya, nicknamed The Sade Princess, endured so much tragedy. Worst of all, she was forced to divorce the love of her life in order to ensure an heir to the throne. Marie Mancini fell madly in love King Louis XIV. He loved her back. Unfortunately, the royal family frowned upon their plans to marry, especially the king's mother. Sadly, Louis's family forced Marie into exile, but not before the King gave her a string of pearls. Her return to France after the King married a Spanish princess flustered the king's family. So they married her off to Italy, taking her pearls from the king, as well as her collection of jewelry and gemstones from her uncle, Louis XIV.

Pearls & Disgrace

Moving on to Chapter 7, Meylan highlights several famous pearls, including La Peregrina and the Necklace of the Baroda Maharajahs. La Peregrina arrived at Christie's among the vast collection of Elizabeth Taylor's jewels. Measuring 203 grains, the extraordinary pearl dates back more than four centuries to the Spanish Royal Collection. Meanwhile, the necklace belonging to the Baroda Maharajahs represents a fantastic collection of pearls, strung in seven strands. By the time the necklace found its way to Christie's, it had been reduced to the top three strands of pearls. The favorite of the legendary Maharani Sita Devi, these pearls sold at Christie's as one of many lots. Maharani Sita Devi had so many beautiful jewels. The stories about her are endless. Unfortunately, she possessed a bite to her personality, and eventually she lost her standing. In 1974, she was forced to sell her jewels for much needed cash for her and her son Princie. All told, the entire collection sold for $7 million.  

Blood Money

In Chapter 8, Meylan writes of five bloody revolutions and the jewels taken as spoils of war. He begins with Russia. In 1918, the Bolsheviks murdered the entire Romanov family and seized as many of the Russian jewels as they could. This nationalization of jewelry and other property continued under Stalin. In 1921, the government needed funds to bolster their faltering economy. Leon Trotsky employed Agathon Faberge to catalog the extensive Russian Crown Jewels, as well as those seized over the decades of revolution. An astonishing 25,300 carats of diamonds and 4,300 carats of sapphires numbered among thousands of other gemstone jewels. The leaders planned to sell all of it to the highest bidders. At the last minute, the Soviet government decided to reserve some of these jewels in the Kremlin for public display. The rest they sold privately. Fortuitously, a collection of 124 pieces, sold to a group of businessmen, came to auction at Christie's in 1927. Several more countries lost their jewels through revolution, including Spain (twice), Iran, and Egypt. The stories of these losses and their subsequent passage through the hallowed halls of Christie's makes excellent historical reading in Meylan's book. Stay tuned for the final installment in my series on Victor Meylan's book.   ~ Angela Magnotti Andrews