GENEVA , — A pair of diamond bracelets once belonging to Marie Antoinette, France’s famous wife of French King Louis XVI, was sold Tuesday for 7.46 million Swiss francs (8.34 million).
One of the most notable features at a Christie’s auction was the opulent bracelets. These are among the few pieces of jewelry that belonged to the late French royal and are still available for sale today.
These earrings feature 112 diamonds, each weighing 97g (3.4 ounces), and are made of silver and gold.
The pair sold much higher than the presale estimate between 2 million to 4 million Swiss Francs. Taxes and fees were added to the final price. The buyer could not be identified.
The bracelets, which had been commissioned 17 years ago, were handed on to Marie-Therese, her daughter, and kept in royal lineage for more than 200 years.
As part of the regular Geneva jewelry auctions Sotheby’s will offer a 26.8 carat oval sapphire with diamonds and matching ear clips, which belonged to Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, Russia’s former Grand Duchess. These pieces were stolen from Russia during Russia’s 1917 revolution.
They are expected to bring in as high as 480,000 Francs ($525,800).
Sotheby’s will sell a pair high-top Nike sneakers belonging to Kobe Bryant (the Los Angeles Lakers’ shooting guard) who was killed in a helicopter accident in California last year. These basketball shoes will fetch as high as 35,000 Swiss Francs.
According to the auction house, Bryant wore these sneakers in a victory over the L.A. Clippers on March 17, 2004.
