The Forbidden Pink Diamond of Marie Antoinette: A Royal Secret About to Be Unveiled at Auction
The diamond is now part of a ring designed by jeweler Joel Arthur Rosenthal, also known as JAR. Rahul Kadakia, the international head of jewelry at Christie’s, said in a statement that the ring is “everything you could want in a piece of jewelry.”
The History Of Marie Antoinette’s Jewels
As the French Revolution raged in Paris in 1791, King Louis XVI, his wife Marie Antoinette, and their children attempted to flee the city.
Before they left, the queen allegedly gave some of her jewelry to her hairdresser in hopes of keeping it safe. She had already smuggled some other pearls and gemstones out of France and into Austria, according to Smithsonian magazine.
Christie’sThe “Marie-Thérèse Pink” is a 10.38-carat pink diamond that was likely mined in the Golconda region of India.
Unfortunately, Marie Antoinette wouldn’t live to see what would become of her jewels. The royal family’s escape was unsuccessful, and they were imprisoned until both the king and queen were executed by guillotine in 1793.
Their daughter, Marie-Thérèse, was the only one of their children to survive the French Revolution. In 1795, she was allowed to return to Austria and live in exile, and she was reunited with many of her mother’s jewels. The pink diamond may have been one of them.
How The Pink Diamond Is Still Making History
Marie-Thérèse later passed the diamond down to her niece, and it eventually ended up in the hands of Queen Maria Theresa of Bavaria. The pink stone remained among the royals until 1996, when it was sold to a private owner.
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