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The sale of more than 350 pieces of jewelry, which will be
exhibited in New York from Friday to Tuesday ahead of the
auction in Geneva on May 13, will be led by the Maria Christina
Royal Devant-de-Corsage brooch.
It was a gift from King Alfonso XII of Spain to his wife, the
Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria, to mark their wedding in
1879. The brooch, which remained with the family from the time
of Maria's death in 1929 until the 1980s, is comprised of scores
of gems set into a shape suggesting a fleur de lis.
"This majestic jewel is the very epitome of European jewelry of
the 19th century," said Rahul Kadakia, international head of
Christie's jewelry.
Kadakia described the piece as "a rare ceremonial jewel with
illustrious provenance and of unspoiled splendor" and noted its
interest for both jewelry and history enthusiasts because Maria
was one of the favorite queens of Spain.
The piece, now owned by Baroness Thyssen-Bornemizsa, is expected
to sell for between $1.5 million and $2 million.
The baroness is better known as Carmen Cervera, a Barcelona-born
art collector and former actress. Cervera became the fifth wife
of Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza, a European
industrialist who died in 2002.
The couple's collections are featured in both Madrid's
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and in the Carmen Thyssen Museum in
Malaga, which opened in 2011 to showcase her collection.
Another highlight is a pair of ruby and diamond ear pendants and
matching ring, which Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis
gave to Jacqueline Kennedy, the widow of President John F.
Kennedy, for their marriage in 1968. The Van Cleef & Arpels set
is estimated at $250,000 to $350,000.
The sale also includes a 55.5-carat pear-shaped diamond
estimated at $8.5 million to $10.5 million, a vivid pink
5.18-carat diamond which is expected to fetch between $9.5
million and $12.5 million, and a 35.1-carat Kashmir sapphire
expected to sell for $3 million to $4.2 million.
(Editing by Patricia Reaney and Jonathan Oatis)
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