Tag Archives: Antique

Napoléon Bonaparte

Diamond Necklace of Marie Louise 1791 – 1847| Empress of France

Napoléon Bonaparte presented the diamonds now known as the Napoleon Necklace to his second wife, Marie-Louise of Austria, Empress of France, as a gift to celebrate the birth of their son, Napoléon François Joseph Charles, the King of Rome (later the Duke of Reichstadt), in 1811.

The history of this jewel is well documented, and the brief summary presented here is based on an account by Bratter (1971) and unpublished research conducted in the National Archives of France by Marvin C.Ross. Mr. Ross was employed by American socialite Marjorie Merriweather Post, who donated the necklace to the Smithsonian Institution in 1962 (Post,1997), and his notes are currently stored at the Hillwood Museum in Washington, DC (with copies at the Smithsonian).


The necklace was assembled in Paris by the firm of Nitot and Sons. Jeweler Ernst Paltscho (1811), who examined it at the time, estimated its value at 376,275 French francs. This was an enormous sum of money, approximately equal to the Empress’s regular household budget for an entire year. Several portraits were subsequently painted of Marie-Louise wearing the necklace.


When Napoléon was exiled to Saint Helena in 1815, Marie-Louise returned to Austria with her personal jewels, including the diamond necklace. After her death in 1847, the necklace passed to her cousin, Archduchess Sophie, who removed two diamonds from the necklace in order to shorten it and put them into earrings (the current whereabouts of these earrings is unknown).

Following the Archduchess’s death in 1872, the necklace was inherited by her three surviving sons, one of whom, Charles Louis, later acquired the interests of his two brothers. Charles Louis’s third wife, Maria Theresa, inherited the Napoleon Necklace upon his death in 1914. One of the more unusual episodes in the necklace’s history took place in 1929, when Archduchess Maria Theresa sent the jewel to the United States to be sold.

The agents she chose represented themselves as “Colonel Townsend,” who had allegedly
served in the British Secret Service, and his wife “Princess Baronti,” a novelist (Nicolet, 1930; Bratter, 1971). These representations were false, and in fact the couple’s true identities have never been firmed.
Maria Theresa was seeking $450,000 for the necklace, but after the stock market crash in
October of that year, the Townsends realized that a sale for this sum was impossible. They enlisted the assistance of Archduke Leopold of Hapsburg, Maria Theresa’s grandnephew, to authenticate the necklace to prospective buyers and to provide credibility to the story that it was being offered at the bargain price of $100,000 because Maria Theresa was desperately in need of money.

The Townsends negotiated deals to sell the necklace, first to New York jeweler Harry Winston and then to one Harry Berenson of Boston, but both backed out. David Michel, a New York diamond dealer, finally bought it for $60,000.
The Townsends sent $7,270 to Maria Theresa and kept the balance of $52,730 to cover their “expenses related to the sale,” which included a reported $20,000 for Leopold. Prior to the sale, however, Maria Theresa had revoked the Townsends’ authority to sell the necklace and sent an emissary to New York to retrieve the diamonds. The affair ultimately went to the courts. In the end, the necklace was returned to Maria Theresa and Leopold went to jail, while the Townsends fled the authorities and dropped out of sight.


In 1948, the Hapsburg family sold the necklace to Paul-Louis Weiller, a Paris industrialist and patron of the arts. Harry Winston acquired the necklace in 1960 and sold it to Marjorie Merriweather Post. In 1962, she gave the necklace in its original case (figure3) to the Smithsonian Institution. The necklace is currently on exhibit in the Natural History Museum’s National Gem and Mineral Collection Gallery.
The Napoleon Necklace contains 234 colorless to near-colorless diamonds set in silver and gold (see pic); the diamonds total approximately 263 carats, with the largest stone weighing about 10.4 ct.
The piece consists of 28 old mine–cut diamonds, from which are suspended a fringe of nine pendeloques (five pear shapes—some with rounded points—alternating with four ovals) and 10 briolettes.

Above each pear shape is mounted a small brilliant, while the four ovals are attached to motifs decorated with 23 smaller diamonds (figure 4, left). Each of the 10 briolette mountings is set with 12 rose-cut diamonds (figure 4, right).
In his description of the necklace, Paltscho(1811) detailed each stone by cut, weight, and price.
The origins of the diamonds were not noted, but in 1811 the only significant diamond sources were
India and Brazil. Paltscho does not describe theFigure 1.


Composed of 234 diamonds weighing about 263 carats (width of the
necklace as shown is about 20 cm), and is currently on exhibit at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, in Washington.
The quality of the stones, and, as far as its known, they have never been removed from their mountings.
GIA studied 101 of the 234 diamonds in the necklace: the 52 larger diamonds (~2.5–10.4 ct) and a selection of the others.
They used a Meiji binocular microscope with attached polarizers to examine surface and near-surface features.
Could not conduct a detailed study of the diamonds’interiors because the stones could not be removed from the historic and fragile mounting. The measured infrared spectra using a Bio-Rad Excalibur Series Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer (4 cm–1 resolution)fitted with a UMA-500 microscope. The microscope made it possible to direct the IR beam through the table and large culet of the old mine–cut diamonds. We observed the ultraviolet (UV) luminescence
of all 234 diamonds using a Super Bright longand short-wave UV lamp (365 and 254 nm respectively).
UV luminescence descriptions for the 52 larger diamonds are given in a table available in the G&G
Data Depository (www.gia.edu/gemsandgemology).

After almost two centuries, the necklace is in generally good condition. Several solder joints have been repaired, and a few of the larger diamonds show minor chips. There are obvious
crystalline inclusions in some of the diamonds; for the most part, these appear to be sulfide crystals
with associated disc-shaped tension halos (Richardson et al., 2004).
Luminescence reactions of the 52 larger diamonds to UV radiation (figure 5) fell into three groups. The six diamonds in the first group were inert to both long- and short-wave UV. The seven
diamonds in the second group displayed pinkish orange fluorescence that was more intense to shortwave than long-wave. The strength of the shortwave UV luminescence ranged from weak to strong, depending on the diamond. No phosphorescence was observed from the diamonds in the second group.
The third and largest group (39 diamonds)Figure 2. exhibited blue fluorescence that was stronger for long-wave (medium to very strong) than for shortwave (very weak to strong) UV. Diamonds in this group that showed strong fluorescence also exhibited strong whitish phosphorescence (again, see the table in the G&G Data Depository for complete descriptions).
The diamond types of the 52 larger diamonds, as determined from the IR spectra, are indicated in figure5.
Thirteen diamonds are type IIa (i.e., without nitrogen bands visible in their IR spectra; Fritsch and
Scarratt, 1992); the remainder are type Ia diamonds with both A and B nitrogen aggregates (IaAB). Thesetype Ia diamonds are similar to one another in that all contain small-to-moderate amounts of hydrogen, showed the Raman absorption line, and had (in most cases) high levels of platelets (e.g., figure 6, left).

The absorption band at 1430 cm–1, which is nitrogen Figure 5. When the Napoleon Necklace is exposed to UV radiation (here, combined long- and short-wave UV), a variety of responses—pinkish orange, blue, or inert—can be observed. The diamond types, as determined by infrared spectroscopy, are labeled for the 52 larger stones;label colors correspond to the type of fluorescence: pink for pinkish orange, white for blue, and gray for inert.

At left is a detail of one of the necklace’s four oval pendeloques
(1.5 cm; diamond no. 40 in the G&G Data Depository table), which is set with 23 smaller
diamonds. The mountings for the briolettes (right, width 1 cm; diamond no. 37) are set with 12 rose cuts (some are very small and not visible in this photo).
(and correlates to N3 in type Ia diamonds; Zaitsev, 2001) was observed in the spectra of 19 of
the 39 larger IaAB diamonds and in eight of the 49 smaller ones.


Comparison of luminescence behavior with diamond type reveals that type IIa diamonds were in
the first and second fluorescence groups and showed either no fluorescence or pinkish orange fluorescence.
The type Ia diamonds were in the third group of 39 stones that showed blue fluorescence.
Interestingly, all of the larger type Ia diamonds in the necklace fluoresced (though very weakly in
some cases), which is a significant departure from the overall average of 35% for colorless diamonds as reported by Moses et al. (1997).
It is also noteworthy that 13 of the 52 larger diamondsin the necklace are type IIa (again, see figure 5, and, e.g., figure 6, right); this includes seven of the nine large pendeloques, five of the old-mine cuts, and one of the briolettes. It appears that 200 years ago, as today, the finest large colorless diamonds were often type IIa (e.g., King and Shigley, 2003).
Pinkish orange–fluorescing type IIa diamonds are commonly called Golconda diamonds (Scarratt,
1987; Fritsch, 1998), in reference to the historic trading area in India, a possible source for these stones.
Golconda diamonds typically are described as having a faint-to-light pink color. However, no pink hue was evident in the type IIa diamonds in the Napoleon Necklace (as observed in the setting). This is consistent with observations on the larger (20.34ct) diamond in the Marie Antoinette earrings (also in the Smithsonian National Gem Collection), which Fryer and Koivula (1986) described as colorless to near colorless (again, as observed in the setting) and
is another type IIa diamond exhibiting pinkish orange fluorescence. (Note that Fryer and Koivula also reported blue fluorescence for this stone; however, our examination—conducted with the diamond unmounted—showed a pinkish orange reaction to short-wave UV.) The 34 ct Little Sancy, yet another historic colorless diamond, exhibits the same properties (E. Fritsch, pers. comm., 2007).
When examined between crossed polarizers, all the type IIa diamonds showed banded and crosshatched extinction patterns with first-order interference colors of gray to blue. This feature, called “tatami graining,” is typical of type IIa diamond (Smith et al., 2000).

Conclusion of the GIA describiton about the necklace:. Not only is the Napoleon Necklace a
historic icon, but it also contains gemologically notable diamonds. Infrared spectroscopy indicated
that 13 of the 52 larger diamonds are the relatively rare type IIa and are colorless to near colorless with good clarity, consistent with the jewel’s imperial pedigree. Apparently, the standards used 200 years ago to select the finest diamonds are similar to those still used today. The necklace is equally spectacular under an ultraviolet lamp, and the diamonds’ luminescence behavior correlates to their diamond type. Furthermore, it seems that colorless Figure 6. Typical infrared spectra of diamonds from the Napoleon Necklace are shown here for a type IaAB diamond (left, diamond no. 2), which shows the Raman line and absorption bands arising from the presence of
A and B aggregates, platelets, and hydrogen; and for a type IIa diamond, which shows only the intrinsic absorption of diamond (right, diamond no. 37).

or near-colorless type IIa diamonds showing a pinkish orange fluorescence are more common than previously thought. Indeed, those characteristics were usually associated with pink Golconda diamonds, but the diamonds examined here show no obvious bodycolor.
The Napoleon Necklace is one of the most spectacular jewelry pieces of its period. With this report, it joins other items in the Smithsonian’s National Gem Collection for which gemological data have been preserved in the literature.


Shown here is the original case for the Napoleon Necklace (21.8 cm in diameter), made in
Paris by Gruel (see inset). It is also part of the Smithsonian National Gem Collection.

Chocolate of the Month Club Club

Antique, Brooch, Catherine the Great, Diamond, Earrings

Catherine the Great’s diamond esclavage bow and girandole earrings

Catherine the Great’s diamond esclavage bow and girandole earrings

An esclavage is a piece of jewelry that was worn on a wide lace or velvet ribbon like a necklace. This bow was made for Catherine II in the latest fashion of the time. It is decorated with a scattering of diamonds and spinels, rare minerals of red and pink shades. It is paired with massive girandole earrings—as candelabra-shaped earrings were called then. The gems appear particularly bright thanks to the use of the same foil technique as in the bouquet brooches above. In fact, their natural color is much softer. At the back of the bow there is the jeweler’s stamp reading “Pfisterer 10 Apr. 1764,” while the earrings are dated May 27 of the same year. The last owner of this set was Empress Maria Feodorovna (1847-1928), the wife of Alexander III. It was found in her chambers in the Anichkov Palace in St. Petersburg after she herself managed to escape Russia following the revolution.

Antique, Diamond, Emerald, Ring, Vintage

Vintage Pear Emerald Ballerina Ring with Diamonds 18K Yellow Gold 5.40ctw

Bold in design yet elegant in style – this 1960s classic ballerina ring truly celebrates the beauty of the centerpiece. The 1.50 carat pear cut natural emerald has a gorgeous medium-dark green hue and looks fantastic amongst the diamond’s and 18kt yellow gold. Prong set round brilliant cut diamond’s (G-H-I in color & VS2-SI1 in clarity) circle around the center emerald with a total diamond weight of .70 carats. Another larger halo of alternating sizes of tapered baguette diamond’s (G-H color & VS2-SI1 clarity) dance around the center and these weigh about 3.20 carats. The ring weighs a nice solid weight to it at 8.2 grams and is currently a size 6.5 and can be resized. It rises 11.40mm above your finger and its ring face measures 25.00mm North and South and 18.85mm East and West. The bands width measures 3.00mm and tapers down to 2.00mm. This vintage ring is in spectacular condition.

Antique, Diamond, Earrings, Pearl

A King’s first love: The Mancini Pearls

Marie Mancini (1639-1715) was the niece of Cardinal Mazarin, the prime minister to King Louis XIV of France. When she fell in love with the young king some spied ambition in the infatuation, but Louis returned her love.
Anne of Austria, Queen Mother of France, violently opposed the romance. Her son’s marriage was political; the ideal fiancée was the Infanta Maria Theresa of Spain, which had long been at war with France. Louis and Marie fought to pursue their love, but in 1659 Marie was forced into exile. Weeks before, Louis bought a string of pearls from his aunt, the Queen of England, who was living in exile in Paris. This was all he could offer the woman he had wished to give his crown.
Marie later married the Italian Prince Colonna, abandoning Louis XIV for good. When leaving France, she took an important collection of jewelry and gems with her. Even while pushing her out, Anne showed Marie great generosity. It was perhaps from Anne that Marie received two enormous pear-shaped pearls weighing approximately 200 grains each. The pearls were passed down through Marie’s descendants for over three centuries, before their sale at Christie’s in Geneva in 1969.

The Mancini Pearls

Art Deco, Diamond, Gemstone, Ring, Sapphire, Uncategorized

Exquisite Vintage Sapphire and Diamond Rings




Estate and Vintage Sapphire Rings
Estate and Vintage Sapphire Rings

These are a few of the many pieces of gorgeous sapphire and diamond estate jewelry that can be found online, or by actually going to an estate sale. Great prices can be found on sapphire jewelry at estate sales and auctions. Many times you can find stunning designs that are one of kind, and will never be created again. These gorgeous rings have been someone’s treasure for a long time, and many are considered antiques or vintage jewelry.  Now you can be the owner of such treasures with a little time and effort in seeking them out. The enjoyment one gets from hunting for such gorgeous treasures can be as much or more fun as wearing these exquisite pieces of jewelry. Estate jewelry can be a rare find, and seeking these treasures will leave you with a satisfaction rarely achieved by many individuals.

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ESTATE ART DECO 1.35ctw EURO DIAMOND SAPPHIRE PLATINUM ENGAGEMENT RING
ESTATE ART DECO 1.35ctw EURO DIAMOND SAPPHIRE PLATINUM ENGAGEMENT RING




This is a absolutely stunning estate ring that was made from platinum in the Art Deco style.  The age is unknown.  The ring is set with 1 European cut diamond of J (or better) color, VVS clarity that weighs approx. .95 ct.  I can not find a single inclusions with my jeweler’s loupe.  The diamond measures 6.75 mm with the bezel setting and it is 4.53 mm deep.  The ring is additionally set with 52 single cut diamonds of H-I-J color, SI clarity that weigh approx. .40 ctw.  These diamonds range in size from .005 -to .03 ct.  The ring is detailed with 38 natural blue sapphires that weigh approx. 1.20 ctw.  These sapphires are cabochon cuts in various fancy shapes and of the finest quality.  The head of the ring measures 9/16” square and it sits almost 3/8” high.  The ring size is a 7.75 and the total weight is 5.7 grams. 

ANTIQUE ART DECO 1.25ct OLD MINE DIAMOND .50ctw SAPPHIRE HALO COCKTAIL RING 1930
ANTIQUE ART DECO 1.25ct OLD MINE DIAMOND .50ctw SAPPHIRE HALO COCKTAIL RING 1930

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This is a Gorgeous and original antique ring that was made in the Art Deco style during the 1930s.  It is handmade from Platium.  The ring is set with 1 round old mine cut diamond (center) of L color, VVS1 clarity that weighs approx. 1.25 ct.  The color is in the faint yellow color range and I can not find a single inclusions when using my 10x jeweler’s loupe.  It has a tiny tiny nick on the table facet that can not be seen with the naked eye.   This diamond measures 7.6 mm with the bezel setting and it is 3.45 mm deep.  

The center diamond is framed with 22 natural blue sapphires that weigh approx. .50 ctw.  These sapphires are near square shaped and channel set with a darker blue color.  The ring is detailed with 36 rose cut diamonds that weigh approx. .38 ctw.  These diamonds are white and clear and they have a spread of .01 ct to .04 ct.  




ANTIQUE ART DECO 2.26ctw DIAMOND SAPPHIRE PLATINUM COCKTAIL RING 1930 FRENCH
ANTIQUE ART DECO 2.26ctw DIAMOND SAPPHIRE PLATINUM COCKTAIL RING 1930 FRENCH

This is an original antique cocktail ring that was made in the Art Deco style during the 1930s. It is handmade from Platinum and originates from France.  It has the Mker’s mark ‘LIF’ and a worn ‘PARIS’ stamp.  The ring is centrally set with 1 Old European Cut Diamond of G color, SI1 clarity that weighs approx. 1.0 carat.  This diamonds has one pinpoint inclusions in the center, but you have to know it is there to find it.  Otherwise, this diamond is completely clear and would have a VVS grade.  I can not grasp it to get a precise measurement, but it is very close to 6.45 mm in diameter by 4 mm deep.  

The ring is also set with 46 roundish old mine cut diamonds of F-G-H color, SI to I clarity that weigh approx. 1.26 ctw.  The total diamond weight is approx. 2.26 ctw.  The ring is detailed with 40 natural blue sapphires that weigh approx. 1.30 ctw.  These sapphires are French cut and channel set of the finest quality.




ESTATE ART DECO 1+ct EURO DIAMOND 1.20ctw SAPPHIRE HALO ENGAGEMENT COCKTAIL RING
ESTATE ART DECO 1+ct EURO DIAMOND 1.20ctw SAPPHIRE HALO ENGAGEMENT COCKTAIL RING

This is an estate cocktail/engagement ring that was made in the Art Deco Style from Platinum.  The mounting is post 1950 and the center diamond is an original antique.  The ring is centrally bezel-set with 1 European Cut Diamond of J color, I2 clarity that weighs approx. 1.15 ctw.  This diamond measures approx. 6.7 mm in diameter and it is 4.27 mm deep.  In my opinion, this is the ideal I2 clarity stone.  The frame and shoulders of the ring are set with 41 brilliant cut diamonds of G – H color, SI clarity that weigh approx.  .82 ctw.  The total diamonds weight is approx. 1.97 ctw.

The ring is detailed with a natural blue sapphire halo that is set channel set with 20 sapphires.  There are an additional 4 sapphires set in the shoulders.  The sapphires are fancy shaped and French cut weighing approx. 1.20 ctw.




ESTATE ART DECO .63ct MARQUISE DIAMOND 2ctw SAPPHIRE PLATINUM COCKTAIL RING
ESTATE ART DECO .63ct MARQUISE DIAMOND 2ctw SAPPHIRE PLATINUM COCKTAIL RING

This is a fabulous cocktail ring that was made in the Art Deco style from Platinum. The age is unknown.  The ring is centrally bezel-set with 1 marquise cut diamonds of J color, VS or better clarity that weighs .63 ct. and the weight is engraved in the shank.  It measures close to 9 x 5.2 x 2.38 mm and I can not find any inclusions with a 10x jeweler’s loupe.  The ring is also set with 12 roundish old mine cut diamonds of H color, SI clarity that weigh approx. .38 ctw.  The total diamond weight is approx. 1.01 ctw.  The ring is detailed with 34 natural blue sapphires that weigh approx. 2.0 ctw.  These sapphires are fancy shaped French cuts that are channel set and of the finest quality.  The marquise shaped head of the ring measure 1” north to south by 7/16” at the widest point. The total weight is 5.8 grams and the ring size is a 7.  The lower gallery is finely detailed. 

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