Sotheby’s sold a sapphire belonging to the Romanov family, set by Cartier in a diamond bracelet

An intensely blue Ceylon sapphire that was part of the Romanov family’s collection was sold on Wednesday at an auction organized by Sotheby’s. The stone, measuring approximately 3.5 by 3.5 centimeters, had been valued before the sale at 1.7 million Swiss francs, equivalent to around 1.86 million euros.

The sapphire entered the Romanov collection in the mid-19th century. According to the Fersman catalogue of the Russian Crown Jewels, compiled between 1924 and 1926, the stone was set by the Fabergé workshop in a diamond structure and presented as a brooch.

In 1927, the sapphire was bought by American opera singer Ganna Walska, who was originally from Poland and known for her passion for jewelry. It reappeared at auction in 1971 and then in Geneva in 1992. In 2015, the Cartier workshop created its current setting: a diamond-encrusted bracelet.

The “royal and noble” jewels offered for sale at the auction fetched a total of 15.3 million Swiss francs, or approximately 16.5 million euros.