A dazzling 300-carat diamond necklace played a key role in an eighteenth-century scandal and is rumored to have played a significant role in the fall of the French monarchy. Recently, it took center stage at a Geneva auction. With nearly 500 glittering diamonds arranged in three luxurious rows cascading into an elegant tassel, this masterpiece of Georgian-era craftsmanship was more than just jewelry — it was a captivating slice of history, full of intrigue and drama.
As the story goes, the infamous diamond necklace’s creation traces back to 1772, when King Louis XV of France commissioned it as an opulent gift for his mistress, the Madame du Barry.
Credit: AP Photo
Crafted by jewelers Charles Auguste Boehmer and Paul Bassenge, the necklace was intended to be the most spectacular piece of its time, valued at an astounding 2,000,000 livres (roughly $17.5 million in 2024). Tragically, before the necklace’s completion, the king succumbed to smallpox, leaving the jewelers with an unsold masterpiece and no royal buyer. Hoping to salvage their investment, the jewelers later offered the necklace to the new queen, Marie Antoinette. However, she declined the extravagant piece, partly due to its association with Madame du Barry (with whom she did not have the best relationship) and partly because she found such a lavish expense unnecessary.
This rejection left the jewelers scrambling to find a buyer, and the necklace eventually became entangled in a web of deceit. The ensuing events triggered the notorious Affair of the Diamond Necklace. This scandal unfairly implicated Marie Antoinette, damaging her reputation and fueling unrest in the waning years of the French monarchy.
The woman behind the scandal was a con artist, Jeanne de la Motte, who deceived Cardinal de Rohan into believing the Queen wanted to secretly purchase an extravagant diamond necklace. Using forged letters and a staged meeting with a Marie Antoinette impersonator, Jeanne acquired the necklace and absconded. When the scheme unraveled, a public trial ensued in 1786, resulting in De la Motte’s conviction.
Fast forward to the twentieth century, when the necklace graced the neck of the Marchioness of Anglesey at Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953. Eventually, it found its way into private hands, disappearing from public view until now.
The allure of such a historic piece was electric, and the auction room buzzed with excitement as bids poured in. It was estimated to make 1.6 to 2.2M Swiss francs (or $1.8 to 2.5M). When the hammer fell, this jaw-dropping treasure sold for a cool 3.55M francs (or $4M; 4.26M francs / $4.8M w/p). It may have beaten its estimate, but the final price is a far cry from its original value.