Bonaparte Family 40-Carat Diamond Ring Tied To French Royals Was Recovered By Police
French police have recovered a 40-carat diamond ring which was stolen out of a parked car in Paris. But while the size of the diamond alone is notable, this is the Bonaparte diamond, belonging to French royalty.
Town & Country says that the ring belongs to Countess Olympia von Arco Zinneberg, fiancee of Prince Jean Christophe Napoleon, and was stolen out of a parked car in the 6th arrondissement along with a laptop and some paperwork.
Originally, the large diamond was the center stone in the crown of Empress Eugenie, and one of the few surviving royal jewels which have remained in France, and in the same family, says rare jewelry dealer, Lee Siegelson.
“It is amazing that the diamond in question has remained in the family of Eugénie’s descendants.”
Empress Eugenie, the last empress of France, was the wife of Napoleon III. Born Eugénie de Montijo, the daughter of a Spanish noble was considered very fashion forward for her time, helping to launch the career of Louis Vuitton.
Siegelson says that her style was copied all over the world.
“Her exquisite taste was copied around the world, and an array of important diamonds was essential to her carefully crafted royal persona.”
Jean-Christophe, head of the Bonaparte house, in the news. https://t.co/lYvhDITh0B
— Colby Cosh (@colbycosh) April 8, 2019
Empress Eugenie commissioned exquisite pieces of jewelry, incorporating stones and jewels from established royal jewelers and up and coming artists, like Pierre Cartier and Frederic Boucheron.
“Her tiaras had strong ties to the past—one Greek meander tiara included diamonds from Napoleon’s sword, another included pearls belonging to the Empress Josephine.”
Last year, The Inquisitr reported that another piece of the French royal jewelry, one that had been smuggled out of the country before Queen Marie Antoinette was beheaded, was sold at auction at an amount way over its estimate for $36 million. The Bourbon pearl necklace with pearl and diamond pendant shocked many collectors at the Sotheby auction.
Before Marie Antoinette was killed, she gave the pearls to a family member who sewed it into her clothing and got it out of France and back into Austria, the queen’s home country.
Eddie LeVian, the CEO of LeVian, says that the necklace is a piece of French history.
“This is about far more than the gems themselves: Marie Antoinette’s jewelry is inextricably linked to the cause of the French Revolution.”
After years in Vienna, Austria, the pearls were finally claimed by Marie Antoinette’s only surviving child, Marie-Therese. From there, they were not seen publicly for nearly 200 years.
