Infamous jewelry: 5 of the most infamous pieces of jewelry in history

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Unforgettable and inimitable Marilyn Monroe once sang that "the best friends of girls are diamonds." If the measure of value is measured only in money, then perhaps this statement can be called correct. But if we approach the assessment of the value of jewelry from the perspective of the one who wore it … Throughout the centuries, history has known some jewelry that was more famous and valuable to those who owned it than their aesthetic features and monetary value. The most famous treasures with a sad history, further in the review.

Specialists evaluate precious stones in jewelry by their purity, color and a number of other important parameters. Often the cost of jewelry rises to the skies just because it has a specific history. For example, the infamous Hope diamond, which is considered cursed. Sometimes the story of a stone is insanely romantic. Richard Burton once gave Elizabeth Taylor a diamond called Taylor-Burton. The tumultuous romance of these bright Hollywood stars brought the stone such fame, which such properties as beauty and price were incapable of.

1. Jewelry Wallis Simpson

The incredible love story of a divorced American woman Wallis Simpson and the English monarch Edward VIII has remained one of the biggest mysteries for almost a century. This marriage went down in history as one of the most scandalous. Indeed, for the sake of his beloved woman, the king abdicated the throne.

The Duke of Windsor simply idolized his beloved. He literally showered her with jewelry. Wallis' jewelry caused a lot of gossip in society. Envious people even said that she "wears her dressmaker's jewelry." Thus, gossipers hinted that such huge gems simply could not be real. Ordinary glass, jewelry.

In fact, this was not the case. Edward loved giving his wife amazing and rare stones. He designed the jewelry himself, together with the jewelers who made them. The Duke did not even want anyone other than his beloved Wallis to touch these jewelry. He planned to destroy all these jewelry values after the death of his wife. Fate decreed otherwise. The Duchess survived her husband for fourteen long years. Her life after the death of her husband was like hell. All the jewelry eventually went under the hammer.

One of the most famous pieces of jewelry for the Duchess is the Panther bracelet, which was made from onyx, diamonds, yellow gold and emeralds. Of course, people often wondered where the couple got the money for such a huge amount of incredibly luxurious jewelry. It was even rumored that the former king had a habit of not paying his hefty bills to jewelers. The owners of jewelry houses remain silent about this. After all, in the end, they created jewelry for two world famous people, for the former king.

2. Royal necklace

Speaking of royal family and jewelry, one cannot fail to mention the famous diamond necklace made of many fine threads. This piece was commissioned by Louis XV. Historians believe that the monarch planned to present this luxury to his mistress Madame du Barry. According to legend, this French monarch owns the phrase "After us, even a flood." And so it happened. Retribution for the ruin of the country overtook the heirs of the wasteful king.

Louis XV himself died of smallpox before the work on the beautiful necklace was completed. Both the queen and the king's favorite refused to pay for him. In the end, the jewelry was disassembled and sold in small pieces.

3. Diamond "Sancy"

The legendary Sansi diamond, which was found in India back in the Middle Ages, was credited with the properties of a talisman and a killer stone. The stone really changed its owners so quickly that even a legend was born that he himself chooses his owner.

In the 15th century, the diamond was bought by the ancestor of the Duke of Burgundy. It was he who gave the diamond its name. Also, the aristocrat ordered the jewelers to cut the stone and give it the shape of a pear.

According to legend, the Sancy diamond saved the life of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. His helmet was inlaid with diamond. During the battle, the sparkle of the stone blinded the Duke's opponent. In 1477, Charles lost his helmet in battle. The armor was found by one soldier and sold for almost nothing. He died that evening in a drunken brawl. In this regard, the belief arose that the diamond does not tolerate disrespect for itself and can take revenge on the negligent owner.

The stone continued to change owners and eventually became an exhibit in the collection of Cardinal Mazarin, and later - of King Louis XIV. This diamond graced his royal crown. After the Great French Revolution, Sancy was lost. In the middle of the 19th century, it was found in the collection of the Duchess of Berry. The diamond was bought from her by the Russian industrialist Pavel Demidov. In 1978, the famous jewel was acquired by the Louvre. The crystal is still kept in the Apollo gallery of this museum.

4. Hatton-Mdivani necklace

The famous Hatton-Mdivani necklace was created from jade. The mystery of its origin has not yet been solved. Nobody knows where these stones came from. It is believed that they were made from a single piece of this mineral, which most likely belonged to the Chinese imperial court.

The jewel has always belonged to famous people. It is most famous thanks to the heiress of the trade magnate Frank Woolworth, Barbara Hutton. She became famous by the nickname "poor rich girl." The father gave the necklace to his daughter for a wedding with the Georgian prince Alexis Mdivani in 1933.

The jewelry itself is made of nearly three dozen large bright green jade beads. They are distinguished by their impeccable purity and absolutely smooth texture. The necklace is also decorated with a large Art Deco ruby and a diamond clasp, the authors of which are the jewelers of the Cartier workshop. Craftsmen have transformed an ancient jadeite thread into an elegant necklace, adorned with a clasp inlaid with rubies.

After two years of marriage, Barbara with Prince Mdivani, they were awaiting a divorce. The decoration remained with her husband. True, it did not bring happiness. Alexis died in a car accident just a month after breaking up with Barbara. The necklace remained in the ownership of the Mdivani family for half a century. Nina, Alexis's sister, did not sell the jewel even when she was literally dying of hunger. It was rumored that when creditors came to her house, she hid the necklace under her deathbed.

A year after Nina's death, the necklace was auctioned off for a record $ 2 million. A few years later, it was resold for six million. In 2014, at Sotheby's in Hong Kong, the jewel was sold for the third time - this time it brought its owner $ 27.4 million. As the history of the necklace shows, time has no power over it.

5. Ruby Graff

Graff has a reputation as one of the most respected jewelry houses in the world. He earned his impeccable reputation thanks to the highest quality of his diamonds. The founder of the company, Lawrence Graff, is one of the world's foremost diamond experts. Ruby Graff is a very unusual gem that belongs to this jewelry house. This is a Burmese ruby, which in 2006 was sold for an incredibly large amount of 3.6 million dollars for such a stone. This is the highest price ever paid for a colored gemstone. Before that, such stones, rubies and emeralds, were not valued as highly by jewelers and collectors as, for example, diamonds. Ruby Graff has proven that colored gemstones are no less worthy than others. Only once in your life can you come across such a special stone that you want to buy it twice. This is exactly what the Graff ruby has become for Lawrence Graff. He sold it in 2011 to buy it again in 2017.

Characteristics such as weight, clarity, flawlessness and color make this ruby so incredibly rare and valuable. Ruby Graff is every collector's dream. It is distinguished by its bright unusual color "pigeon blood". It is the deepest shade of red with a blue undertone. Lawrence Graff sold and bought a lot of beautiful gemstones, but he considers this particular mineral to be one of the best in his entire career. The ruby was set in a ring, strewn with small diamonds, as a result, turning the stone into a truly iconic piece.

All of these incredibly beautiful and incredibly valuable pieces of jewelry demonstrate that people have spent enormous fortunes on them throughout history. Jewelry has attracted attention for centuries and forced to open wallets. As you can see, some of them have even overgrown with many legends in order to match their huge price tags.

Treasure stories are always fascinating. Read our article what the 800-year-old treasures of Prince Svyatopolk, recently found in the middle of the field, told the scientists about.