Marie Antoinette's Pearl Pendant
I pulled this article by Chloe Foussianes because of the amazing sale of Marie Antoinette's pendant. Accoring to Chloe, Sotheby's brought a few of the French queen's jewels to the auction block last November. I found it interesting not only because its historical reference, but also the amazing bidding war that brought in the huge price of $36 million dollars! Nothing would have made the queen happier.
The pendant more than tripled the previous world auction record for a pearl, which was held by a necklace that once belonged to Elizabeth Taylor.
All of the French queen's jewels would likely be lost to history, were she not able to smuggle them to her family in Austria before she attempted to flee France. Indeed, in the words of Le Vian CEO Eddie LeVian, "This is about far more than the gems themselves: Marie Antoinette’s jewelry is inextricably linked to the cause of the French Revolution."