Diamonds valued at hundreds of millions of kronor will be sold at auction in Geneva next week.
The most popular item is a brooch with mine-cut diamonds made for the French Emperor Napoleon around 1810, valued at up to 2.4 million kronor. It consists of a large, oval diamond surrounded by almost a hundred smaller gemstones.
Napoleon carried the piece of jewelry with him at the Battle of Waterloo, where his army was overwhelmed by British and Prussian forces in 1815. Napoleon and his men were forced to flee in panic – and when their carriage got stuck in the mud a few kilometers from the battlefield, the brooch was abandoned. A few days later, it was presented as a war trophy to King Frederick William III of Prussia.
Also going under the hammer at the auction in Switzerland is a 10.08-carat pink diamond called “The Glowing Rose.” It is expected to attract bids for the equivalent of over 190 million Swedish kronor.
