The diamond brooch that Napoleon once dropped during his escape from Waterloo has sold for nearly $5.5 million at an auction in Geneva, Sotheby's said, far more than the estimated $2.4 million it had been valued at. The brooch, made for Napoleon around 1810, consists of a large, oval diamond surrounded by nearly a hundred smaller gemstones.
Jewelry expert Tobias Kormind notes that interest in Napoleon's jewels is particularly high after the jewel coup against the Louvre. He also describes the brooch's history as "irresistible."
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 the carriage got stuck in mud a few kilometers from the battlefield, the brooch was abandoned.
A few days later, it was donated as a war trophy to King Frederick William III of Prussia.
