Editor’s Note
This article details the upcoming auction of a historic diamond brooch once owned by Napoleon Bonaparte, highlighting its provenance and estimated value at Sotheby’s Geneva sale.
Napoleon’s diamond brooch is estimated to be worth between 120,000 and 200,000 Swiss francs.
During the jewelry heist from the Louvre, pieces belonging to Napoleon Bonaparte’s second wife were also stolen. Now, a diamond brooch once owned by the Emperor is being auctioned in Geneva at Sotheby’s “Royal & Noble Sale.”
According to Sotheby’s, the brooch was likely made as a hat ornament and was taken by Napoleon Bonaparte to the legendary Battle of Waterloo in 1815. After his defeat by the British and Prussian armies, he had to abandon it during his flight, whereupon the brooch was seized by the Prussians.
The brooch was presented to Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III as a war trophy just three days after the battle. It was later inherited by German emperors and eventually entered a private collection.
The round brooch, with a diameter of about 45 millimeters, features a large oval diamond weighing 13.04 carats at its center, surrounded by numerous smaller diamonds in a mine-cut style. The piece is estimated to be worth between 120,000 and 200,000 Swiss francs.
The auction, which will also feature other jewelry pieces, takes place on November 12 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Geneva.