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Cartier Romanov Sapphire Bracelet Sells for $4.9 Million in Geneva

The rare 197.80-carat sapphire far exceeded its 1.7 million franc high estimate after drawing strong collector demand.

  • On Wednesday, Sotheby sold a Cartier bracelet centered on a Romanov sapphire at a Geneva auction for more than 4.1 million Swiss francs , vastly exceeding expectations.
  • Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, mother of Czar Nicholas, wore the sapphire at the 1903 Winter Palace Ball, "widely regarded as the last great spectacle of Imperial Russia and immortalized in some of the most iconic images of the Romanov court."
  • The cushion-shaped Ceylon sapphire weighs 197.80 carats with no heat treatment; Cartier mounted it on a diamond-covered bracelet in 2015, according to Sotheby.
  • Final bidding surpassed the estimated range of 850,000 to 1.7 million francs , with an unidentified private collector purchasing the rare piece.
  • After the Russian Revolution, the sapphire entered Soviet dispersal sales; socialite Ganna Walska acquired it in 1927 and later consigned it to Sotheby's Parke Bernet in New York in 1971.
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83 Articles

Lean Left

Behind the $4.9 million paid by an anonymous collector at Sotheby's lies a story of imperial decline, Soviet sell-offs and American nouveau riche, starring a self-proclaimed soprano who amassed wives and precious stones with equal ease The post Legendary Romanov sapphire sets record: The Tsarina, the talentless soprano and the $4.9 million appeared first on in.gr.

·Greece
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Lean Right

At an auction in Switzerland, a blue sapphire the size of a ping-pong ball was sold for 4.4 million euros. The gemstone, set in a diamond bracelet, was once owned by the Romanovs, the imperial family of Russia. The 198-carat sapphire (about 40 grams) was described as one of the most important gemstones of the Russian court. Tsar Nicholas's mother wore it in 1903 at a ball in the Winter Palace in a brooch by jeweler Fabergé. At that party, the g…

·Hilversum, Netherlands (Kingdom of the)
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Center

A spectacular 197.80 carat Romanov sapphire, linked to Russia's imperial court, raised the auction at Sotheby's in Geneva, selling 4.1 million francs (4.4 million euros), more than double its estimated price.

Right

The 197.80-carat Celyon sapphire was likely cut in the Mughal Empire, located in present-day India. It came to the Romanovs in the 19th century and is considered one of the most important surviving gemstones of the Imperial dynasty. It is known that Empress Dowager Maria Feodorovna, mother of the last Tsar, Nicholas II, wore the stone to a ball at the Winter Palace in 1903. The auction house noted that it was "widely considered the last great sp…

Lean Right

A stunning 197.80-carat Romanov sapphire, associated with the imperial court of Russia, sold for 4.1 million Swiss francs (4.4 million euros) at an auction at Sotheby's in Geneva. The price is more than double its estimate. This Ceylon sapphire, in a bright blue color, measuring about 3.5 by 3 centimeters, joined the Romanov collection in the mid-19th century. Its estimated value by the auction house was 1.7 million, before its sale yesterday, …

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abc broke the news in Madrid, Spain on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.
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