Historic 197-ct Romanov Sapphire Could Fetch $2.1m
October 29, 26
(IDEX Online) - A 197.80-carat sapphire once worn by Russia's Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna and documented among the Russian Crown Jewels is expected to sell for up to CHF 1.7 million ($2.1 million) at Sotheby's Geneva auction of royal and aristocratic jewels.
The Romanov Sapphire, an unheated Ceylon gemstone formerly mounted by Faberge, is the leading lot in the Royal & Noble Jewels sale on November 11.
Sotheby's estimates it at CHF 850,000 to CHF 1.7 million ($1.06 million to $2.1 million), with the stone's history spanning the Russian Imperial Court, the Soviet dispersal of imperial treasures and some of the most prominent jewelry collections of the 20th century.
Recent auction results highlight the premium commanded by exceptional sapphires. A 132.83-carat unheated Sri Lankan sapphire sold for about $4.5 million at Sotheby's Geneva in May 2023, while the 392.52-carat Blue Belle of Asia fetched $11.3 million at Christie's in June 2025. A 35.09-carat Kashmir sapphire sold for $9.5 million at Christie's in May 2025, illustrating the premium that exceptional origin and quality can command.
The Romanov Sapphire was worn by Maria Feodorovna at the Winter Palace Ball of 1903, widely regarded as the last great spectacle of Imperial Russia. Following the Russian Revolution, it was recorded in the Fersman inventory of the Russian Crown Jewels before being sold during the Soviet government's dispersal of imperial treasures.
It subsequently entered the collection of opera singer and socialite Ganna Walska, who acquired it from Cartier in 1927. The stone later returned to auction at Sotheby's in New York in 1971 and Geneva in 1992. Cartier created its present transformable bracelet setting in 2015, incorporating diamonds and an interchangeable rock crystal centerpiece.
Reports from the Swiss Gemmological Institute (SSEF) and Gubelin confirm the sapphire's Ceylon origin and unheated status. Sotheby's says the combination of its size, rarity and documented imperial provenance makes it one of the most significant surviving gemstones associated with the Russian Crown Jewels.
Another major highlight is a Cartier black opal and diamond necklace, tiara and brooch combination created for Mary Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, a prominent British aristocrat, in the late 1930s. Estimated at CHF 780,000 to CHF 1.1 million ($975,000 to $1.38 million), the jewel features Australian black opals with flashes of green, blue and crimson.
The Duchess wore the jewel at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, when she served as Mistress of the Robes. Its most recent public appearance was at the London premiere of the film Wuthering Heights, where director Emerald Fennell wore the necklace with a scarlet Vivienne Westwood gown.
The sale also includes a diamond tiara by Mellerio dits Meller, estimated at CHF 300,000 to CHF 500,000 ($375,000 to $625,000). First exhibited at the International Exhibition of 1862, it was acquired two years later by Antoine d'Orleans, Duke of Montpensier, as a wedding gift for his daughter Marie Isabelle d'Orleans.
A sapphire, emerald and diamond ring formerly owned by Catherine, Lady Walston, is estimated at CHF 350,000 to CHF 500,000 ($438,000 to $625,000). The ring pairs a 7.83-carat unheated Kashmir sapphire with a 6.77-carat Colombian emerald. Lady Walston is widely regarded as the inspiration for Sarah Miles, the central character in Graham Greene's novel The End of the Affair.
Two emerald jewels formerly belonging to Queen Amelie of Portugal, comprising a bangle centered on a 27.38-carat Colombian cabochon emerald and an emerald and diamond brooch, are each estimated at CHF 70,000 to CHF 100,000 ($87,500 to $125,000).
The collection also includes a sapphire and diamond demi-parure formerly owned by Princess Sibylla of Sweden, estimated at CHF 300,000 to CHF 500,000 ($375,000 to $625,000). Family tradition holds that the sapphires previously belonged to Dagmar of Denmark, later Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia, linking the jewels to the same imperial history as the leading sapphire.
Pic, courtesy of Sotheby's, shows the 197.80-carat Romanov Sapphire, formerly part of the Russian Crown Jewels, estimated at up to $2.1 million at Sotheby's Geneva sale on November 11.