Bavaria considers bid to bring mysterious Wittelsbach diamond home
The fate of the Wittelsbach diamond, worn by at least three of Europe's royal families, has been shrouded in mystery for almost a century.
Now the 35.56 carat stone, the second largest blue diamond in the world, has turned up again, offered for sale at Christie's by an anonymous seller. The guide price of £9 million is modest, given that a 13.39 carat blue diamond fetched $8.9 million (£5.6 million) at auction in May.
Collectors, convinced that diamonds are a recession-proof investment, are expected to beat a path to the London auction house, which will put the Wittelsbach Blue up for sale next month. “You cannot put a price on a diamond with a provenance like this,” said Hannah Schmidt of Christie's.
Its history is traced back to the 17th century, when King Philip IV of Spain chose it as part of the dowry for his 15-year-old daughter, the Infanta Margarita Teresa who married Leopold I of Austria, later to become the Holy Roman Emperor.
Read entire article at Times (UK)
Now the 35.56 carat stone, the second largest blue diamond in the world, has turned up again, offered for sale at Christie's by an anonymous seller. The guide price of £9 million is modest, given that a 13.39 carat blue diamond fetched $8.9 million (£5.6 million) at auction in May.
Collectors, convinced that diamonds are a recession-proof investment, are expected to beat a path to the London auction house, which will put the Wittelsbach Blue up for sale next month. “You cannot put a price on a diamond with a provenance like this,” said Hannah Schmidt of Christie's.
Its history is traced back to the 17th century, when King Philip IV of Spain chose it as part of the dowry for his 15-year-old daughter, the Infanta Margarita Teresa who married Leopold I of Austria, later to become the Holy Roman Emperor.