History of Queen Marie of Romania's Sapphire

You may have heard of the quality and size of Ceylon sapphires. Queen Marie of Romania's Ceylon Sapphire weighs 478.68 carats and is one of the largest in the world. The sapphire was presented to the Queen by her husband King Ferdinand of Romania on his coronation day October 15,1922. From that time the gem marks a historical journey to the Christie's of London Auction.

1919 Exhibit

In 1913, world jeweler Cartier purchased the Ceylon Sapphire from what is now Sri Lanka. Cartier combined the cushion-shaped jewel in several styles before presenting it as a single-drop diamond strand necklace for the 1919 Autumn Exhibit at the Hotel San Sebastian, Spain.

Gem Admired By Royalty

Royalty from every corner of Europe came to admire Cartier's most valuable jewel at the San Sebastian exhibit. Among the admirers was the Queen Mother Maria of Romania. Two years later, her son King Ferdinand purchased the diamond necklace with the sapphire pendant for his consort Marie of Romania.

Portraint Includes Sapphire

For the coronation in 1922, and for the official coronation portrait by Philip de Laszlo in 1924, Queen Marie of Romania wore her sapphire necklace. The queen also purchased a sapphire tiara from one of the Russian princesses fleeing her homeland during the Bolshevik Revolution and Queen Marie wears the stunning piece in the portrait.

Gem Sold in Exile

The diamond necklace was first viewed without the sapphire pendant in 1948. This is documented in wedding photos of exiled King Michael of Romania to Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma. King Michael was the grandson of Queen Marie and King Ferdinand. This leads historians to believe King Michael upon fleeing his homeland in exile, sold the necklace to jeweler Harry Winston in 1947.

Largest Ever Auctioned

Queen Marie of Romania's Sapphire is known to be the largest sapphire ever sold at auction. Queen Marie of Romania's Sapphire sold for $1,494,480 at the Christie's November 2003 Auction. It remains one of the largest cut sapphires in the world.

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