ROYAL JEWELS SOLD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21100, 6 February 1932, Page 3 (Supplement)

ROYAL JEWELS SOLD.

| TREASURES FROM BAVARIA. ! AUCTION SALE AT CHRISTIE'S. All the principal jewellers of Eiritain, together with experts in diamonds, emeralds. and pearls, recently sat ronnd a horseshoe table at - Christie's in London and bid for some of the most famous gems ever submitted to auction.- They were the Bavarian crown jewels, described as " tie nroperrv cf the fioyal Hcnse of Wittels» bach," and presented in 13 " lots." They j realised a total cf £3S-.300. i At the back of the favoured few in their ! reserved seats, women craned forward and S their eyes glistened as the auctioneers' porter displayed on a small wooden tray glorious neckleces, brooches and rings. First to come under the hammer was the famous inch-wide Witielsbach bine dia- | mond, brought into the royal house in ! 1722 by Maria Amaiia of Austria, daugh--1 ter of the Emperor Joseph L, on her mar- | riage to Archduke Charles Albert of -Bai varia. It was set in its present term, a i pendant of white brilliants, by their son, | Maximilian Joseph 1., in 1761. This 'prize i of the collection, however, remained un- | sold, for the reserve price was far in «xI cess of the final bid of £3,600. ! Next came a brilliant pendant of three large stones with a centre one of circular j shape, which an archduke nearly two cen- ! juries ago had fashioned by a Munich i jeweller. This quickly went to a Paris firm for £4OOO. The surprise of the sale was £7OOO for a tiara of 49 graduated brilliants with suspended brioletxes of varying sizes, ail arranged to meet the whims of Lndwig L Then there was the rarity of a cinna-mon-yellow brilliant, admired throughout ihe art worid, which had a reserve of £1550. and wonderful emeralds each weignirjg from 28 to 99 carats. Competition for these was very keen and produced huge prices, the first stone alone leading off with £5600. All nine changed hands for £21,150. Counting the disposal of other jewellery the day's turnover was £86,355.