Displaying items by tag: pearls

The blue bloods are selling their jewels.

At Christie’s and Bonhams auctions in December, pearls formerly belonging to Queen Isabella II of Spain, and Kashmir sapphires from an European princess are going under the hammer.

The natural colored pearls (pictured below), headlining Christie’s Important Jewels auction on December 2 in London, were originally collected for Marie Christina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, wife of King Ferdinand VII and Queen Isabella II’s mother.

Fine gray pearl necklaces are rarely seen at auction, making the auction of the Cowdray Pearls one of the most exciting highlights of Sotheby’s Hong Kong jewelry sale.

With an estimate of $4.5‑7 million, the necklace was formerly in the collection of Viscountess Cowdray, Lady Pearson (1860‑1932) and was strung and mounted by Cartier. It comprises 42 natural gray saltwater pearls well-matched in luster, shape, and size, and is accompanied by a pair of natural gray pearl earrings, also by Cartier London.

Once the jewel-encrusted playthings of the Russian royal family, the first Faberge Imperial egg produced in almost a century is set to be unveiled in Qatar, its makers said.

Ninety nine years since Faberge made its last Imperial egg, for Tsar Nicholas II, the famous jewel maker will show off its newest creation at an exhibition of watches and jewelery in Doha.

The "Faberge Pearl Egg" features 139 fine white pearls, and more than 3,300 diamonds as well as other precious gemstones, according to the jeweler.

Several Gulf nations have a long history of pearl diving, and Qatar is building an artificial island off its coast named after the precious treasure.