Four contenders (plus a museum) for Napoleon’s jewels at auction
Lot 665, Napoleon’s famous brooch-pendant, also known as a hat button, which the French emperor wore on his bicorne hat on special occasions, dominated the latest monographic auction, Noble & Royal Sale by Sotheby’s in Geneva on November 12, 2025.
After a lively auction lasting almost ten minutes between four telephone bidders, one online bidder, and one in the room, the precious Napoleonic jewel reached a final price 30 times its initial estimate, selling for $4,380,534 / 3,527,000 Swiss francs. It was won by a prestigious international collector, who now owns one of the most talked-about historical jewels of the year following the unfortunate theft of other treasures from the Napoleonic dynasty at the Louvre.
Also noteworthy was the performance of another Napoleonic jewel, lot 664, a 132.66-carat cushion-cut green beryl, historically associated with Napoleon’s coronation mantle. The buyer was a US museum (participating online), which paid $1,041,044 / CHF 838,200, over 25 times its low estimate, to acquire it. Beryl is certainly not the most precious of gems: its Napoleonic provenance accounted for much of the price.
A ring from Catherine of Russia
Among the other notable lots was lot 621, a ring with a pink diamond that once belonged to Empress Catherine I of Russia and later to Princess Neslishah Sultan (1921–2012), one of the last great princesses of the Ottoman Empire: it fetched $3,622,914 / 2,917,000 Swiss francs, twelve times its initial estimate.
Andres White Correal, president of jewelry in Europe and the Middle East and head of the “Noble Jewels” event, speaks of an ‘eclectic’ collection, “a true testament to the enduring power of provenance, whether from the courts of Europe, the Ottoman Empire, or the Middle East. Among the most exciting moments of the auction, I cannot fail to mention the exceptional result of Napoleon’s brooch, which exceeded all expectations.”
In total, Sotheby’s Royal and Noble Sale, held every November in Geneva, the only auction of its kind in the world, achieved its third consecutive “white glove sale” (i.e., the sale of 100% of the lots), totaling $14,328,947 / 11,536,994 Swiss francs – the highest value ever achieved by this auction since it became an independent event in Sotheby’s annual calendar in 2023.
The touch of Queen Elizabeth
Andres White Correal continues: “I am moved by the fact that, alongside the most dazzling royal jewels, we were able to present – and find a new home for – an object as humble as it is historically significant: a sample of embroidery used to create the famous coronation gown of Queen Elizabeth II, designed by Norman Hartnell in 1952.”
And then we return to the French crown: “The result of over $3.6 million for the light pink diamond ring, with over three centuries of traceable noble history, was also unforgettable: second only in value to the famous Mazarin light pink diamond, once part of the French crown jewels. (…) I can’t wait to curate next year’s auction.” An interesting fact: Sotheby’s Noble and Royal auction also featured Lady Diana’s famous Attallah Cross.
Sotheby’s other jewelry auction, “The High Jewelry Sale,” and the disappearance of the pink diamond
Also on November 12, Sotheby’s other high jewelry auction, the High Jewelry Sale, performed well, generating a total of $36,997,429 / CHF 29,788,590, with 94% of lots sold, 98% above the minimum estimate and over 75% above the maximum estimate. The percentages of lots sold are similar to those of Christie’s, although the total is about half: the total proceeds from Sotheby’s jewelry auctions were $51,326,376 / 41,325,584 Swiss francs.
The highly anticipated pink diamond The Glowing Rose, estimated at $20,000,000, disappeared from the radar, having been withdrawn before the auction began. Its sale would have equalized the proceeds of Sotheby’s and Christie’s for the Geneva jewelry auctions.
De Grisogono, Sabadini, Cartier: the doctor’s collection
The auction included a selection of nearly forty pieces, “Aria of Jewels: the Collection of a Distinguished Lady”, mostly rare, if not unique, Cartier jewelry. This was the private collection of Antje-Katrin Kühnemann (1945–2025), philanthropist and Germany’s first television doctor, a pioneer in popular medical education. In addition to Cartier, her collection included brightly colored pieces with bold lines by Sabadini and De Grisogono, all of which sold very well. In total, the collection fetched $15.5 million/12.3 million Swiss francs, double the minimum estimate. Other pieces from the collection were included in Sotheby’s Fine Jewelry online-only auction in Geneva.
De Grisogono
Van Cleef & Arpels and the success of yellow diamonds
Another selection of jewelry from a private collection consisting exclusively of Van Cleef & Arpels pieces also far exceeded estimates.
Van Cleef & Arpels yellow diamond earrings, top lot of the High Jewelry auction at $3.3 million
Jessica Wyndham, head of Magnificent Jewels, Sotheby’s Geneva: “With three-quarters of the lots in our High Jewelry Sale selling well above the high estimate and an exceptional sell-through rate, we are delighted to see an extraordinarily strong jewelry market. High-quality colored gemstones, especially those crafted by major maisons such as Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels, continue to achieve exceptional results. In this sale, yellow diamonds captivated collectors, whether in necklaces, rings, or earrings. Rubies also performed very well, and we are delighted to see the excellent performance of De Grisogono, a brand with a distinctive and refined aesthetic. This brings to a close a spectacular year of live jewelry auctions in Geneva, with results that encourage and inspire us as we look ahead to 2026.
