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Updated on 12 November 2026 : the 197.80-carat Romanov sapphire sold for 4.1 million francs on Wednesday 11 November 2026 at Sotheby’s Geneva, more than double its 1.7 million estimate. The sale of “royal and noble” jewels totalled 15.3 million francs.
Background
Auction house Sotheby's is holding a sale of jewelleryin Geneva. It features pieces that once belonged to royal families. The sale is announced for the Wednesday after 5 November 2026, according to AFP as reported by Bilan.
The key points
The star lot is a Romanov sapphire of 197.80 carats, linked to the Russian imperial court. This cushion-cut Ceylon sapphire measures about 3.5 cm by 3 cm. It is estimated at between 850,000 and 1.7 million francs.
According to Sotheby's, the stone entered the Romanov collection in the mid-19th century. After the Bolshevik revolution of 1917, it was put up for sale. How it reached Cartier remains unknown. Opera singer Ganna Walska bought it in 1927. It returned to auction in 1971, then in Geneva in 1992. In 2015, Cartier created its current setting, a diamond-set bracelet.
The sale also includes a Mellerio tiara in diamonds, shown in London in 1862 and then passed down in the Orléans family. A transformable Cartier jewel in black opals completes the offer. The Duchess of Devonshire wore it at the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953.
Key figures
- 197.80 carats : weight of the Romanov sapphire
- 850,000 to 1.7 million francs : estimate for the sapphire
- CHF 300,000 to 500,000 : estimate for the Mellerio tiara
- 780,000 to 1.1 million francs : estimate for the Cartier opal jewel
Who says what
- Andres White Correal (Chairman of Sotheby's jewellery division): the stone reached Cartier “nobody knows how”.
Further reading
Sources
- Bilan (AFP) – Sotheby’s puts a Romanov sapphire up for auction in Geneva
- Blick – Geneva: a Romanov sapphire smashes auction expectations
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