The magnificent 10.38 carat Marie-Thérèse Pink Diamond belonged to Queen Marie Antoinette’s only daughter, the Duchess d’Angoulême, and passed through the Countess de Chambord to the last Queen of Bavaria, now in a JAR Ring going on Auction at Christie’s in New York City next week!

The kite-shaped fancy purple pink diamond weighing 10.38 carats dates back to the mid-18th century, and should most likely also be of Golconda origin, one of the most prized origins in the world revered for their outstanding gemological qualities

The fancy purple-pink modified kite brilliant-cut diamond of 10.38 carats, round diamonds, blackened platinum, unsigned, pink JAR case, accompanied by a gold and silver hairpin, circa likely 1868, pink JAR ring case and fitted purple hairpin case.

The Pink Diamond dates to the mid-18th century and originates from Princess Marie-Thérèse of France, the Duchess d’Angoulême.

According to royal tradition, the queen entrusted her jewels to her loyal coiffeur before her failed escape from Paris in 1791. Many of those jewels were later passed to Marie-Thérèse. While uncertain if this specific diamond was among the storied cache, what is known is that the jewel belonged to Marie-Thérèse.

The Queen’s jewels — from necklaces, earrings and bracelets to tiaras and hair ornaments — were crafted from the finest pearls, rubies, sapphires and diamonds of all shapes and sizes. She commissioned pieces from renowned royal jewellers such as Boehmer and Bassenge, and even borrowed a small fortune from her husband, King Louis XVI, in pursuit of a pair of diamond bracelets.

After her execution in 1793, her eldest daughter, Marie-Thérèse, was sent to the Queen’s home country of Austria. There, she was reunited with items from her mother’s jewellery collection that had been entrusted to Marie Antoinette’s coiffeur during the Revolution. Amongst the jewels secreted out of France were a dazzling set of large, pear-shaped diamond earrings now in the collection of the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History as well as an exquisite pair of diamond bracelets that were sold at Christie’s in 2021.

The Duchess d’Angoulême bequeathed the Pink Diamond to her niece, the Countess de Chambord, who in turn left it to her niece, Queen Marie Theresa of Bavaria, remaining in the Bavarian Royal Family until 1996.

Marie-Thérèse bequeathed it to her niece, Duchess Marie-Thérèse de Chambord, and was later acquired by Queen Marie Theresa of Bavaria, who referred to it in her will as ‘a pink solitaire diamond from Aunt Chambord.’ It remained part of the royal family’s own storied collection and was henceforth passed down for generations until it sold in 1996.

At some point, the current owner of the Marie-Thérèse Pink Diamond had the piece set into a ring by the legendary jewellery designer JAR.

Later, the current owner tapped legendary jewellery designer Joel Arthur Rosenthal, known as JAR, to design a new setting for the diamond as the centrepiece of a stunning ring.

The kite-shaped diamond in the JAR ring on offer this June harkens to the opulence of French court life, in which Marie-Thérèse was raised. In his refashioning of the royal diamond, the acclaimed jeweller, who produces only a few pieces per year, set the stone atop two rings of pavé diamonds and used a pavé setting for the band.

Above the large centre Marie-Thérèse diamond in the ring he designed for the present owner is a sparkling fleur-de-lis composed of 17 diamonds. ‘It’s a modern design by JAR, and yet if you look closely, it’s reminiscent of a crown,’ says Kadakia. ‘He took into account the royal history of the stone while making it of-the-moment.’

Now, the Marie-Thérèse Pink Diamond is going on Auction at the Christie’s ‘Magnificent Jewels’ Sale in New York City next week, with a pre-sale estimate of USD 3,000,000 – USD 5,000,000.

‘It has everything you could want in a piece of jewellery,’ says Rahul Kadakia, Christie’s International Head of Jewellery. ‘The stone — likely from the prized Indian region of Golconda — has several shades of soft colours, flashing purple and pink from different angles. And it’s been transformed into a masterpiece by JAR, all while carrying the splendour of royal provenance.’

A glittering artefact of European history, this precious ring boasts unmatched provenance and is a wearable conversation between the centuries. The next owner will get to steward this incomparable jewel into a new era.

Queen Marie Antoinette’s Pearl Necklace

Diamond Bracelets

Royal Jewels from the Bourbon Parma Family

Empress Eugénie’s Pearl Tiara