Beau Sancy diamond sells for $9.7 million at Swiss auction
A picture taken on May 10, 2012 shows a model posing with the Beau Sancy diamond during a Sotheby’s auction press preview in Geneva.
A diamond that was passed down through European royalty sold for $9.7 million at a Geneva auction, Agence France Presse reported.
An anonymous bidder purchased the 35-carat Beau Sancy diamond worn by Marie de Medici, Queen consort of Henry IV, at her coronation in 1610.
Five different bidders on three continents competed for the historic jewel at a Sotheby's auction, AFP wrote.
"It's extremely rare for a diamond of this importance to come on the market," David Bennett of Sotheby's told the BBC. "It's never been out of royal hands, it's of immaculate provenance, it's in all the history books of famous stones."
After being worn at Marie de Medici's coronation, the diamond was pawned by Mary Stuart to finance the fight by her brother, the future Charles II, for the English throne, following the English Civil War.
MSNBC reported the "pear double rose cut" stone belonging to Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia and head of the former ruling dynasty of the German empire.
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