Napoleon’s lost diamond brooch fetches $4.4 million at Sotheby’s auction
A diamond brooch once belonging to Napoleon Bonaparte has sold for 3.5 million Swiss francs, equivalent to about $4.4 million, at a Sotheby’s auction in Geneva. The sale far exceeded its pre-sale estimate and reignited global fascination with Napoleonic treasures. The rare jewel is believed to have been lost during Napoleon’s retreat from the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
The oval-shaped brooch features a 13.04-carat diamond surrounded by nearly one hundred smaller diamonds. It had been valued between 120,000 and 200,000 Swiss francs. The final hammer price, excluding fees, was more than fourteen times higher than its upper estimate. Sotheby’s described the result as a reflection of the lasting appeal of Napoleonic history and craftsmanship.
A relic of Waterloo
According to Sotheby’s, the jewel was discovered among Napoleon’s abandoned possessions after his forces became stuck in the mud while fleeing the combined British and Prussian armies on June 18, 1815. Prussian officer Lieutenant von Pless reportedly presented the brooch to King Friedrich Wilhelm III three days later, calling it “so rare it should belong only to the Prussian Crown.”
The brooch remained within the Hohenzollern royal family for more than two centuries before passing into private ownership. Sotheby’s did not reveal the identities of either the seller or the buyer, describing the new owner only as a private collector.
Renewed global interest in Napoleonic jewels
The auction took place amid heightened international attention following the theft of eight royal jewels from the Louvre Museum in Paris last month. The stolen pieces, valued at about eighty-eight million euros, included emerald earrings that Napoleon had gifted to Empress Marie-Louise.
Sotheby’s sale also featured a one hundred thirty-two carat green beryl believed to have been worn by Napoleon during his coronation in 1804. It sold for 838,000 Swiss francs, seventeen times its estimate. The event’s expected highlight, a ten carat pink diamond known as The Glowing Rose, was withdrawn shortly before the auction began.
Tobias Kormind, managing director of London-based jeweler 77 Diamonds, said the brooch’s record price reflects a “renewed global fascination with Napoleonic jewels” and their remarkable provenance.
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