Historically important wedding jewels once owned by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Spanish royalty will be among the lead items in Christie’s May 13 auction of Magnificent Jewels in Geneva. A pair of ruby and diamond ear pendants and a matching ring, by Van Cleef & Arpels – which Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis gave to Jacqueline Kennedy, the widow of President John F. Kennedy, for their marriage in 1968 are expected to featch $250,000 – $350,000.
The Maria Christina Royal Devant-de-Corsage brooch was presented as a wedding gift in November 1879 from King Alfonso XII of Spain to his wife, the Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria, soon to be Queen Consort and then Queen Regent of Spain. The brooch, currently in the collection of Baroness Thyssen-Bornemizsa, is expected to fetch $1.5 to $2 million, according to the auction house.
The sale of more than 350 pieces of jewelry also includes a 55.5-carat pear-shaped diamond estimated at $8.5 million to $10.5 million, a vivid pink 5.18-carat diamond which is expected to fetch between $9.5 million and $12.5 million, and a 35.1-carat Kashmir sapphire expected to sell for $3 million to $4.2 million.
