Russian necklace to go under the hammer
Once worn around the neck of a young royal in St Petersburg during the reign of Peter the Great (1682-1725), who had asked that the imperial jewels be kept in the Diamond Room at the Winter Palace, the necklace in the photo and the rest of the collection were taken to Moscow by the Russians in fear of a German invasion in World War I. When the collection reached Moscow, it was confiscated and kept until the end of the war. Agathon Faberge, from the family of the famous jewelers to the imperial family, oversaw the evaluation. A catalog, «Russia’s Treasury of Diamonds and Precious Gems,» was published in Russia in 1925 and translated into English, French and German by Professor A.E. Fersman. As soon as it was published, a number of jewels were sold to English and American buyers. The necklace that Sotheby’s will auction on November 17 in Geneva was auctioned in 1927 and was bought by a London jeweler. It was later bought by a collector and has remained in a private collection ever since. The necklace is made of 26 rectangular diamonds and closes with a removable bow that can be worn separately.
