Napoleonic brooch-pendant. Top lot in Sotheby’s “white glove” Royal & Noble sale in Geneva on November 12, 2025. Image courtesy of Sotheby’s.
GENEVA – Sotheby’s Royal & Noble Sale on November 12, 2025, was led by the auction of the Napoleonic brooch-pendant, referred to as a hat button which the French Emperor used to sport on his bicorne on special occasions.
In a bidding battle that lasted just under 10 minutes, four phone bidders, one online bidder and another bidder in the auction room, fought over the diamond jewel which eventually made 30 times its low estimate to reach $4,380,534 / 3,527,000 CHF.
It went to a distinguished international collector now in possession of one of the most talked-about historical antique auction jewels of the year.
The Royal and Noble Sale featured another Napoleonic jewel, a historically important unmounted cushion-shaped green beryl weighing 132.66 carats, said to have been worn by Napoleon on his ermine-lined, crimson velvet coronation mantle.
Acquired by a US museum which was bidding online, the substantial gemstone fetched an astonishing price for a beryl stone at $1,041,044 / 838,200 CHF, more than 25 times its low estimate – a clear sign of the timeless potency and currency of Napoleonic jewels of the highest order.
Other highlights included lot 621, a pink diamond ring, once owned by Empress Catherine I of Russia which was more recently in the private collection of Princess Neslishah- Sultan (1921-2012), one of the last great Princesses of the Ottoman Empire – it made 12 times its low estimate to achieve $ 3,622, 914 / 2,917,000 CHF.
“It is a tremendous privilege and honour to achieve a third white-glove Royal and Noble sale with such a wonderfully eclectic collection — a true testament to the enduring power of provenance, whether its origins lie in the courts of Europe, the Ottoman Empire, or the Middle East,” said Andres White Correal, Chairman Jewellery Europe and Middle East, Head of Noble Jewels.
“Among the highlights of tonight’s sale, it would be remiss not to mention the extraordinary result for the Napoleon brooch, which soared beyond our expectations.
“Yet I am equally moved that, amidst the most dazzling royal jewels, we were able to present — and find a new home for — something as modest yet historically significant as the piece of embroidery that served as a sample in the creation of Queen Elizabeth II’s illustrious coronation gown, designed by Norman Hartnell in 1952.
“There is also the extraordinary result at over $3.6 million, for a light pink diamond ring beguiling us with over three hundred years of traceable noble history. It comes only second in value to the famed Mazarin light pink diamond, formerly part of the French crown jewels.”
The High Jewelry Sale
The High Jewelry sale featured a very special collection of nearly 40 pieces, majoring in fabulously rare and often unique Cartier pieces, under the designation ‘Aria of Jewels: the Collection of a Distinguished Lady’.
The private collection belonged to Antje-Katrin Kühnemann (1945-2025), German television’s first ever on-screen doctor who revolutionised the understanding of medicine, illnesses, treatments and well-being with her unparalleled ability to connect across classes and generations.
Ms Kühnemann was also a philanthropist who nurtured a fervent, life-long passion for rare and magnificent jewels.
Other than Cartier, her collection included highly colourful and bold jewels by Sabadini and pieces by De Grisogono which all performed well – altogether, the collection sold for $15.5 million / 12.3 million CHF, twice its low overall estimate.
“With three-quarters of the lots in our High Jewelry sale soaring well above their high estimates, and an exceptionally strong sell-through rate, we happily continue to witness a remarkably robust jewellery market,” said Jessica Wyndham, Head of Magnificent Jewels, Sotheby’s Geneva.
“High-quality coloured gemstones, particularly those created by the great jewellery houses such as Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, are performing outstandingly well. In this sale, yellow diamonds truly captured collectors’ hearts, selling in many forms, from necklaces and rings to earrings.
“Rubies also achieved exceptional results, and we were delighted to see De Grisogono, a brand with a beautifully distinctive aesthetic, perform so strongly.”
