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97:, etc., all demonstrate a predilection for highly decorative flourishes in the framework. These range from silver scrollwork and floral motifs to complex interwoven curves. In contrast, the Napoleon Diamond Necklace is relatively simple and elegant. It consists of a single silver thread, with gold settings containing 28
378:. In 1960, Weiller sold the Napoleon Diamond Necklace to Harry Winston, who believed that the historical value of the piece would make it more valuable than if the stones were removed and resold individually, as was common practice at the time. As such, he kept it intact, reselling it the same year to
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on March 1, 1930, along with initial reports that the
Townsends had removed several stones from the necklace to sell separately. These turned out to be false, but the pair fled the country and were never caught. "Princess Baronti" wrote in her self-published 1935 autobiography that the two of them
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and again to a private collector in the
Netherlands. After meeting with little success, she engaged two people presenting themselves as Colonel Townsend of the British Secret Service and Princess Gervez Baronti, daughter of Prince Baronti of Italy, to sell the necklace on commission in the United
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The profligate use of diamonds in the piece—an incredibly rare gemstone given that modern sources such as South Africa and
Siberia had yet to be tapped—was a deliberate display of extravagance on Napoleon's part. To emphasise this, he had the value of the completed necklace assessed by a separate
181:) and the Napoleon Diamond Necklace from Marie-Étienne Nitot, his official court jeweler. He ordered that "all the leading jewelers of the world" be assembled to contribute the necessary number of diamonds. The necklace was designed by Nitot himself, and produced by his company in Paris,
336:, and enlisted her help in retrieving her property. Eisenmenger approached Michel, who eventually agreed to return the necklace for $ 50,000, taking a personal loss of $ 10,000 from the sale. She also sought legal redress on Maria Theresa's behalf. Soon after,
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the theft itself, and a separate charge of grand larceny for theft of the proceeds, having accepted $ 20,000 from the
Townsends as payment for his character reference. Leopold voluntarily turned himself in and spent twelve days in
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in 1929, Maria
Theresa sought to sell the Napoleon Diamond Necklace along with other inherited jewelry to bolster the family's finances. She made several attempts to sell it through agents, first to
220:. As the necklace was part of her personal belongings, rather than state property like the Crown Jewels, Marie Louise took it with her when she left the country herself. She eventually settled in
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crystal imperfections. The total weight of the diamonds is estimated at 263 carats (52.6 g), and the weight of the largest diamond alone is estimated to be about 10.4 carats (2.08 g).
398:. The donation also included the original leather case for the necklace, commissioned by Napoleon in the empress's official colours (green and gold) and inscribed with her initials.
262:. As an exquisite and fashionable piece of jewelry with an insterestingly-storied history, Maria Theresa took every opportunity to wear the necklace to state events, including the
243:. Two diamonds were removed from the necklace to shorten it, at the request of Princess Sophie. These diamonds were fitted to a pair of earrings, whose location is now unknown.
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in 1883, where it proved popular enough among the guests that the Tsar requested it be displayed under guard to guests for several hours each day for the following week.
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passed through
Chicago and then to England before separating, with Townsend planning to move to Japan and Baronti herself travelling to India until the scandal passed.
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After resolving the incident, Maria
Theresa held the necklace until her death in 1944. Four years later, the Habsburg family sold it to the French industrialist
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diamond. The four oval pendeloques are mounted above designs which incorporate 23 brilliant cut diamonds each. Each briolette mounting is set with 12
325:, for $ 60,000. From that price, the pair claimed $ 52,730 as expenses, remitting only $ 7,270 of the promised $ 450,000 back to Maria Theresa.
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In 1810, Napoleon divorced the
Empress Joséphine, as she proved to be incapable of producing an heir. He re-married two months later to
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of
Austria. Karl Ludwig later acquired his brothers' stakes in the necklace, and upon his death in 1896 passed it to his third wife,
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There are several contemporary portraits of Marie Louise wearing the
Napoleon Diamond Necklace, including a number by the artists
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209:, to the Imperial court the same year. This sum was the equivalent of the Empress's entire annual household budget.
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bond. He was eventually acquitted of the first charge, and had his conviction on the second count vacated.
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While the gems of the Napoleon Diamond Necklace have never been professionally graded or weighed by a
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When Sophie died in 1872, the necklace was jointly inherited by her three surviving sons, Archdukes
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185:. Nitot had been commissioned to create several other pieces for the Emperor in the past, including
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The Napoleon Diamond Necklace is somewhat atypical of other contemporary works produced by
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560:"Portrait of Marie-Louise, Empress of France with Her son Napoleon II, King of Rome"
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Gaillou, EloĂŻse; Post, Jeffrey; "An Examination of the Napoleon Diamond Necklace",
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Gaillou, EloĂŻse; Post, Jeffrey; "An Examination of the Napoleon Diamond Necklace",
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Gaillou, EloĂŻse; Post, Jeffrey; "An Examination of the Napoleon Diamond Necklace",
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and Giovan Battista Borghesi. Several years later, in 1815, Napoleon was exiled to
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With her son having pre-deceased her, the death of Marie Louise in 1847 saw her
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diamonds, bringing the total number of diamonds mounted in the necklace to 234.
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109:-cut diamonds. The five pear-shaped pendeloques are each mounted below a small
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81:. Other pieces commissioned from him by Emperor Napoleon, such as the two
321:, the pair eventually sold the necklace to David Michel, a gem dealer in
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analysis of the diamonds has shown that they are primarily colourless
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diamonds. Coming off of the central thread is a fringe of alternating
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532:(New York), March 1, 1930. pp. 1, 8. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
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States. The pair had enlisted Maria Theresa's destitute nephew,
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There is little evidence that the pair attempted to reach that
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variety. A number of the Type Ia diamonds show indications of
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wearing the Napoleon Diamond Necklace (bottom-most), c.1900
173:. To celebrate, in June 1811 Napoleon I commissioned two
124:(as they have never been removed from their mountings),
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announced that the Townsends were sought on counts of
317:, an attorney named Harry Berenson, and the socialite
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Napoleon Necklace Reported Missing; Crain Orders Hunt
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in 1962, and it has since remained on display at the
424:The Smithsonian National Gem Collection: Unearthed
205:. Paltscho presented his assessment, 376,274
479:Recent Research on the Napoléon Diamond Necklace
23:The Napoleon Diamond Necklace on display at the
580:"Portrait of Marie-Louise as Empress of France"
642:, January 1, 2007. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
328:When informed of the sale, Maria Theresa gave
313:; after failed negotiations with the jeweler
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358:Archduke Leopold was brought up charges of
235:. The Napoleon Diamond Necklace passed to
169:. Within a year, Marie Louise bore a son,
332:to her friend Anna Eisenmenger, wife of
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679:Jewelry in the Smithsonian Institution
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85:celebrating the Emperor's marriage to
621:Life and Loves of a Prodigal Daughter
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161:wearing the Napoleon Diamond Necklace
52:c. 1811–1812 from the Parisian
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382:. Post donated the necklace to the
167:Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria
87:Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria
483:National Museum of Natural History
388:National Museum of Natural History
64:National Museum of Natural History
28:National Museum of Natural History
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342:New York County District Attorney
600:"Maria Luigia, Duchess of Parma"
241:Archduke Franz Karl of Austria
159:Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma
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485:. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
422:Post, Jeffrey Edward (2021).
237:Archduchess Sophie of Austria
300:Archduke Leopold of Habsburg
231:split between her remaining
177:(one of which included the
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380:Marjorie Merriweather Post
348:. The scandal reached the
319:Marjorie Merriweather Post
623:, Baronte Press (London).
283:Maria Theresa of Portugal
260:Maria Theresa of Portugal
93:, the wedding jewels for
39:Napoleon Diamond Necklace
604:Giovan Battista Borghesi
191:Josephine de Beauharnais
619:Gervee Baronte (1935),
384:Smithsonian Institution
550:(Winter 2007), p. 352.
494:McLynn, Frank (1998).
463:(Winter 2007), p. 355.
450:(Winter 2007), p. 353.
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187:Napoleon's papal tiara
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126:infrared spectroscopic
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669:Individual necklaces
639:Smithsonian Magazine
608:on Wikimedia Commons
588:on Wikimedia Commons
568:on Wikimedia Commons
289:At the start of the
183:The House of Chaumet
50:Napoleon I of France
360:aiding and abetting
179:Marie Louise Diadem
91:Marie Louise Diadem
79:Marie-Étienne Nitot
59:. It is now in the
57:Marie-Étienne Nitot
634:Diamonds Unearthed
632:Lineberry, Cate; "
376:Paul-Louis Weiller
338:Thomas C. T. Crain
334:Victor Eisenmenger
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268:Tsar Alexander III
233:Habsburg relatives
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248:Karl Ludwig
171:Napoleon II
73:Description
61:Smithsonian
25:Smithsonian
659:1811 works
653:Categories
498:, p. 465.
426:. Abrams.
402:References
264:coronation
144:Provenance
103:pendeloque
365:The Tombs
306:450,000.
197:jeweler,
149:Habsburgs
107:briolette
105:-cut and
674:Napoleon
606:(1839) (
586:(1812) (
566:(1811) (
496:Napoleon
134:Type IIa
122:lapidary
115:rose cut
99:mine-cut
46:necklace
664:Diamond
175:parures
138:sulfide
130:Type Ia
83:parures
54:jeweler
43:diamond
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340:, the
254:, and
229:estate
203:Vienna
89:, the
222:Parma
41:is a
500:ISBN
428:ISBN
369:bail
304:US$
37:The
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
