Romanov Sapphire worn at imperial Russia's last great ball is expected to fetch up to £1.5m in Geneva
Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, whose sapphire passed through Soviet dispersal sales and opera singer Ganna Walska before reaching Cartier ahead of its November sale.
The 197.80-carat unheated Ceylon sapphire is being sold by Sotheby's in Geneva on 11 November as part of a royal and noble jewels sale, with virtually no comparable pieces reaching market — almost all documented Russian Crown Jewels were dispersed by the Soviets between 1927 and 1936 and lost to history.
The same sale features Cartier's Devonshire black opal tiara and necklace, tipped to fetch up to £998,000, last seen in public when director Emerald Fennell wore it at the 'Wuthering Heights' London premiere.
Maria Feodorovna was the mother of Tsar Nicholas II, who was executed by revolutionaries in 1917, making the sapphire a direct link to the final moments of the Romanov dynasty.
