Queen Marie of Romania’s Cartier Sapphire Pendant

In 2003, this 478 ct #sapphire sold for CHF 1.9mn at a Christies’ auction. 104 years earlier, it was the star of the show in a post-WW1 Cartier jewellery exhibition in Louis Cartier’s favourite seaside town of San Sebastián. Back then, it attracted significant interest but failed to sell: when Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain tried it on, her husband remarked of the 1.25mn franc price tag: “Only the nouveaux riches can afford such luxuries…we kings are the nouveaux pauvres of today!”.

A couple of years later, however, it was a king who ended up buying it: King Ferdinand of Romania. He gave it to his glamorous wife, Queen Marie (wearing it here in a 1924 portrait by de Lazslo), as a coronation gift and she wore it often, especially as it went so well with her newly acquired Cartier Vladimir #sapphiretiara (one of the many Romanov jewels smuggled out of Russia during the revolution and sold to fund a life in exile).

As queen, Marie was one of the first royals to become a modern celebrity, thanks to her brilliant negotiating skills at the Treaty of Versailles, her willingness to engage with people of all backgrounds and her readiness to publish books and articles. When she visited the US in 1926 to “see the country, meet the people and put Romania on the map”, #PierreCartier invited her to #CartierNewYork (he seemed “very eager that I should visit his shop”). Much to his delight, she agreed and the visit made it into all the papers. But that wasn’t enough for savvy businessman Pierre: determined to ensure the royal magic remained long after the press had died away, he made a plaque for the chair the Queen had sat on, reading: “On this chair sat her Majesty, Queen Marie of Romania, when she paid a visit to the House of Cartier.” He instinctively understood the power of celebrity endorsement and that by impressing a potential client, he was halfway to a sale.

For those interested in hearing and seeing more, check our my webinar where Prince Dimitri and I shared more behind-the-scenes family stories about some seriously impressive #royaljewels and those who wore them...