Crown Jewels France| Madame Royale Marie Thérèse Duchess of Angoulême Ruby Parure

France Imperatrice |The Imperial Ruby-Diamond-Parure

Modell der Rubin Parure aus dem 19.Jhdt | France Imperatrice |Replica of the Imperial Ruby-Diamond-Parure

Rubies and Diamonds FROM THE OLD ROYAL COLLECTION, MADE FOR THE DUCHESS OF ANGOULEME , DAUGHTER OF LOUIS XVI and Marie-Antoinette, created in 1816 by crown jeweler Meniere.

When the ruby and diamond Parure was sold on 21. May 1887, the pair of earrings and pendants are offered for 20000 Francs and sold for 25200 Francs to the French jeweler Boin Taburet together with the ruby and diamond pendantif. They have not been seen for 134 years.

One of the diamond ruby earring with pendant survived, now as a brooch.

Christie’s offered it, at auction, in November 2021.

Some more addition at the Louvre – one of the ornaments from the ruby and diamond belt are come up to the light.

At the 1946 auction of the estate of Florence S. Schuette, an antique ruby and diamond necklace was offered for sale, see above. The jewel formed part of a five-piece suite originally owned by the Duchess d’Angoulême and is composed of 318 diamonds and 28 oval and round faceted rubies, totaling approximately 60 carats of diamonds and 25 carats of rubies.

At the 1887 sale of the French Crown Jewels, the necklace was repurchased by its original maker, Bapst. At a later date, it entered the jewel collection of Mrs Florence Schuette, most likely acquired by her first husband, Harry Harkness, heir to the Standard Oil fortune and a well-known social figure of his time.

Florence Streuber—née Harkness, née Gaines, later Schuette—was the daughter of a Pennsylvania oil dealer.
The 1946 auction of her jewellery collection comprised 37 lots, which were acquired by Harry Schuette for a total equivalent to approximately USD 7.156 million in today’s value.

The ruby and diamond necklace was subsequently purchased by Van Cleef & Arpels for the equivalent of approximately USD 396,200 in today’s currency. The Maison has a long tradition of acquiring jewels with royal provenance. It purchased two diadems at the 1887 sale and, in 1953, acquired another diadem that was later reset with turquoise and sold to Marjorie Merriweather Post—where it is now preserved in the Smithsonian Institution.