Royal Blue Diamond Surfaces After 300 Years

RAPAPORT... Sotheby's will offer the historic Farnese Blue diamond atits Geneva sale in May, the first time it has been on the market. The pear-shaped, 6.16-carat, fancy dark grey-blue stone - originallygiven to Queen Elisabeth Farnese of Spain as a wedding gift following hermarriage to King Philip V in 1714 - has spent 300 years in the private collection of Europe'sroyal families. The diamond will go under the hammer at the Magnificent Jewelsand Noble Jewels auction on May 15 with an estimated price of $3.7 million to $5.3million. Originating in the Golconda mines of India, it has traveled from Spainto France, Italy and Austria over the last three centuries. The family kept the diamond in a secret royal casket, and,other than family members and the royal jewelers, no one knew of its existence. "With its incredible pedigree, the Farnese Blue ranks amongthe most important historic diamonds in the world," said Philipp Herzog vonW? 1/4 rttemberg, chairman of Sotheby's Europe and managing director of Sotheby's Germany. Queen Elisabeth passed the Farnese Blue to her son Philip, dukeof Parma, whose son Ferdinand inherited it and passed it to his son Louis I, kingof Etruria. Louis's grandson, Charles II, duke of Lucca, passed it to hisgrandson, Robert I, the last ruling duke of Parma, who took the stone fromItaly to Austria. He then mounted the stone on a diadem that had belonged tohis mother, Louise Marie Th?(C)r??se of Artois. Upon the death of Robert I, thestone passed to his son Elias of Bourbon, duke of Parma. His wife, Maria Annavon Habsburg -who died in 1940 -recorded the stone's history. The Farnese Blue will appear at Sotheby's in HongKong, London, New York, Singapore and Taipei, before coming to Geneva for displayprior to the sale.