A rare, historic pink diamond with ties to French royalty is set to be the centerpiece of an upcoming auction in New York. The 10-carat, kite-shaped gem is believed to have been passed down from French Queen Marie Antoinette to her daughter and has remained hidden from public view for decades. The diamond, set in a ring designed by renowned jeweler Joel Arthur Rosenthal, will be a featured item at Christie’s “Magnificent Jewels” auction on June 17 at Rockefeller Center. It is expected to fetch between $3 million and $5 million. Royal accounts suggest that as Antoinette attempted to flee Paris in 1791, she entrusted her most prized jewels, including this pink diamond, to her hairdresser for safekeeping, with the intention of retrieving them later. The gem has changed hands over generations and was last seen publicly at an auction in Geneva in 1996. (newser)
