There is nothing more exciting in the jewellery world than a jewel with royal provenance, especially when said jewel has not been seen at auction for over 125 years.
Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, was the leader of European fashion and assembled a large collection of jewels. From the beginning of her reign in 1853, Empress Eugenie did much to enhance the reputation of the French haute joaillerie, which at the time supplied the whole of Europe. She favored the famous Parisian firm Bapst, being the court jewellers for over 200 years at the time, for its very subtle designs in the form of foliage from which hung aiguillettes or pampilles.
