Discovered in Sri Lanka and bought by Cartier in 1913, this sapphire of more than 478 carats seduced a number a famous people, including King Ferdinand of Romania, who gave it to his wife, Marie, in 1921.
In 1913, Cartier managed to buy a sapphire found in Sri Lanka and weighing more than an impressive 478 carats, making it largest in the world at the time.
First set on a sautoir, or long necklace, with seven other sapphires, it was later set alone for greater majesty, and ultimately placed on a pendant hanging from a ring of calibré-cut sapphires. That was the form in which it was displayed at the 1919 Autumn Exhibition held at the glamorous Maria Cristina Hotel in San Sebastian, Spain. The large crowd that thronged to admire it included several members of the Spanish royal family.
But it was the king of Romania, Ferdinand I, who bought the sapphire two years later, in 1921. He gave the stone, hanging from a pendant ring, to his wife Marie. The queen was so thrilled she wore it often, notably donning it for her official portraits.
In 1947 the sapphire, then hanging from a little hoop of diamonds, was bought by a jeweler, probably from the last king of Romania, Michael I.
In 2003 the historic gem came up for auction in Geneva. Ten years later, its owner agreed to lend it to the Grand Palais in Paris for a major exhibition devoted to Cartier.