A diamond and pearl necklace dubbed “The Swan Lake Suite”, which was owned by the late Princess Diana, is expected to sell for up to $15 million when it goes on auction at Guernsey’s in New York City next month (June 27).
The platinum necklace is set with 164 brilliant-cut diamonds and 14 marquise diamonds and weighs almost 50 carats. It also features five South Sea cultured pearls. Matching earrings are made with 9.38 carats of diamonds.
The piece is named after a ballet performance that she attended in London while wearing it in June 1997. It was commissioned by Dodi Fayed, the princess’s boyfriend at the time, as a gift. She adorned the necklace during a gala opening of the ballet season at the Royal Albert Hall.
According to the report, the necklace “was then returned to crown jeweler Garrard so they could finish the earrings,” but the princess never received them. She and Fayed both died in a car crash in Paris in August 1997.
The suite is currently owned by a “prominent family” in Ukraine, according to auctioneer Guernsey’s, and part of the proceeds of the sale will go towards rebuilding the war-torn country.
