Diamonds, Napoleon brooch up for auction in Geneva

Geneva: Spectacular diamonds valued at tens of millions of dollars will go under the hammer in Geneva next week, alongside a brooch seized from Napole...

Geneva: Spectacular diamonds valued at tens of millions of dollars will go under the hammer in Geneva next week, alongside a brooch seized from Napoleon as he fled the battle of Waterloo.

The unique brooch laden with old mine-cut diamonds, which has been valued at $150,000 to $250,000, will be the star piece at Sotheby's annual Royal & Noble Jewels sale in Geneva on November 12.

The historic jewel was among a number of prized personal belongings Napoleon Bonaparte had brought with him to Waterloo in 1815.

In his haste to flee as his armies were overwhelmed by the combined British and Prussian forces, the French emperor abandoned some of his carriages, including one carrying his precious belongings, when they got stuck in the mud a few miles (kilometres) from the battlefield.

The circular diamond brooch, around 45 millimetres in diameter, has at its centre a large oval diamond weighing 13.04 carats, surrounded by nearly one hundred old diamonds of varying shapes and sizes.