Thanks Arthur, I'll keep those museums in mind when I plan my next trip to France.
--Previous Message-- : Bob, : : in your tour of French royal and imperial : jewels, I can also suggest you to come back : to Paris and visit the Mineralogy Gallery of : the National Museum of Natural History : (Muséum national d'histoire naturelle). Here : are kept several stones from the former : collection of the Crown Jewels which were : not auctioned in 1887 by the government of : the French Republic. : : These are only unmounted stones, but some of : them were previously part of royal or : imperial parures. : : : : One of the strangest and most beautiful of : these stones is a 135.80 carat rhomboedric : sapphire acquired by King Louis XIV which : had previously belonged to the Roman family : of the Princes Ruspoli - hence the stone is : called the 'Ruspoli Sapphire' or 'Louis : XIV's grand Sapphire'. Until the 19th : century, it was considered to be the most : beautiful and purest sapphire ever found. : : : : : But do not come back too early! The : Mineralogy Gallery of the Museum of Natural : History is currently undergoing a thorough : restoration, it should reopen only in : December 2014. : : There are also several Napoleonic jewels at : the Château de Malmaison, in the city of : Rueil-Malmaison, near Paris. It was Empress : Joséphine's private home, where she died in : 1814, and is now a museum. The jewels there : are only minor jewels, though. : : http://www.bijoux-malmaison-compiegne.fr/html/13/selection/page_selection_vign.php?Ident=R : : You can also go to the southern city of : Nice, near the Italian border, where this : cameo tiara, which had belonged to Empress : Joséphine, is displayed at the Musée : Masséna: : : : : : :