Louis XVIII´s opal from the French Crown JewelsArchived Message
Posted by Arthur on October 1, 2015, 8:39 am, in reply to "Re: Ah! The banner"
In the National Museum of Natural History (Muséum National d´Histoire Naturelle, MNHN) in Paris, you can see several gems of the Crown Jewels´ collection, saved from the auction organized by the republican government in 1887.
Among them is a large oval opal bought in the late 1810s by King Louis XVIII, with beautiful white milky shades. It was used by Charles X (Louis XVIII´s brother and successor) as the clasp of his Coronation cloak, and was later mounted by Empress Eugenie as a brooch (she had the surround of small diamonds added):
Pictures from Lorenzo´s website:
From the MNHN´s website:
Here worn by King Charles X (on his shoulder, as the clasp of his Coronation cloak):