Today marks the Anniversary of the Birth of Princess Eugenie of Greece, who was born on this day in 1910! The Greek Princess, cousin of many prominent royals, who was married first to a Radziwiłł Prince and then to a German-Italian Prince, the Princess possessed several spectacular jewels, which included the magnificent Castel Duino Mellerio Sapphire Necklace!
The Mellerio dits Meller Sapphire and Diamond Demi-Parure featurs a necklace designed as a chain of eleven clusters each set with an oval sapphire within a diamond border supporting diamond swags and decorated to the front with three detachable drops, each set with an sapphire within a border of diamonds surmounted by a diamond ribbon bow motif and supporting three sapphire and diamond drops; with a pair of matching earrings. According to the Mellerio archives, the parure was purchased by the 9th Prince de Ligne, on the occasion of the marriage of his daughter, Princess Marie de Ligne to Prince Alexander von Thurn und Taxis, who became the 1st Duke of Castel Duino in Italy, in 1906.
After her divorce from Prince Dominik Radziwiłł, Princess Eugenie married Prince Raimundo, the 2nd Duke of Castel Duino, the eldest child of Princess Marie and Prince Alexander. In 1953, Princess Eugenie wore the Castel Duino Sapphire Necklace with her Diamond Tiara for the Coronation of her cousin-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II, in London in 1953, which the Duke and Duchess attended with her parents, Prince George and Princess Marie of Greece (who wore her Cartier Olive Wreath Tiara), who officially represented the Greek Royal Family.
In 1956, Princess Eugenie wore her Diamond Tiara and the Castel Duino Sapphire Necklace for a Banquet at Élysée Palace during the Greek State Visit to France as well as for the Order of Amaranth Ball in 1956.
She also wore the Parure for the Wedding Ball of Prince Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece in 1962.
The following year, Princess Eugenie wore the Castel Duino Mellerio Sapphire Necklace with her Diamond Tiara for the Greek Monarchy Centenary Celebrations in Athens.
When Princess Eugenie divorced the Duke of Castel Duino in 1965, and the Mellerio Necklace was retained by him. After his death in 1986, the Mellerio Sapphire Parure was inherited by their son Prince Carlo Alessandro della Torre e Tasso, 3rd Duke of Castel Duino, who auctioned it at Sotheby’s in 2010, along with Queen Olga’s Pearl Brooch, when it sold for 482,500 CHF, much higher than the estimate of 160,000 — 215,000 CHF. The current location is unknown.
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