French crown jewel to return to France

0 Comments | AFP, April, 2008

PARIS (AFP) — A rare 141-carat diamond bow brooch made for Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, is to return to France, more than 100 years after it was sold by the government, the Louvre Museum said Tuesday.

The historic jewel made in 1855 by Parisian jeweler Francois Kramer was purchased from Christie's in New York for 6.72 million euros (10.8 million dollars) on April 18, a museum statement said.

The Louvre was able to make the purchase with a five-million-euro private donation and other museum funds.

Most of the French crown jewels were sold off at auction in 1887, with the empress' bow brooch sold to jeweler Emile Schlesinger who acquired it for Caroline Astor, a prominent American socialite.

The broach purchased for 42,400 French francs...