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Eva Peron brooch sells for almost $1 million
April 7, 1998
This diamond brooch of the Argentine flag, once owned by Eva Peron, sold for more than eight times its estimated value
Web posted at: 1:39 p.m. EDT (1739 GMT)In this story:
NEW YORK (CNN) -- A diamond and sapphire Argentine flag brooch that once belonged to Eva Peron was sold for $992,500 Monday to an anonymous American bidder. The price far exceeded the highest estimate of Christie's auction house.
Evita, as she was known, was the wife of Juan Peron, who ruled Argentina from 1946 to 1955 and from 1973 to 1974. She loved to be photographed in the brooch, which was made for her by jewelers Van Cleef and Arpels in the early 1950s.
She wore it for many public appearances from 1949 to 1951. Evita died of cancer in 1952 at age 33.
The platinum-set brooch contains seven baguette-cut diamonds, and hundreds of square-cut deep blue sapphires and circular-cut diamonds, with yellow diamonds in the flag's central sun motif.
Argentine bidder stops at $900,000
Among the bidders was Susana Gimenez, host of Argentina's most successful entertainment show "Susana Gimenez." She gave up on the brooch after the price hit $900,000.
The final price, which includes the premium, fetched more than eight times its estimated value of $80,000 to $120,000.
Christie's described the brooch as "a perfect example of the innovative art of the 'serti invisible,' or invisible setting technique, developed in the late 1930s."
The technique sets each tiny stone against its neighbor without any visible mount, and is achieved by precision-cutting grooves into the sides of the gems and sliding them into a latticework of wire seen only from the back.
The brooch was sold as part of Christie's Magnificent Jewels collection, which brought in almost $20 million on Monday. The auction was to continue on Tuesday with the highlight expected to be a collection of blue diamonds seized by the U.S. Customs Service in a 1995 drug bust.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Madonna sings of life as 'Evita' - December 17, 1996
- 'Evita' premieres with star-studded gala - December 15, 1996
Related sites:
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- Christie's Auction House
- Evita Peron - brief biography
- Eva Peron Historical Research Foundation
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
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