Bernard Morel (Les Joyaux de la Couronne de France, 1988) writes extensively about this extraordinary jewel, which he considers to be the most documented jewel attributed to Marie Antoinette.
He also suggested that the actual mount probably dated back to Marie Therese, Duchess of Angoulême, though the diamonds very likely came from her mother.
Though Morel mentions that the necklace had been sold to ‘A member of a princely family’, he does not seem to have known the name of the maharajah, which makes your finds even more interesting.
Morel also mentions an Indian merchant, though again he doesn’t have a name for him.
Sadly, the conclusion drawn by Morel, who seems to have known the story first hand, is that the necklace was dismantled by its owners following the attempted sale, probably as he suggests, for the diamonds to be sold separately.
On my part, I wonder if, had Queen Mary still been Queen Consort in 1937, she would have persuaded her husband to acquire it ?
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