The 35-carat "Beau Sancy" diamond was worn by Marie de Medici, Queen consort of Henry IV, at her coronation in 1610. Five bidders spanning three continents competed for the historic jewel at a Sotheby's auction where there was little evidence of the current global financial woes. An anonymous telephone bidder purchased the jewel, put on the market by the House of Prussia and described by Sotheby's as one of the "most fascinating and romantic" gems ever to come to auction.u00a0

The buyer paid 9,042,500 Swiss francs (USD 9,699,618) including the buyer's premium for the pear-shaped, double rose cut diamond -- more than double the USD 2 million to USD 4 million estimate. "You are buying an historic work of art -- you are not buying a diamond," said Philipp Herzog von Wuerttenberg, chairman of Sotheby's Europe, following the sale. "I fell in love with it when I saw it. It's the cut, it's the history," he said.u00a0