Napoleon’s lost jewel sold for $4.4 million at Geneva auction

French emperor Napoleon’s lost jewel has been sold for 3.3 million Swiss francs (almost $4.4 million) at a Geneva auction on Wednesday.

The hammer price for the diamond brooch, which the former emperor lost while fleeing the infamous Battle of Waterloo, was 2.85 million francs.

For context, the Battle of Waterloo marked the end of Napoleonic wars that wreaked havoc across Europe for 23 years. It was fought between Napoleon's French Imperial Army and a coalition of two armies led by the Duke of Wellington and Marshal Blucher in June 1815. The decisive battle of its age ended French attempts to dominate Europe and destroyed Napoleon's imperial power forever.

The circular jewel features a 13 carat circular diamond surrounded by smaller cut diamonds. Its pre-sale price was estimated to be around 200,000 francs; however, it performed well in actual auction.

Sotheby auction house said that the diamond was found in the personal stash of Napoleon's belongings. 

The auction house also kept the identity of the seller and the buyer confidential, stating, “the buyer is a private collector”.

This comes after the recent Louvre museum heist in which thieves stole nearly $102 million of jewels from Napoleon's collection. 

Several arrests have been made but none of the jewels have been recovered yet.