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Thanks to that, in 1985, the Counts of Paris were able to pocket five million francs by selling the Louvre the sapphire set, which sat along tiaras, necklaces, and diamond earrings that were stolen this Sunday from the famed museum.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it was much more than stolen jewelry. It\u2019s our history, my history,\u201d wrote Princess Adelaide of Orleans,<\/strong> granddaughter of the aforementioned Countess of Paris, who wore Queen Marie Am\u00e9lie\u2019s jewelry to important life events. \u201cI grew up with this image,\u201d the princess shared on Instagram<\/a> alongside of a picture of her grandmother wearing the jewels, \u201cand today this theft makes me feel like I\u2019ve been uprooted.\u201d She concluded, \u201cjewelry has a soul, a life, a story, it\u2019s not just material values\u2026it\u2019s much more!\u201d<\/p>\n In the 19th century, the jewels had already survived the French Revolution of 1848, when their first owner, Marie Am\u00e9lie de Bourbon-Two Sicilies, queen consort of France, took them with her to her exile from England. In 1864, the then Count of Paris and grandson of Queen Marie Am\u00e9lie married Maria Isabella of Orleans and the sapphires were passed to the jeweler of this princess, with whom the jewels managed to survive further exile until they finally entered the hands of the last woman to wear them. Before selling them to the Louvre, Isabelle, Countess of Paris by marriage, wore them for many of European royalty\u2019s most grand occasions\u2014such as the great ball held in Athens by King Juan Carlos<\/strong> and Queen Sof\u00eda<\/strong> on the eve of their wedding.<\/p>\n Later today, the Louvre robbery will be addressed by museum director Laurence des Cars,<\/strong> who shall address French lawmakers about the heist and ongoing investigation.<\/p>\n Originally published in Vanity Fair Espa\u00f1a<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n