GENEVA (AP) — A diamond brooch that French emperor Napoleon lost while fleeing from the Battle of Waterloo in the early 19th century sold for more than 3.5 million Swiss francs (about $4.4 million) at a Geneva auction on Wednesday, Sotheby's said.
The brooch, which can also be worn as a pendant, features an oval diamond weighing over 13 carats surrounded by smaller cut diamonds. The sale price vastly outstripped the high end of the pre-sale estimate of 200,000 francs.
The hammer price was 2.85 million francs, excluding fees and other charges that were included in the final aggregate price.
The circular jewel was found in a stash of Napoleon's personal belongings in carriages that got held up on muddy roads as he and his troops fled the Duke of Wellington's British forces and the Prussian army under Field Marshal von Blücher, Sotheby's said.
For more than two centuries, the jewels featured as part of heirlooms of the Prussian Royal House of Hohenzollern. Sotheby's did not disclose the identity of the seller, and said that the buyer was a “private collector.”
Among dozens of lots on the block was a green beryl weighing over 132 carats, which Napoleon was said to have worn at his 1804 coronation. The jewel sold for a hammer price of 838,000 francs, or more than 17 times the high-end pre-sale estimate.
One diamond expert said the sale took on added allure in the wake of the much-ballyhooed robbery of Napoleonic jewels from the Louvre museum in Paris last month.
“Given the recent Louvre heist and the provenance of arguably the most famous French figure in history, I’m not surprised the jewel achieved a majestic 3.5 million francs," said Tobias Kormind, managing director of online jeweler 77 Diamonds. “The brooch arrives at a moment of renewed global fascination with Napoleonic jewels, and its story is irresistible.”
Sotheby's also held a “high jewelry” auction on Wednesday, but before the start announced that the standout item — a 10-carat pink diamond tentatively known as the “Glowing Rose” — had been withdrawn.
The auction house said later that the lot had been withdrawn “following discussions with the consignor,” or owner, without elaborating. The gem had been expected to fetch about $20 million. Its owner was not identified.
A Sotheby's employee displays a green beryl, over 132 carats, which Napoleon was said to have worn at his 1804 coronation, and a diamond brooch once owned by emperor Napoleon, during a preview at Sotheby's in Geneva, Switzerland, Thursday Nov. 6, 2025. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)
A Sotheby's employee displays a green beryl, over 132 carats, which Napoleon was said to have worn at his 1804 coronation, during a preview at Sotheby's in Geneva, Switzerland, Thursday Nov. 6, 2025. The jewel sold for a hammer price of 838,000 francs. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)
A Sotheby's employee displays an old mine-cut diamond brooch or pendant owned by Emperor Napoleon I, circa 1810, during a preview at Sotheby's in Geneva, Switzerland, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)
MILAN (AP) — Olympic organizers are “100%” confident the NHL won’t pull out of the Milan Cortina Games with the new ice hockey arena finally ready. Or almost.
Construction delays and other concerns about the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena have drawn headlines for weeks ahead of the NHL returning to the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014 and the women’s tournament opening on Feb. 5.
The NHL has expressed concern about the construction and quality of the ice surface. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said last month in Winnipeg that the league would not send its players if there were any safety concerns.
When Andrea Francisi, the chief games operations officer for Milan Cortina, was asked on Friday how confident he was that NHL players would participate, he said, “100%, 100%.”
IOC sports director Pierre Ducrey echoed his sentiments.
“I’m very confident they will be here and it’s going to be extremely exciting,” Ducrey said. “We’re very excited they’re coming back; 12 years, there was a lot of work from a lot people to make sure this happens.
“So, yeah, you will have NHL players here in February and it is going to be amazing.”
The NHL is expected to release a statement at the end of its visit to the new arena, with a delegation at a long-awaited test event over the next three days.
The first match of the test event — the final league and cup games of the domestic season — was briefly delayed to fix what organizers said was a small hole in the ice.
A spokesperson from the Milan Cortina organizing committee told The Associated Press the ice master — Don Moffatt, who works for the Colorado Avalanche — was happy with the ice and reassured them that this was a completely normal occurrence that can happen the first time the ice is skated on.
Florian Wieser, who played in the game, posted to social media: “It was a small hole that was fixed in 5 minutes. Ice was really good, I was surprised how good it was and it will only get better.”
The original test event scheduled in December didn't happen because of the construction delays. The one scheduled this weekend is less than a month out from the women’s competition.
On Friday, the arena was obviously far from complete — in a cosmetic sense at least.
Seats were missing and there was an abundance of plastic sheeting. But organizers said those were just “the finishing touches.”
“The next two days will be really very important because they will allow us, having three matches a day, to test exactly the days as they will be in the Olympics,” Francisi said.
On Monday, International Ice Hockey Federation President Luc Tardif said parts of the arena might not be fully finished on time.
Ducrey thinks there is “no chance at all” it won’t be ready for competition.
“(Tardif) will spend the three days here, he’s going to have an opportunity to see the plans, to see the hockey going on ... but from our perspective it’s clear," Ducrey said. "We knew exactly where the venue would be at at this stage, and we are pleased with the progress.
“A lot more progress will be done so that we are absolutely ready for Games time.”
The men’s Olympic hockey tournament is scheduled from Feb. 11-22, the women’s from Feb. 5-19.
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/winter-olympics
A view of the Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena, where Ice Hockey discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Players battle for the puck during an Hockey Italy's Cup semifinals, SV between Kaltern Caldaro Rothoblaas and HCMV Varese Hockey, at the Olympic test event at the Ice Ockey Arena, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Pierre Ducrey, IOC Sport Director answers reporters at the Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena, where Ice Hockey discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Workers take a break at the Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena, where Ice Hockey discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
An outside view of the Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena, where Ice Hockey discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
