World’s largest freshwater pearl, once owned by Catherine the Great, to sell at auction
The Hague — The world’s largest known freshwater pearl, which once belonged to Catherine the Great, will go on sale in the Netherlands later this month, the auctioneers announced on Thursday. Known as the Sleeping Lion pearl due to its distinctive shape, the pearl was likely formed in the first half of the 18th century in Chinese waters, possibly even the Pearl River. Auction house Venduehuis said the jewel weighs some 120g and is almost 7cm long, making it one of the three largest known pearls in the world. It has an estimated value of between €340,000 and €540,000. Around 1765, the pearl was shipped to Batavia, now Jakarta, by a Dutch merchant of the United East Indies Company. It was there that it came into ownership of the company’s accountant, Hendrik Coenraad Sander. "After Sander passed away, the pearl was auctioned off in Amsterdam in 1778 and acquired by Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia," the auction house said in a statement. Catherine had the pearl displayed in the ...
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