Maharani Set

This fall there seem to be more famous jewels hitting the auction block than usual. As part of the same sale that will auction off Marie Antoinette's pearls on December 12 in London, Christie's will be auctioning off pieces that belonged to Anita Delgado, a Spanish dancer who became the fifth wife of the Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala. In a story fit for a romance novel, Delgado, born in Malaga, Spain in 1890, was seen by the Maharaja in a crowd of onlookers of the marriage King Alfonso XIII in 1906 in Madrid. The smitten Maharaja attended Delgado's dance performances in a cafe and married her in 1907. She became the Maharani of Kapurthala and they had one son, Ajit Singh, in 1908. The couple divorced in 1925. The jewels were left to her son who eventually sold them to the current owners.There are eight pieces total which exemplify fine Art Deco styles. The piece shown here an emerald, diamond and rock crystal necklace, is estimated to sell for over $200,000.