The pair of natural pearl and diamond earrings, lot 396, is a prestigious vestige of the jewellery which belonged to Princess Josephine of Belgium, sister to King Albert I of Belgium. Her collection essentially consisted of wedding presents received when she married Prince Karl Anton Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen in 1894. The most important jewels came from her parents, the Count and Countess of Flanders, her uncle, King Leopold II of Belgium, and her godmother, Queen Carola of Saxony.
As can be seen in several portraits, already early in her marriage, the present pair of earrings was one of Princess Josephine's favorite jewel. It appears to be one of the very few to have survived the torments of World War II.
Josephine of Saxony-Coburg and Gotha (1872-1958), princess of Belgium, married Prince Karl Anton of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1868-1919) in 1894, brother of King Ferdinand I of Romania. The couple had four children and lived in Namedy Castle, Germany. In 1935, Princess Josephine returned to live in Belgium where she died in 1958.

Bibliography:
C. Vachaudez, Bijoux des reines et princesses de Belgique, 2004, Racine Editions, pp. 86-88.

We would like to thank Mr. Xavier Dufestel for identifying this lot and providing the historical catalogue entry.