According to 'Queens Jewels', in spring 2001, a precious stones expert with Sothebys was contacted to appraise a parure which for more than 50 years had sat inside a safe in a California bank wrapped in newspaper. She discovered an extraordinary collection of peridots, each the size of an apricot, mounted on a diadem, a necklace, a brooch and a pair of earrings. Next to the jewelry was a crumpled photograph of Archduchess Isabella of Austria, an aunt of the last emperor, Karl I. The jewelry was the peridot and diamond parure that she had worn when her nephew was crowned King of Hungary in 1916. Sold after her death, it was purchased by a hungarian aristocrat whose dayghter fled to the US after WWII. the jewelry was put up for sale in London on June 20th, 2001 and sold for 256,000 pounds sterling. There was one photo of a close-up of the stones, but I don't have the capabilities of getting it here. Peridots are probably my least favorite gemstone, but the fact that a royal has worn them raises my opinion of them slightly. These were darker than most peridots nowadays - almost emerald green. I wish I could see the photo of the Archduchess dressed in court regalia at the coronation wearing the parure.
