The brooch was commissioned by Aga Khan in 1960, before the royal gifted the piece to Dyer shortly afterwards.
Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan With His Wife Nina Dyer, After The Wedding Ceremony In Collonge-Bellerive, Near Geneva, August 27, 1958. Photo: Keystone-France/Getty
The rare Aga Khan emerald brooch is set to be sold in Geneva, 55 years after its debut at auction.
It was originally sold at Christie’s on 1 May 1969 for $75,000 at the house’s inaugural Magnificent Jewellery sale at Hotel Richemond in Geneva. A few years after the 1969 auction, the brooch passed through the hands of both Van Cleef & Arpels and Harry Winston.
The emerald brooch, which is expected to fetch up to $8,000,000 at auction.
It will take centre stage in the upcoming auction next month, highlighting Christie’s 55 year-long jewellery auction track record in Switzerland. The pendant will be offered for sale with an estimate price of up to $8,000,000.
The couple At The Horseracing Track Of Chantilly, France, Around 1958, For The Jockey-Club Competition. Photo: Keystone-France/Getty
Nina Dyer was born in Ceylon in February 1930 to an Indian mother, whilst her father was the wealthy British tea plantation owner, Stanley Dyer. Having spent much of her childhood in Ceylon, she travelled to England as a teenager, where she dreamed of becoming an actress.
She quickly began working as a fashion model in London, before moving to France, where she mingled within high society. At the time, Nina had an affair with, and then married, billionaire Baron Hans Heinrich von Thyssen, heir to the vast Thyssen steel and armaments empire. Their marriage was short-lived; both conducted…
