Old and rose-cut diamonds, drop-shaped natural pearls, 18k white and yellow gold (French customs mark), circa 1830

SSEF, 2025, report n°.147027: 5 saltwater natural pearls, approximately 8.05 - 9.30 x 10.80 mm, 9.70 - 10.80 x 13.70 mm, 8.30 - 9.60 x 11.25 mm, 10.90 - 11.50 mm and 12.70 - 13.20 x 18.30 mm

Diamonds: for an approximate total weight of 10.00-12.00 carats

Size/Dimensions: 8.5 cm
Gross weight: 35.8 grams

Marie Clémentine of Habsburg-Lorraine

Brooch accompanied by a period gold and mother-of-pearl book, serving as an inventory and detailing the provenance and dating of the present brooch:
“Principaux petits bijoux ayant une provenance ou un intérêt historique.
Un collier rivière de diamants laissé à moi par la Princesse de Salerne, lui venait de sa belle-mère l’Impératrice Caroline, 4^ème femme de son père l’Empereur François Ier d’Autriche.
Une plaque de diamants avec paires de perles même provenance que le collier »

Which can be translated into English as follows:
“Main small jewels with provenance or historical interest.
A diamond rivière necklace left to me by the Princess of Salerno, which came from her mother-in-law, Empress Caroline, fourth wife of her father, Emperor Francis I of Austria.
A diamond plaque with matching pairs of pearls, same provenance as the necklace”.

Historical Context and Provenance

This jewel is believed to have belonged to Empress Caroline Augusta of Bavaria (1792–1873), the fourth wife of Emperor Francis I of Austria (1768–1835), who reigned as Emperor of Austria from 1804 until his death in 1835. Caroline Augusta married the Emperor in 1816. Although she had no children of her own, she became the stepmother to the Emperor’s children from his previous marriages.

According to a contemporary inventory, the jewel—described as a diamond plaque with pairs of pearls—was bequeathed by the Princess of Salerno, who inherited it from her mother-in-law, Empress Caroline.
The title Princess of Salerno could plausibly refer to Marie Thérèse of Austria (1816–1867), daughter of Emperor Francis I and thus Caroline Augusta’s stepdaughter. In 1837, Marie Thérèse married Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies, and her sister Marie Caroline of Austria married Leopold, Prince of Salerno. It is therefore possible that the jewel passed through the Austro-Neapolitan branch of the Habsburg family by way of dynastic alliance.

Probable Dating and Style
Given that Caroline Augusta became Empress in 1816, and the jewel was subsequently passed to her stepdaughter, the Princess of Salerno, it is likely that this piece was created between 1816 and the 1830s–1840s.

Stylistically, the jewel corresponds to the Empire or early Biedermeier period in Austria.