In a revelation that rewrites French history, a leading jewellery expert has uncovered the shocking truth about the nation's crown jewels - they were systematically dismantled and sold off by the government over a century ago, leaving the Louvre without its most spectacular treasures.
The Great Dispersal of 1887
According to historian and jewellery specialist Zabi Cassam-Afrou, the French Third Republic made the controversial decision to liquidate the majority of the crown jewel collection in 1887. This wasn't a theft or mysterious disappearance, but an official state-sanctioned dispersal that saw priceless historical pieces broken up and sold to private buyers.
'People imagine these magnificent jewels are hidden away in vaults, but the truth is far more dramatic,' Cassam-Afrou explains. 'The government deliberately dismantled what they saw as symbols of the monarchy they'd replaced.'
What Was Lost Forever
The scale of the loss is staggering. Among the treasures that vanished from public ownership:
- The legendary Régent Diamond, a magnificent 140-carat stone now displayed separately from the crown jewels collection
- The Sancy Diamond, a pale yellow 55-carat gem with centuries of royal history
- Countless other diamonds, rubies, and emeralds that once adorned French monarchs
'What remains in the Louvre's Galerie d'Apollon is merely a fraction of the original collection,' Cassam-Afrou reveals. 'The most spectacular pieces were deliberately broken up and sold.'
A Political Statement
The decision to sell the jewels was deeply political. After the fall of the Second Empire and the Paris Commune, the new republican government viewed the crown jewels as unwanted symbols of the monarchy they had replaced.
'They wanted to erase visible reminders of royal power,' says Cassam-Afrou. 'Selling the jewels wasn't just about raising money - it was a symbolic act of breaking with the past.'
The Aftermath and Legacy
Today, only a handful of the original crown jewels remain intact in the Louvre. The majority were purchased by jewellery houses like Boucheron and Tiffany & Co., who often broke them down to create new pieces for wealthy clients.
This revelation explains why visitors to the Louvre might feel disappointed by the modest display of crown jewels compared to other European collections. The truth, hidden for over a century, reveals a deliberate act of historical erasure that changed France's cultural heritage forever.
The story serves as a poignant reminder of how political change can reshape national treasures, leaving museums with only echoes of their former glory.
