The Empress was pictured wearing the choker with her sisters in the 1890s, and it was one of the few jewels she managed to escape with from Russia, owning it until her death in 1928.
Then, the Sapphire Choker was bought by Queen Mary for £6,000, who wore a couple of times in the 1930s.
This would be worth £401,624 in today’s money.
After Queen Mary’s death in 1953, Empress Maria Feodorovna’s Sapphire Choker was inherited by Queen Elizabeth II and was worn only a few times in the 1950s as a choker and also as a bracelet.
