[Caitlin]

There is possibly a description of the big bling bling at the bottom of this AGTA article
http://www.agta.org/gtc/20051122-pas...obscurity.html

Christie's Sets New Auction Records
At the recent Christie's Magnificent Jewels sale in Geneva, Switzerland, several new records were set. Foremost among these was a crown set with 1,000 carats of white and yellow diamonds and pearls. It sold for SFr.7,972,000 (US$6,138,440), the highest price for a piece of jewelry sold this year, as well as the most expensive crown ever sold at auction in the world.

The Régente, a large historic pearl from the French Crown Jewels, sold recently at Christie's Geneva for $2.5 million. This pearl measures 17.6 x 20.8 x 28.5 mm and weighs approximately 302.68 grains (75.67 carats). Photo by Denis Hayone – Diode SA; courtesy Christie's; used with permission.

Another exceptional item was the large historic pearl from the French Crown Jewels, La Régente, the fifth largest gem-quality pearl known to exist (Lot 354). It realized SFr.3,628,000 ($2,516,360). It was previously sold by Christie’s Geneva in 1988 for The following article is from the Agta$859,100. According to Christie's:
La Régente, the highly important pearl of incredible size and weight, 302.68 grains, was given by Emperor Napoleon I (1769–1821) to his second wife Marie-Louise in 1811, and originally set in a tiara. In 1853, Napoleon III (1808–1873) put the pearl into a corsage as a wedding present for his future Empress and wife, Eugénie de Montijo. In 1887, when the French Crown Jewels were sold at auction in Paris, the pearl was given the name, La Régente and was purchased by Fabergé of St. Petersburg for Princess Zenaïde Youssoupov (1861–1939), heir to a Russian fortune.
Sold as part of the same collection as La Régente was a unique jewel with more than 1,500 carats of pearls, along with almost 1,000 carats of diamonds and sapphires. It fetched SFr.2,148,000 ($1,653,960). This modern two-part natural pearl necklace was created to set off La Régente at its center. The collection totaled SFr.19 million ($14.7 million) for eighteen pieces, well ahead of pre-sale expectations of $8 million.