This drop-shaped natural pearl pendant sold in 2018 at Sotheby’s in Geneva, and was billed as a once in a lifetime purchase.

This was the crowning piece in a set of 10 pieces formerly owned by the Queen Marie Antoinette, some of which had not been seen in public for 200 years until the auction date, which is why we absolutely had to included it on our list of the most expensive things sold at auction as of 2023.

The last Queen of France before the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette was the wife of King Louis XVI. Both were executed during the uprising in the 18th Century that brought down the aloof opulence of French royals.

She smuggled some of her most treasured possessions to her relatives during the revolution.

The pendant sold for $36,000,000 at Sotheby’s.