Jewellery belonging to opera singer Maria Callas has fetched $1.87m (£1m) at auction in Switzerland, triple the pre-sale estimate. The 11 pieces were sold by an unnamed heir who had held onto the collection since the soprano's death in 1977.
The most expensive lot in the auction, which took place at Sotheby's in Geneva, was an 11.7-carat diamond ring. La Divina fetched $397,500 (£213,500), nearly five times the original estimate set by auctioneers.
"There was big interest from all over - collectors, professionals and fans of opera," said Sotheby's David Bennett.
"These jewels have never been on the market before."
Bidding was heavy for Callas' 18-carat gold evening bag, trimmed with diamonds, which fetched $45,500 (£24,430) - roughly nine times its pre-sale estimate.
"That was an amazing price," said Stefano Papi, the author of a book on the soprano's stage jewels. "The buyer must be someone who really loved this woman."
A large part of the collection were items given to Maria Callas by her first husband, Giovanni Meneghini, half a century ago.
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