Happy New Year! Perhaps you were celebrating last night with some festive jewels but in the event you weren’t, and are feeling a bit bleary eyed this morning, here is something to wake you up.

This gorgeous Faberge tiara, made by master craftsman August Holmström, has always been in the hands of royalty. Auctioned by Christie’s in 2007, here is it’s provenance up that point (the tiara was sold by Italy’s Princess of Savoy):

Queen Maria José inherited the tiara from her brother Prince Charles Theodore (1903 -1983). In his will, this exceptional jewel is referred to as ‘The Empress Josephine Tiara’ on account of the fact that the briolette-cut diamonds in the tiara were a gift from Tsar Alexander I of Russia to the Empress Josephine. The Tsar used to bring presents for Josephine when he visited her at La Malmaison, following her divorce from Napoleon.

It was purchased after the First World War in Switzerland by the King of Belgium from the collection of the Dukes of Leuchtenberg, a title first granted to Eugene de Beauharnais, son of the Empress Josephine, and adopted son of Napoleon, on the occasion of his marriage to Princess Augusta Amalia, daughter of King Maximilian of Bavaria. Their youngest child, Prince Maximilian Joseph married in 1839 Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia, eldest daughter of Tsar Nicholas I.

The tiara had a presale estimate of $788,800 – $1,183,200; the hammer price including buyer’s premium was nearly double the high estimate at $2,071,389.

Hope your 2013 is sparkling!