A necklace worn by Princess Diana is being offered for sale for $12 million.
New York auction house Guernsey are accepting offers on the necklace and earring set, which was dubbed the Swan Lake suite after the late Princess wore it to the ballet of the same name in 1997.
The couple from Ukraine who own the set – which is described as the "gift of the century" – are hopeful someone will snap up the impressive jewels, which contain no less than 178 diamonds and five pearls.
A spokesman for Guernsey’s told The Sun newspaper: "Right now they are just entertaining offers. I can’t cite prices but obviously you’re aware of what it sold for previously.
"Markets change and I think the family feel that originally they picked it up for a bit of a song."
The jewellery set was sold in 2010 for £500,000 and the owners are reportedly asking for $12m for the two piece set.
Princess Diana – who had two sons Prince William, 34, and Prince Harry, 32, with her then-husband Prince Charles before her untimely death in August 1997 – never wore the earrings as they were still being completed when she passed away.
However, she loved the necklace so much that she asked to wear it without the earrings before returning the piece of jewellery to the Crown Jeweller so it could be completed.
A previous listing of the item at the auction house reads: "The Crown Jeweler, aware of this special occasion, was pleased to offer Princess Diana his recently completed necklace for her appearance at the ballet. From the hands of The Crown Jeweler and the Garrard craftsmen came a stunning necklace replete with five matched diamonds …
"Following the performance, Diana returned the necklace to Garrard where it could be mated with the matching earrings still in the process of being fabricated. Tragically, Diana did not have the opportunity to view the complete suite, as in August of that year, the world lost one of its most cherished beings."
Princess Diana’s necklace to be sold for $12m
