of France conquered the Holy Roman Empire. He restructured the many German states and the Duchy of Bavaria was promoted to a kingdom. The ruling Wittelsbach duke became King Maximilian of Bavaria. With his new status, the king ordered new regalia to be made, which included the Wittelsbach Diamond, an oval Old Mine cut blue diamond. The diamond's history dates back to the 1660s and for the most part has been uneventful. The gem was offered with other Bavarian crown jewels in a 1931 auction at Christie's in London, but apparently it did not sell, nor did it return to its display in Munich. Rumours included one that the stone had been sold illegally in 1932 through a Munich jeweller and had reappeared in the Netherlands. Later research indicated that the gem had actually been sold in Belgium in 1951 and that it had changed hands again in 1955. In 1958 millions of visitors came to Brussels for the World Exhibition, which included the jewellery display which included a large blue diamond. But no one was aware it was the missing Wittelsbach Diamond. In January 1962 Joseph Komkommer, a leading figure in the Belgian diamond industry, received a phone call asking him to look at an Old Mine cut diamond with a view of its recutting. When he opened the package he found a dark blue diamond, which is among the rarest and most valuable of gems. Mr. Komkommer at once recognized that the diamond was one of historical significance and that it would be a tragedy to recut it. With the assistance of his son, Jacques Komkommer, he identified the diamond as the 'lost' blue diamond. He thereupon formed a consortium of diamond buyers from Belgium and the United States which purchased the diamond, then valued at £180,000. The vendors were the trustees of an estate whose identity remained undisclosed. Finally, the Wittelsbach was acquired by private collector in 1964. It was announced in October 2008 the diamond would be offered for auction at Christie's in December. Its original Golden Fleece ornament can be seen today in the Treasury of the Residenz Palace in Munich, a blue glass replica of the Wittelsbach in place of where the diamond was set. The Bavarian Coronation Set consists of the Crown of Bavaria, the Crown of the Queen (originally made for Maximilian's Queen, Caroline Frederika of Baden), the State Sword, the Royal