The Affair of the Diamond Necklace was one of the greatest scandals of pre-revolutionary France, effectively destroying what remained of Marie Antoinette's reputation. At its center was Jeanne de Valois-Saint-Rémy, an impoverished noblewoman claiming descent from the royal house of Valois. Desperate for wealth, Jeanne targeted Cardinal Prince Louis de Rohan, a disgraced diplomat desperate to regain favor with Queen Marie Antoinette.
Jeanne became Rohan's supposed confidante, forging letters from the Queen that expressed forgiveness and secret affection. To solidify the ruse, Jeanne arranged a brief late-night meeting in the gardens of Versailles between Rohan and a prostitute named Nicole d'Oliva, who bore a striking resemblance to Marie Antoinette. Convinced he was acting on royal orders, Rohan agreed to act as guarantor for an absurdly lavish diamond necklace originally commissioned by Louis XV for Madame du Barry, containing 647 diamonds worth an astronomical 1.
6 million livres. Jewelers Boehmer and Bassenge handed over the necklace to Rohan, who passed it to a man he believed was a royal courier—actually Jeanne's husband. The necklace was promptly dismantled and the stones sold across Europe.
When the jewelers demanded payment directly from Marie Antoinette, the plot unravelled. Though Marie Antoinette was entirely innocent and knew nothing of the scheme, the French public refused to believe her. Popular belief held that the Queen used Rohan as a puppet to acquire the jewels she coveted.
Rohan was tried and acquitted, while Jeanne was branded and imprisoned, only to escape to London. The scandal severely damaged the monarchy's moral authority, directly contributing to the hatred that fueled the French Revolution four years later.