A sapphire and diamond ring took the top spot at a recent jewelry sale at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong, smashing its high estimate.
The piece, which contains a cushion-shaped, 17.50-carat, royal-blue Burmese sapphire surrounded by marquise-cut diamonds, sold for HKD 2.8 million ($357,226), the auction house said last week. That figure was well above its upper presale price.
In total, the January 31 Important Jewels auction brought in HKD 48.9 million ($6.3 million).
Yellow diamonds performed well at the sale, as did jewels by well-known design houses, including Graff, Cartier, Buccellati, and Van Cleef & Arpels. Sotheby’s also sold several diamonds and both green and lavender jadeite pieces with no reserve.
Here are the other four items rounding out the top five:
This cushion-shaped, 14.51-carat, fancy-intense-yellow, VS1-clarity diamond ring by Bulgari went for HKD 2.5 million ($324,751), within its presale estimate.
A ring set with an oval-shaped, 7.02-carat, Mozambican ruby center stone, surrounded by oval and pear-shaped diamonds, fetched HKD 2.5 million, just under its HKD 2.6 million ($332,422) upper price.Sotheby’s sold this Graff bracelet, featuring nine cut-cornered square or rectangular-modified, fancy-intense-yellow diamonds ranging from 1.62 to 5.21 carats and 18 yellow-tinted diamonds for HKD 2.4 million ($308,513), within its estimate.A pair of earrings, each suspending an oval ruby — one weighing 4.26 carats and the other 4.09 carats —and brilliant-cut diamonds, garnered HKD 1.9 million ($243,563) at the sale, within its presale price range.
Sotheby’s will offer a 93.94-carat Paraiba tourmaline at its upcoming Geneva sale, the largest “top-quality” stone of its kind ever to come to auction, the company said.
The stone, which is set into a bespoke necklace created by Adler Joailliers, will be one of the star lots in the November 8 Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels sale, Sotheby’s said Monday. The auction house expects it to fetch between $1.3 million and $2.5 million.
The necklace, called the Blue Lagoon, features a “waterfall” of round and marquise- and pear-shaped diamonds with a total weight of more than 76 carats, the company noted. It will be offered with the original sketch.
Hailing from Mozambique, the stone is distinguished by “an extraordinary electric blue hue,” which recalls the “crystalline waters of a tropical paradise,” Sotheby’s said. Finding Paraiba tourmalines of this size, with such strong saturation and color, is extremely difficult, the auction house added.
Adler is a family business, created in 1886 by Jacques Adler in Istanbul. His grandsons, Franklin and Carlo, opened a boutique in Geneva in 1972. Since 2015, it has been run by the next generation of Adlers — Allen, who is CEO, and his wife, Daisy, who is chief operating officer.
Sotheby’s raked in $13.1 million at its most recent jewelry sale in New York, with more than half of the goods surpassing their high estimates.
The lead item at the September 12 Important Jewels sale was a Harry Winston ring set with a round, 15.18-carat, E-color, VS2-clarity diamond, which brought in $69,440 per carat, for a total of $1.1 million, Sotheby’s said Wednesday. That amount was well above its $750,000 upper estimate.
Overall, Sotheby’s sold 84% of jewels on offer at the auction.
Here are some of the other top pieces from the sale:
An emerald-cut, 15.05-carat, H-color, VVS2-clarity diamond ring went for $508,000, or $33,754 per carat, within its estimated price range.This diamond, emerald, ruby and onyx floral motif brooch by Van Cleef & Arpels brought in $469,900, more than eight times its $55,000 high estimate, following competition from 11 bidders.A cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant-cut, 15.89-carat, fancy-intense-yellow, VS1-clarity diamond ring garnered $355,600, beating its $280,000 upper price tag.Sotheby’s sold this pear-shaped, 12-carat, J-color, VS1-clarity diamond ring for $317,500, higher than its $200,000 high presale estimate.This pair of cushion-cut earclips contains fancy-yellow diamonds weighing 11.28 and 10.22 carats. The set realized $304,800, well over its $220,000 high price.
The 303.10-carat Golden Canary fetched $12.4 million at Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels in New York on Wednesday, becoming the third most valuable yellow diamond ever sold at auction, the company reported.
The pear-shaped, fancy-deep-brownish-yellow stone is the world’s largest known internally flawless diamond. It is also the largest flawless or internally flawless diamond graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), Sotheby’s said Thursday. The auction house offered the piece without reserve, but predicted it would bring in more than $15 million.
The diamond was initially discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the early 1980s. Originally called the Incomparable Diamond, the stone was recut from its previous 407-carat shield shape to deepen the color and brighten the hue.
“The Golden Canary captivated me from the moment I saw it — with its monumental size, golden hue and impeccable clarity — it is truly an extraordinary diamond with immense presence,” said Quig Bruning, head of jewelry for the Americas at Sotheby’s.
A blue diamond weighing 5.53 carats failed to find a buyer at Sotheby’s Geneva on Wednesday despite being billed as the star of the auction.
The cushion brilliant-cut, fancy-vivid-blue diamond is part of an eight-piece group called the De Beers Exceptional Blue Collection, which Sotheby’s has spread between its various Magnificent Jewels sales. No bids matched the stone’s threshold price for sale, according to a post-auction report by the Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF). The piece carried a presale estimate of $11 million to $15 million.
“The blue is an exceptional stone in every sense,” Sotheby’s told Rapaport News Thursday. “It attracted significant interest prior to yesterday’s sale. While we didn’t get to see it sell in the room last night, we are confident it will find a new home very soon.”
Meanwhile, a number of items set records at the November 9 sale, including a 20.16-carat sapphire and diamond ring from Cartier. That piece, which fetched $2.8 million against a high estimate of $2 million, saw a record price per carat for any blue sapphire of Burmese origin ever sold at auction. A 20.58-carat, pink sapphire ring also broke the record for per-carat price, bringing in $1.9 million, or $91,690 per carat, well above its $808,368 upper price tag. A pink sapphire and diamond brooch weighing 92.01 carats by Jean Schlumberger sold for $1.8 million, outstripping its $505,278 high estimate and setting a record price for a piece of jewelry by the designer.
Another notable item at the sale was a pair of unmounted oval-cut, D-flawless diamonds weighing 20.03 and 20.19 carats. The duo fetched $4.2 million, within estimates. A step-cut, 33.13-carat, D-color, VVS1-clarity diamond ring by Cartier brought in $2.9 million, also within its expected range.
The entire Geneva Magnificent Jewels auction garnered $50 million. Sotheby’s will offer two more blue diamonds from the De Beers collection at its upcoming New York Magnificent Jewels sale on December 7.
Sotheby’s will offer a yellow diamond weighing more than 300 carats at its upcoming New York auction, where it is expected to bring in more than $15 million.
The pear-shaped, 303.10-carat, fancy-deep-brownish-yellow stone is one of the largest polished diamonds in the world. It is also the largest flawless or internally flawless diamond ever graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), Sotheby’s said Monday.
Initially called the Incomparable Diamond, the stone was recut from its original 407-carat shield shape to deepen the color and brighten the hue, and renamed the Golden Canary. As the highlight of the December 7 Magnificent Jewels sale, it will be offered without reserve, with bidding starting at $1, Sotheby’s noted.
The Golden Canary was first discovered in the early 1980s in a pile of rubble by a young girl playing in the backyard of her uncle’s house, Sotheby’s noted. Miners from the nearby Miba diamond deposit had considered the stone to be too bulky to be diamond bearing and had discarded it. The girl gave the 890-carat rough to her uncle, who sold it to local diamond dealers. The diamond has since been displayed in multiple museums.
“The demand and appetite for [extraordinary colored diamonds] continues to grow,” said Quig Bruning, head of jewelry for Sotheby’s Americas. “Steeped in history, the Golden Canary is one of the most exquisite diamonds to ever be discovered, not only for its sheer size and intensity in color, but for its stunning beauty that is sure to captivate collectors around the world.”
Sotheby’s will showcase the diamond on a world tour prior to the auction, with stops in cities including Dubai; Taipei, Taiwan; Geneva; and Hong Kong.
Sotheby’s will offer two diamonds weighing more than 100 carats at its upcoming jewelry sale, with one expected to fetch in excess of $10 million.
The Juno diamond, a pear-shaped, 101.41-carat, D-color, internally flawless, type IIa stone, will lead the June 16 New York Magnificent Jewels sale, the auction house said last week. Only 11 D-color diamonds over 100 carats have ever been sold at auction, Sotheby’s noted.
That stone will be joined by the Earth Star, a pear-shaped, 111.59-carat, fancy-deep-orange-brown diamond, which has returned to the auction block for the first time in nearly 40 years. The piece, which is the second-largest diamond of its color, cut and size to be offered at an auction, carries a high estimate of $2.5 million.
The Earth Star diamond
Designer David Webb has created a custom mounting for the stone, which was fashioned from a 248-carat rough discovered at the Jagersfontein mine in South Africa in 1967. The setting uses azurmalachite to resemble the Earth as seen from the perspective of a star, Sotheby’s explained.
Other notable items include an emerald-cut, 26.06-carat, D-color, VVS1-clarity diamond ring by Kwiat, which is estimated at up to $3 million, and a pair of diamond and sapphire earrings. The set features two pear-shaped, D-flawless diamonds weighing 4.09 and 4.12 carats; two emerald-cut, D-color diamonds weighing 3.19 and 3.17 carats; and two Kashmir sapphires weighing 9.65 and 9.44 carats. It is predicted to realize up to $3 million. Meanwhile, an Indian-inspired emerald and diamond fringe necklace by Cartier made in 1945 has a price tag of $1.5 million to $2.5 million.
Sotheby’s will auction a stone described as “the largest vivid blue diamond ever to appear at auction” on April 27 in Hong Kong.
Sotheby’s estimates that it could bring $48 million.
Cullinan Blue Diamond
The 15.1 carat step-cut blue was cut from a rough stone discovered in April 2021. It is “the largest internally flawless step cut vivid blue diamond that the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has ever graded,” according to a press statement.
“This diamond ranks as one of the best De Beers has ever seen,” said Bruce Cleaver, CEO of De Beers Group. “It is extremely rare and unique, and as the Home of Diamonds, De Beers is pleased to join together with Sotheby’s to bring this diamond to the world.”
Only five blue diamonds over 10 carats have ever come to auction, Sotheby’s notes. Until now, none has exceeded 15 carats.
“Blue diamonds of any kind are rare on the market, but this is the rarest of the rare; nothing of remotely similar calibre has appeared at auction in recent years,” says Patti Wong, chairwoman of Sotheby’s Asia. “Hundreds of millions of years in the making, this extraordinary blue diamond is surely one of nature’s finest creations.”
The diamond comes from the Cullinan mine in South Africa.
The Medusa necklace designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany
The Medusa necklace, one of the earliest pieces designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, sold for more than 18 times its high estimate at a recent Sotheby’s auction.
The piece, designed in 1904, was last seen at auction 78 years ago. It fetched $3.7 million against an upper estimate of $200,000 following 10 minutes of heated bidding, Sotheby’s said Wednesday. The pendant set a world auction record for a piece by the designer. In total, the December 7 Magnificent Jewels sale achieved $57.1 million, the second-highest figure for a jewelry auction at Sotheby’s New York.
Blue diamonds also performed well, with a cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant-cut, 6.11-carat, fancy-intense-blue diamond ring garnering $8 million, or $1.3 million per carat, well above its high estimate. A ring bearing a cushion-cut, 3.01-carat, fancy-vivid-blue diamond flanked by two heart-shaped diamonds sold for $3.9 million, or $1.3 million per carat, within expectations.
Other notable items include a group of jewels from an American private collector, which features one of the largest private collections of Bulgari pieces ever to come to market, Sotheby’s noted. Some 93% of those items found buyers, realizing $9 million, above their combined $8.2 million high estimate.
Meanwhile, a ring set with a pear-shaped, 62.65-carat, D-color, VVS2-clarity diamond bracketed by two pear-shaped diamonds weighing 2.04 carats and 2.01 carats fetched $2.9 million, in the middle of its presale valuation. A ring containing a cut-cornered rectangular step-cut, 1.03-carat, fancy-red diamond framed by shield-shaped diamonds hammered for $2 million, the upper end of its estimate.
Sotheby’s sold 84% of goods on offer, with 68% of those achieving prices above their high estimates and 13 pieces going for more than $1 million. Participants came from more than 45 countries.
Sotheby’s will offer a fancy-vivid-yellow diamond ring at its New York sale next month, estimating the piece could fetch up to $3 million.
The cut-cornered square step-cut, 73.11-carat, VS2-clarity jewel by Mayfair designer Glenn Spiro, called The Sienna Star, is one of the largest fancy-vivid-yellow diamonds to come to auction, Sotheby’s said Wednesday. The piece is one of the top items at the June 9 Magnificent Jewels sale. The auction will feature jewelry for the “Roaring Twenties 2.0” as people return to the social scene following long lockdowns, Sotheby’s noted.
A private collection of six jewels with a combined estimate of more than $13 million are another headline lot at the New York sale. Those include a necklace by Andrew Clunn, set with 28 oval-shaped diamonds totaling over 168 carats, which carries a high estimate of $3 million, and an emerald-cut, 23.59-carat, D-color, internally flawless, type IIa diamond ring with an upper valuation of $2.8 million.
A Colombian emerald and diamond garland necklace by Harry Winston, estimated at up to $2.5 million, and a 13.02-carat Burmese ruby ring, mounted by Carvin French, with a $2 million high valuation, are also part of the collection. Proceeds from the sale of those six items will be donated to charity.
Additionally, Sotheby’s will showcase a Bulgari ring with a 25.29-carat Kashmir sapphire flanked by diamonds, which it expects will bring in up to $3 million. Meanwhile, a modified square brilliant-cut, 3.75-carat, fancy-intense-pink, VVS1-clarity diamond ring, accented by triangle-shaped and round diamonds, is estimated to fetch up to $2.5 million.
The auction house will present jewels from the collection of philanthropist Margaret Jonsson Rogers, the daughter of Texas Instruments founder and Dallas mayor J. Erik Jonsson, as well as property from the estate of Mary Ethel Weinmann, the daughter of Count and Countess André de Limur, it added.