Displaying items by tag: gemstones

A spectacular pink diamond, the largest of its kind to ever appear at auction, sold for $28.5 million (26.6 million euros) on Tuesday, narrowly beating auction house Christie's projection. 

An unidentified bidder snatched up the 16.08-carat rare gemstone, kicking off a week of auctions that could see another colored diamond set a new world record.

That stone, a 12.03-carat blue diamond described by experts as flawless, is being sold by rival auction house Sotheby's on Wednesday, and could fetch a record $55 million.

More than 200 lots of diamonds, rare gemstones, and signed designer jewels brought $27.6 million at Christie’s New York sale of Important Jewels on June 16.

The top lot, a cushion-cut Kashmir sapphire of 21.71 carats, realized $4.2 million. Signed by Cartier, flanked on both sides by trapeze-shaped diamonds, and mounted in platinum, the ring was part of the collection of Margaret Adderley Kelly, which saw a 100% sell-through totaling just shy of $10 million.

Once the jewel-encrusted playthings of the Russian royal family, the first Faberge Imperial egg produced in almost a century is set to be unveiled in Qatar, its makers said.

Ninety nine years since Faberge made its last Imperial egg, for Tsar Nicholas II, the famous jewel maker will show off its newest creation at an exhibition of watches and jewelery in Doha.

The "Faberge Pearl Egg" features 139 fine white pearls, and more than 3,300 diamonds as well as other precious gemstones, according to the jeweler.

Several Gulf nations have a long history of pearl diving, and Qatar is building an artificial island off its coast named after the precious treasure.

“We’ve always seen the biennale as an event that requires the exception. We can’t present at the biennale what we would present in our boutique, so our entire collection of over 100 unique pieces has been especially created for the event,” explains Pierre Rainero , image and heritage director at Cartier.

Befitting its nickname of ‘jeweler of kings and the king of jewelers,’ the French house will be presenting at the prestigious Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris a “Royal Collection” inspired by spectacularly-sized gemstones.

U.S. Antique Shows announced that they will be adding another event to their roster this spring. The L.A. Antique Jewelry & Watch Show, which will take place March 22-24, 2013, will bring together over 100 preeminent antique jewelry dealers from across the country.

The show, which will be held at the Hyatt Regency Century City, will offer patrons a variety of rare and unique jewelry and watches by notable brands such as Cartier, Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Van Cleef & Arpels. Cameos, rings, decorative necklaces, brooches, gemstones, and pendants spanning from the Renaissance to the Art Deco era will also be featured. Highlights from the upcoming show include a 12-carat internally flawless fancy yellow ring from Raymond Lee Jewelers, rare Art Deco diamond bracelets and jewelry from Jerome Heidenreich Inc., and an Art Deco platinum and diamond Tiffany & Co. pendant from J.S. Fearnley.

Dan Darby, group fair director, said, “We are thrilled to be able to bring together dealers and antique jewelry enthusiasts in the market that boasts the largest jewelry district in the country…We look forward to introducing local antique collectors to some of the most unique pieces ever offered on the West Coast.”