Displaying items by tag: magnificent jewels

Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale achieved its target of $42.0 million on April 14, led by a fancy pink diamond that fetched $5.8 million, the auction house said.

The 5.29-carat bauble, of an intense purplish pink hue, sold to a buyer identified only as “U.S. trade” and came in at $1.1 million per carat.

Other diamonds fetching high prices included a pear-shaped potentially internally flawless diamond pendant of 25.49 carats, by Graff ($3.4 million) and a circular-cut fancy gray-blue diamond of 5.04 carats ($2.3 million).

Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels auction on December 9 achieved $44.2 million, buoyed by results for stones and jewels from prominent collections, such as those of Helen Hay Whitney, Estée Lauder, Evelyn H. Lauder, the Grand Duchess Vladimir of Russia, and Marlene Dietrich.

The top lot was a platinum-topped gold and diamond necklace that was presented to Helen Hay, an American writer, socialite, and philanthropist, on the occasion of her marriage to Payne Whitney in 1902. Featuring four diamonds weighing 27.48, 15.53, 13.08 and 8.91 carats, the necklace sold for $3.2 million. Total sales from the seven jewels of the estate of Helen Hay Whitney were $4.8 million.

Sotheby’s announced that it will offer jewels from the collections of Mrs. Estée Lauder and Mrs. Evelyn H. Lauder as part of its Magnificent Jewels auction in New York on 9 December 2014. Thirty-three pieces from the collection of Evelyn H. Lauder will be sold to benefit The Breast Cancer Research Foundation®, an organization that she founded and championed, while 11 pieces from the collection of Estée Lauder will be sold to benefit the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation®. Sotheby’s previously auctioned jewels from the Collections in December 2012 and 2013 to benefit The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

The jewels on offer this December include designs by Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, David Webb, Buccellati, and Oscar Heyman & Brothers – one of Evelyn H. Lauder’s favorite New York jewelers – and are led by one of Cartier’s rare and iconic Tutti Frutti bracelets, made circa 1928 (est. $750,000 / 1 million).

Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction on 27 May in Hong Kong showed some disappointing results, with only 81% of the 300 lots on offer sold with a 73% sell-through value.

While the combined sales had a pre-auction estimate of over US$100 million, the bids fell short at only $91,851,200, with the top lot, a rare Golconda diamond pendant necklace named The Eye of Golconda, remaining unsold. A 9.38 carat pear-shaped fancy intense pink diamond fared better, selling for $5.96 million (or $636,117 per carats), at the low end of its estimate though.

A new world auction record price per carat for any sapphire was set tonight at Sotheby’s New York, when an Exceptional Platinum, Kashmir Sapphire and Diamond Ring sold for $5,093,000 / $180,731 per carat (est. $4/5 million). The square emerald-cut Kashmir sapphire weighing 28.18 carats is one of the finest sapphires ever to appear at auction, described by the American Gemological Laboratories (AGL) as “a gem of singular importance.”

The ‘Pink Star,’ a 59.60-carat oval cut fancy vivid pink diamond, was sold during Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels sale in Geneva for a record $83 million on November 13. The gem, which is the largest internally flawless diamond that has ever been graded by the Gemological Institute of America, carried an estimate of $60 million. Sotheby’s said that the buyer was Isaac Wolf, a New York-based diamond cutter who is planning to rename the gem “The Pink Dream.”

When the stone first arrived at Sotheby’s, David Bennett, the Chairman of the auction house’s Jewelry Division in Europe and the Middle East, said, “I have had the privilege of examining some of the greatest gemstones in the world over the past 35 years, and I can say, without hesitation, that ‘The Pink Star’ is of immense importance.” The gem’s vibrant hue combined with its extraordinary size makes it the most exceptional pink diamond known to exist in State, Royal and private collections. The Pink Star belongs to a rare subgroup called “Type IIa,” which includes less than two percent of all gems.  

The diamond was cut from a rough stone weighing 132.5 carats, which was mined in Africa in 1999 by De Beers. It was later cut, polished and transformed into its current form by Steinmetz Diamonds. The Pink Star has been exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution as well as the Natural History Museum in London.

On November 13, 2013 Sotheby’s Geneva will auction a 59.60-carat oval cut fancy vivid pink diamond at its Magnificent Jewels sale. Known as “The Pink Star” the gem is the largest internally flawless diamond that has ever been graded by the Gemological Institute of America. The diamond is expected to garner over $60 million.

David Bennett, Chairman of Sotheby’s Jewelry Division in Europe and the Middle East, said, “I have had the privilege of examining some of the greatest gemstones in the world over the past 35 years, and I can say, without hesitation, that ‘The Pink Star’ is of immense importance.” The gem’s vibrant hue combined with its extraordinary size makes it the most exceptional pink diamond known to exist in State, Royal and private collections. The Pink Star belongs to a rare subgroup called “Type IIa,” which includes less than two percent of all gems.

The diamond was cut from a rough stone weighing 132.5 carats, which was mined in Africa in 1999 by De Beers. It was later cut, polished and transformed into its current form by Steinmetz Diamonds. The Pink Star has been exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution as well as the Natural History Museum in London.

Christie’s Geneva will offer the jewelry collection of Hélène Rochas, wife and muse of the late fashion designer Marcel Rochas, on November 12, 2013 as part of its Magnificent Jewels auction. The 18-piece collection includes a ruby brooch by Van Cleef & Arpels (estimate: $190,000-$255,000), a rare leaping tiger brooch by Rene Boivin (estimate: $190,000-$255,000) and a pink topaz, aquamarine and diamond bangle by Verdura (estimate: $127,000-$190,000).

Rochas, who passed away in 2011, also maintained an impressive art collection that included works by Edouard Vuillard, Wassily Kandinsky and four portraits of herself by Andy Warhol. In 2012, Christie’s Paris organized a sale of her art holdings, which ended up breaking four world records.

Besides Rochas’ collection, the jewelry sale will include pieces once belonging to Bolivian tycoon Simón Iturri Patiño. Highlights include an emerald and diamond necklace by Cartier London (estimate: $7 million-$10 million) and a cushion-shaped F-color diamond ring of 32.65 carats by Chaumet (estimate: $2.2 million-$2.8 million).

On December 5, Sotheby’s in New York will help cosmetics executive, Leonard Lauder, auction off jewelry that once belonged to his wife, Evelyn, and mother Estée. The collection is worth at least $13.4 million and includes a 47.714-carat heart-shaped yellow diamond with connections to the Duchess of Windsor, a Van Cleef & Arpels brooch featuring a pair of ruby tulips and diamonds, a flawless 6.54-carat fancy intense pink diamond ring by Oscar Heyman & Bros, and a 22.16-carat platinum and diamond ring from Graff.

Part of Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels auction, the proceeds from the 35 pieces will benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, an organization founded and championed by Evelyn Lauder. Additional pieces from the collection will be offered in New York as part of the Important Jewels auction in February 2013, also sold to benefit the Research Foundation. Leonard Lauder, chairman of The Estée Lauder Company and acting chairman of The Breast Cancer Research Foundation said, “We are pleased to be partnering with Sotheby’s for this important auction. Each piece of jewelry is unique and very special.”

 The auction comes at a time when high-end jewelry has been outperforming most of the art market. Buyers and collectors continue to seek recession-proof assets and have turned to quality jewelry designed by big names such as Bulgari and Van Cleef & Arpels for stable investments. Sotheby’s said its jewelry sales were up 19% this year.