The sales of a 21.98-carat sapphire ring by Cartier and a 5.73-carat square cushion sapphire by Van Cleef & Arpels helped make the colored gem offerings a success.
Last April 13, Christie’s held a successful Magnificent Jewels sale which sold 95.7 percent of its overall lots (68 of the 71 lots on offer sold).
The Christie’s New York Rockefeller Center headquarters auction garnered over $25.1 million, with “The Fuchsia Rose” as the top lot. Mounted on the headline piece’s platinum ring is an 8.82-carat fancy intense purple-pink diamond.
Smashing estimates
Embellishing the sides of the pink pear-shaped gem are two 6.1 carats of colorless diamonds. The Fuchsia Rose sold at $6.7 million—$700,000 more than its pre-auction estimate.
Other colored diamonds also performed well, such as a 2.44-carat pink diamond ring and a 15.31-carat vivid yellow diamond ring, which rang in $1.6 million and $1.3 million.
There are plenty more precious stones that out-did Christie’s approximation.
There is the 10.47-carat pyramidal cabochon-cut Kashmir sapphire from 1950 (sold for $592,000 despite a $500,000 estimate) and a 25.03-carat diamond pendant by French jeweller Alexandre Reza (sold for $$239,400 or over double its $100,000 estimate).
By heritage brands
At the same time, jewelry by heritage brands such as Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels smashed their high estimates. A diamond and emerald ring with a 21.98-carat sapphire by Cartier, the French jeweler founded in 1847, sold for $365,400 to $215,400 more than expected.
Another whimsy Cartier piece also smashed its estimate—a charm bracelet depicting Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The gems are attached to a 14k yellow gold bracelet, a product designed in 1937. It achieved $163,800 despite its $60,000 estimate.
Meanwhile, a ring with two square-shaped diamonds and a 5.73-carat square cushion sapphire by the 116-year-old brand Van Cleef & Arpels made $478,800—a massive $328,800 beyond its estimate.
Banner photo from Christie’s.
