Sotheby’s sales of Magnificent Jewels and Always in Style, a single-owner jewelry collection, achieved a combined total of $39,608,676 on April 21, exceeding the combined presale high estimate of $35.3 million and continuing a vibrant spring season that began in Hong Kong with a record-breaking Asian jewelry sale.
The New York sale of Magnificent Jewels brought $34,662,338 and was 91.7 percent sold by value and 83.7 percent sold by lot with colored diamonds, colored stones and pieces with exceptional provenance dominating the most sought-after lots. The special collection Always in Style: 150 Years of Artistic Jewels brought a total of $4,946,338, above the presale high estimate of $4.4 million and was 90.5 percent sold by value and 87.1 percent sold by lot. The top price of the day was achieved by a fancy vivid yellow diamond necklace, which soared to $3,554,500.
Lisa Hubbard, chairman of the international jewelry department, North and South America, commented, “The various owners sale brought the second highest total ever for a Magnificent Jewels auction in New York. It was a sophisticated sale for connoisseurs, defined by the extremely rare colored diamonds and colored gemstones that were offered for sale. Having traveled with the highlights around the world for the last two months, it’s clear this is a global market, with buyers seeking top quality stones and special pieces wherever they are offered.”
The yellow diamond necklace from a private collection featured 42 GIA-certified fancy vivid yellow diamonds weighing a total of 100.17 carats set in a graduated riviere-style necklace. This spectacular jewel is believed to be the first necklace set entirely with fancy vivid yellow diamonds ever to have appeared at auction. Another rare colored diamond jewel, the fancy intense pinkish-orange diamond ring set with a radiant stone of 7.67 carats, internally flawless and type IIa, was sold for $3,106,500, or $405,019 per carat, achieving the second highest price of the auction.
A ruby and diamond ring, set with a cushion-shaped Burmese ruby of 8.66 carats, achieved $2,098,500 or $242,321 per carat after being chased by more than five bidders. The “pigeon’s blood red ruby” is one of the finest of its kind to be offered on the market and was formerly owned by Isabella Stewart Gardner.
Bidders clamored to purchase a collection of Kashmir sapphires weighing from 4.29 to 8.73 carats, which brought a collective total of $2,854,000 and was led by a pair of 8-carat stones, which totaled $1,082,500.
An emerald and diamond bracelet, Tiffany & Co., circa 1925, set with almost 40 carats of matched Colombian emeralds, once in the collection of Annie-Laurie Aitken, was offered from a private collection and climbed to $650,500.
For many bidders, provenance added to the allure of many pieces in the sale. Jewels from the collection of Patricia Kluge were also the subject of heated competition in the saleroom, with the collection bringing a total of $5,079,750. At least 30 bidders vied for a rare sapphire and diamond Panthère wristwatch, Cartier, French, circa 1985, which sold for $686,500. Also from Kluge’s collection, a platinum and diamond ring set with a 20.15-carat pear-shaped diamond, F color, I1 clarity, type IIa brought $962,500, and a pair of platinum and diamond pendant-earclips climbed to $1,058,500 after both were hotly contested by multiple international bidders.
The Marlene Rose, a platinum and diamond brooch, circa 1930, formerly in the collection of Marlene Dietrich, totaled $98,500. The jewel, given to her by Josef von Sternberg, was said to be her favorite brooch and her signature piece of jewelry. A collection from the estate of Nancy M. Daly spanning the Twentieth Century and featuring important diamond jewels as well as less formal gold contemporary designs in keeping with her life in southern California totaled $970,125, with a platinum and diamond necklace, Cartier, circa 1915, fetching $194,500.
The auction’s top white diamond price was achieved by a platinum and diamond ring, set with a round 9.25-carat D color, internally flawless, type IIa graded stone, which sold for $1,538,500.
The day began with Always in Style: 150 Years of Artistic Jewels, a chronology of jewelry design over the last two centuries featuring examples from the Nineteenth Century, Belle Époque, Art Deco, 1940s and 1950s and Modern periods. The sale was led by a Modern platinum, emerald bead and diamond necklace with approximately 665 carats of emeralds and 43 carats of round diamonds, which achieved $422,500.
Prices reported include the buyer’s premium. For information, 212-606-7000 or www.sothebys.com .
