Magnificent jewels: 2015’s most extravagant auction
Let’s face it, more is more when it comes to jewellery and, this past couple of months have seen the high-rolling bidders of the world agree with that sentiment.
Despite a slow start to the year as far as jewellery auctions were concerned, things picked up in April and May when both Sotheby’s and Christie’s saw some world-record breaking figures for their top lots.
Here’s our pick of the year’s most covetable jewellery lots. Prepare to drool.
Like perfection, this 100-carat diamond is absolutely flawless. Photo credit: EPA.
Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels auction, held in New York this April, made an astonishing US$65,086,500. The star of the show was a 100-carat ‘perfect’ emerald-cut diamond, which sold for a staggering US$22.1 million. The D colour of the piece, it’s flawlessness and size made it an extraordinary buy — in fact, only six perfect diamonds of 100-carats have been sold at auction in the last 25 years — five of which were sold by Sotheby’s.
The southern African mined diamond — said to have been mined in the last 10 years — weighed over 200 carats before it was cut and polished to perfection.
The buyer remains anonymous, so there’s still hope it belongs to a secret admirer of ours.
You’re looking at Cartier’s most expensive gem ever.
Last week’s Sotheby’s Geneva Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels auction fetched more than US$160.9 million, making it the highest ever total for any jewellery auction. The top lot was Cartier’s Sunrise Ruby, a 25.59-carat untreated ‘pigeon’s blood’ Burmese stone that sold for US$30.3 million, which was well above its estimate of US$16 million.
The Sunrise Ruby has now topped the world records for the most expensive ruby sold at auction, the most expensive ruby per carat and the most expensive stone sold by Cartier.
Here’s what US$10.7 million dollar’s worth of beauty looks like.
Who doesn’t dream of having their very own, ginormous pink diamond? Sigh. Well, for one anonymous buyer at Christie’s Geneva Magnificent Jewel’s auction this month, that wish came true.
The rectangular 5.18 carat pink diamond ring, surrounded by an oval of white diamonds, sold for US$10.7 million, making it the top lot of the auction which also included ruby and diamond Van Cleef & Arpels earrings and ring that once belonged to Jacqueline Kennedy and a brooch given to the Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria by Spain’s King Alfonso XII for their wedding in 1879.
Natural pearls have been reaching huge figures at auction this year.
It’s not just huge chunks of rock that have been getting the world’s high rollers opening their wallets this year. Last week’s Christie’s New York Magnificent Jewels auction saw pearl necklaces reach some staggering figures, with a four-strand natural coloured pearl necklace selling for a record-breaking US$5.1 million to an anonymous Asian buyer.
The piece has strands of 81, 76, 69 and 63 grey and brown pearls measuring between 12.65 and 4.9mm, which have been certified by the Swiss Gemological Institute as authentic, saltwater pearls with no colour modification.
Kashmir sapphires are lusted after for their rich colour.
Another hit from Christie’s Geneva Magnificent Jewel’s auction — which totalled an impressive US$97.5 million — was a 35-carat cushion-shaped sapphire from Kashmir, which fetched US$7.3 million, setting a world record per carat for a Kashmir sapphire. Those in-the-know snap up Kashmir sapphires due to the fact they’re particularly sought-after for their rich colour and the fact that the mines were exhausted in 1930s.
The stone is mounted on a gold ring with triangular-cut diamond shoulders and baguette-cut diamonds. The piece was bought by anonymous Asian buyer, so there’s still hope it will end up in a jewellery box with your name on it.