73ct. Yellow to Shine at Sotheby’s New York Sale

73.11 carat yellow diamond

Sotheby’s will offer a fancy-vivid-yellow diamond ring at its New York sale next month, estimating the piece could fetch up to $3 million.

The cut-cornered square step-cut, 73.11-carat, VS2-clarity jewel by Mayfair designer Glenn Spiro, called The Sienna Star, is one of the largest fancy-vivid-yellow diamonds to come to auction, Sotheby’s said Wednesday. The piece is one of the top items at the June 9 Magnificent Jewels sale. The auction will feature jewelry for the “Roaring Twenties 2.0” as people return to the social scene following long lockdowns, Sotheby’s noted.

A private collection of six jewels with a combined estimate of more than $13 million are another headline lot at the New York sale. Those include a necklace by Andrew Clunn, set with 28 oval-shaped diamonds totaling over 168 carats, which carries a high estimate of $3 million, and an emerald-cut, 23.59-carat, D-color, internally flawless, type IIa diamond ring with an upper valuation of $2.8 million.

A Colombian emerald and diamond garland necklace by Harry Winston, estimated at up to $2.5 million, and a 13.02-carat Burmese ruby ring, mounted by Carvin French, with a $2 million high valuation, are also part of the collection. Proceeds from the sale of those six items will be donated to charity.

Additionally, Sotheby’s will showcase a Bulgari ring with a 25.29-carat Kashmir sapphire flanked by diamonds, which it expects will bring in up to $3 million. Meanwhile, a modified square brilliant-cut, 3.75-carat, fancy-intense-pink, VVS1-clarity diamond ring, accented by triangle-shaped and round diamonds, is estimated to fetch up to $2.5 million.

The auction house will present jewels from the collection of philanthropist Margaret Jonsson Rogers, the daughter of Texas Instruments founder and Dallas mayor J. Erik Jonsson, as well as property from the estate of Mary Ethel Weinmann, the daughter of Count and Countess André de Limur, it added.

Source: Diamonds.net

Fancy Pink Diamond Fetches $3.5m at Christie’s Auction

Fancy pink diamond

A 2.17-carat fancy vivid purplish pink diamond fetched $3.5m at auction, well above its high estimate of $2.5m.

It was the most expensive of a “Perfect Palette” of three colored diamonds that raised a total of $8.4m last week at Christie’s New York April Magnificent Jewels.

The pink diamond (pictured) was a cut-cornered square modified brilliant-cut stone, natural color, SI1 clarity, set with round diamonds in a platinum and 18k yellow gold ring.

A fancy vivid blue cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant-cut diamond of 2.13 carats, natural color, VS1 clarity, set in a platinum ring with round diamonds, sold for $2.67m (high estimate $3m).

And a fancy vivid orange cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant-cut diamond of 2.34 carats, natural color, VS1 clarity, set in platinum and 18k yellow gold, sold for $2.19m (high estimate $2.5m).

The sale of over 200 lots – including signed pieces by Belperron, Bulgari, Cartier, Graff, Harry Winston, Hemmerle, JAR, Lacloche, Tiffany & Co., and Van Cleef & Arpels – brought in a total of $35m.

Christie’s said there were bids from 40 countries and 94 per cent of lots were sold.

Source: IDEX

Fancy-Color Price Index Beats Expectations

FCRF yellow diamonds

Prices of fancy-color diamonds slipped marginally in the fourth quarter of 2020 as stability in the yellow category helped the sector stave off a heavier slump, according to the Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF).

“Although 2020 was challenging in terms of logistics and travel, contrary to market expectations, fancy-color diamond prices proved to be resilient, with minor price decreases across the board,” the FCRF said Monday.

The organization’s Fancy Color Diamond Index for yellows inched down 0.3% year on year in the three months ending December 31, while prices for blues fell 1.3%. Pink fancy-color diamonds decreased 0.9%, with the overall index slipping 0.8%.

The 1.50- and 5-carat categories were the strongest for fancy blues, increasing 0.5% versus the previous quarter, while fancy-vivid blues decreased 0.6%, led by soft prices for 1-carat stones in that category. Pinks stayed mainly flat compared to the third quarter, with 2-carat fancy pinks seeing the highest rise, up 1.4%. In yellows, the fancy-intense, 5-carat segment grew 0.8%, and the price for fancy-vivid, 3-carat stones was up 0.7%. Fancy-yellow, 1.50-carat diamonds increased 0.6% during the period.

The FCRF believes prices of yellows will continue to remain strong throughout 2021.

“2020 was a fascinating year; wholesalers and retailers alike had to overcome many logistical hurdles in order to finalize simple transactions, while demand for fancy-color diamonds was solid,” said FCRF advisory board member Eden Rachminov. “I expect 2021 to be a bullish year for yellows; their current price is relatively low and I think that a price increase is inevitable.”

The index tracks prices of yellow, pink and blue fancy-color diamonds in Hong Kong, New York, Geneva and Tel Aviv.

Source: Diamonds.net

24ct. Yellow Diamond Beats Estimate at Christie’s

Christies Yellow Diamond

A 23.58-carat diamond ring was the top lot at Christie’s Jewels Online sale, fetching well above its high estimate.

The piece, which featured a cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant-cut, fancy-yellow, SI1-clarity stone, bracketed by two triangular-cut diamonds, brought in $325,000 against its $300,000 upper estimate, Christie’s said Wednesday. In total, the auction running from January 27 to February 10 garnered $2.7 million, with 98% of the items on offer finding buyers.

Two diamond rings sold for $81,250 each, just above their high valuations. One contained a round, 4.18-carat, F-color, VS2-clarity diamond. The other was set with an emerald-cut, 3.56-carat, D-color, internally flawless, type IIa diamond, flanked by two smaller emerald-cut and two triangular-cut diamonds. A diamond medallion necklace by Graff, bearing a total weight of 35.38 carats, also realized $81,250, within estimates.

A number of Graff diamond and gemstone jewels were sold without reserve at the auction. Those included a pair of emerald and diamond earrings, which brought in $40,000, beating estimates, and a ruby and diamond ring, which smashed its high valuation, fetching $32,500.

Meanwhile, a pair of aluminum Violet earrings by designer JAR garnered $13,750, more than four times their upper estimate.

Source: Diamonds.net

Study yields new insight in hunt for rare, valuable yellow diamonds

Yellow diamonds, some with colourless cores

A new study by University of Alberta scientists could help guide the search for rare, high-value yellow diamonds in the Canadian North.

The researchers, led by PhD student Mei Yan Lai, examined the chemical makeup of stones recovered from the Chidliak and Ekati mines in Northern Canada to get a better understanding of how they formed.

“Without this research, we wouldn’t know that two separate formation events occurred, and that the second, more recent event is responsible for the yellow colour,” explained U of A diamond geologist Thomas Stachel.

“The more we know about the origin of these potentially high-value diamonds, the better results for diamond exploration and value creation in Northern Canada.”

Lai said they wanted to understand the origin of the yellow colour in the diamonds from the two deposits.

“Canadian yellow diamonds have never been studied spectroscopically in detail. Our results suggest that the cause is the preservation of unstable single nitrogen atoms preserved inside the diamonds,” explained Lai, who conducted this research as part of her master’s studies in the Diamond Exploration Research Training School under the supervision of Stachel.

The research team determined that some yellow diamonds contain colourless cores, meaning that the yellow outer layers crystallized on top of clearer centres. Lai determined that the yellow diamonds crystallized no more than 30,000 years before the kimberlite eruptions that brought them up to Earth’s surface.

“Our analysis shows that the colourless cores in these yellow diamonds are about one billion years older,” Lai said. “In fact, the carbon isotope compositions and nitrogen concentrations of the colourless cores and yellow outer layers are significantly different, suggesting that they formed in at least two distinct events and involved different diamond-forming fluids.”

The researchers said discovering a potential new source of yellow diamonds in the Canadian North is economically significant, as the previous main source of high-quality yellow diamonds, the Ellendale Mine in Western Australia, was recently shut down.

The discovery of colourless cores in some of the yellow diamonds may also be of interest to the jewelry trade, said Lai.

“Occasionally, rough yellow diamonds lose their vibrant yellow colour after being cut and polished—probably because this kind of diamond has a thin layer of yellow overgrowth on top of the geologically older colourless core,” she said.

The project is a collaboration with Dominion Diamond Mines and Peregrine Diamonds Ltd. Part of the analyses were done at the Gemological Institute of America.

The research is supported by a bursary through DERTS, funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s Collaborative Research and Training Experience program.

The study, “Yellow Diamonds With Colourless Cores—Evidence for Episodic Diamond Growth Beneath Chidliak and the Ekati Mine, Canada,” was published in Mineralogy and Petrology.

Source: miragenews

Most Expensive Coloured Diamonds

Fancy colour diamonds

Blue

The 9.75 carat Zoe Diamond which sold for more than $32 million.

Zoe Diamond

Zoe Diamond

Green

5.03 carats Aurora Green sold for $16.8 million

Aurora Green

Orange

14.82 carat pear shaped Orange diamond sold for more than $35 million.

Orange Teardrop

The Orange

Red

The 1.56 carat Fancy Red Phoenix diamond sold for $2 million

Phoenix diamond

Pink

59.60 carat Pink Star $71.2 million

Pink Star

Pink Star

Yellow

Vivid Yellow 100.09 carat sold for $16.3 million.

Graff Vivid Yellow

Graff Vivid Yellow

Mountain Province Diamonds Announces Inclusion of 60 Carat Fancy Vivid Yellow Rough Diamond in its February Sale

60.59 Carats rough diamond

Mountain Province Diamonds Inc today announces that it will include in it its upcoming, February rough diamond sale, an exceptional quality, 60.59 carat, fancy vivid yellow rough diamond. The diamond was recovered at the Company’s Gahcho Kué Mine in October 2018.

Reid Mackie, the Company’s Vice President Diamond Marketing commented “the discovery of this diamond demonstrates our ability to produce very large, high quality, fancy coloured diamonds. We are thrilled to be able to include it in our upcoming sale and present our customers with the opportunity to bid for this important piece of the mine’s history”.

Also included in the sale will be more than 50 other large, high quality white and fancy coloured rough diamonds. Viewings will take place between February 11th to 21st at the offices of Bonas-Couzyn in Antwerp, Belgium.

Mountain Province’s Gahcho Kué Mine, located at the edge of Canada’s Arctic Circle, is the world’s largest and richest new diamond mine and since the start of production in late 2016 has established itself as a regular producer of exceptional, gem quality, large diamonds. In 2018,  Mountain Province sold more than 400 individual diamonds larger than 10.8 carats.

Source: prnewswire

Mouawad Cuts Record Yellow Diamond

Mouawad Dragon Rough to Polished Diamond

Mouawad has manufactured a 54.21 carat polished yellow stone, which, it claims, is the largest of its shape and color the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has ever graded.

The company named the round brilliant cut, fancy vivid yellow stone the Mouawad Dragon, as its color is reminiscent of a “dragon’s magical powers and fiery eyes,” it said Monday.

The rough stone was found in an alluvial deposit in South Africa, and took Mouawad six months to cut and polish. The jeweler, which manufactures its rough in South Africa, New York and Bangkok, will set the stone in a necklace that will be part of an ensemble. The entire collection will be unveiled in March, the company told Rapaport News.

“We’re thrilled to have had the opportunity to craft this extraordinary diamond from the rough, and we will soon continue the creative process by designing a masterpiece that befits its dazzling beauty,” said Fred Mouawad, co guardian of the jeweler’s diamond division.

In August, Mouawad bought the round, 51.38 carat,  D color, VVS1 clarity, triple Ex Dynasty diamond from Alrosa at tender. It was the most expensive polished stone the Russia-based miner had sold. The jeweler has renamed the Dynasty originally the centerpiece of a five-stone collection that fetched approximately $10 million combined the Mouawad Dynasty. The stone now weighs 51.12 carats and has flawless clarity, Mouawad said. The company will reveal more details about its plans for the stone next month.

Source: Diamonds.net