A 133.03 carat Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond achieved a sale price of more than $5.5 million, becoming the largest fancy vivid yellow diamond to sell at auction.
This was the top lot at Sotheby’s December 5 Magnificent Jewels auction in New York. The unmounted cushion modified brilliant-cut gem with VS2 clarity surpassed its high estimate of $5 million.
The diamond was purchased by Diacore, a diamond manufacturer best known for crafting rare, exceptional diamonds and high-end jewelry.
The company also has a joint partnership with Sotheby’s called “Sotheby’s Diamonds,” in which they manufacture and market diamonds specifically for private sale at Sotheby’s locations in London, New York and Hong Kong.
Sotheby’s will offer a 93.94-carat Paraiba tourmaline at its upcoming Geneva sale, the largest “top-quality” stone of its kind ever to come to auction, the company said.
The stone, which is set into a bespoke necklace created by Adler Joailliers, will be one of the star lots in the November 8 Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels sale, Sotheby’s said Monday. The auction house expects it to fetch between $1.3 million and $2.5 million.
The necklace, called the Blue Lagoon, features a “waterfall” of round and marquise- and pear-shaped diamonds with a total weight of more than 76 carats, the company noted. It will be offered with the original sketch.
Hailing from Mozambique, the stone is distinguished by “an extraordinary electric blue hue,” which recalls the “crystalline waters of a tropical paradise,” Sotheby’s said. Finding Paraiba tourmalines of this size, with such strong saturation and color, is extremely difficult, the auction house added.
Adler is a family business, created in 1886 by Jacques Adler in Istanbul. His grandsons, Franklin and Carlo, opened a boutique in Geneva in 1972. Since 2015, it has been run by the next generation of Adlers — Allen, who is CEO, and his wife, Daisy, who is chief operating officer.
Sotheby’s raked in $13.1 million at its most recent jewelry sale in New York, with more than half of the goods surpassing their high estimates.
The lead item at the September 12 Important Jewels sale was a Harry Winston ring set with a round, 15.18-carat, E-color, VS2-clarity diamond, which brought in $69,440 per carat, for a total of $1.1 million, Sotheby’s said Wednesday. That amount was well above its $750,000 upper estimate.
Overall, Sotheby’s sold 84% of jewels on offer at the auction.
Here are some of the other top pieces from the sale:
An emerald-cut, 15.05-carat, H-color, VVS2-clarity diamond ring went for $508,000, or $33,754 per carat, within its estimated price range.This diamond, emerald, ruby and onyx floral motif brooch by Van Cleef & Arpels brought in $469,900, more than eight times its $55,000 high estimate, following competition from 11 bidders.A cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant-cut, 15.89-carat, fancy-intense-yellow, VS1-clarity diamond ring garnered $355,600, beating its $280,000 upper price tag.Sotheby’s sold this pear-shaped, 12-carat, J-color, VS1-clarity diamond ring for $317,500, higher than its $200,000 high presale estimate.This pair of cushion-cut earclips contains fancy-yellow diamonds weighing 11.28 and 10.22 carats. The set realized $304,800, well over its $220,000 high price.
The 303.10-carat Golden Canary fetched $12.4 million at Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels in New York on Wednesday, becoming the third most valuable yellow diamond ever sold at auction, the company reported.
The pear-shaped, fancy-deep-brownish-yellow stone is the world’s largest known internally flawless diamond. It is also the largest flawless or internally flawless diamond graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), Sotheby’s said Thursday. The auction house offered the piece without reserve, but predicted it would bring in more than $15 million.
The diamond was initially discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the early 1980s. Originally called the Incomparable Diamond, the stone was recut from its previous 407-carat shield shape to deepen the color and brighten the hue.
“The Golden Canary captivated me from the moment I saw it — with its monumental size, golden hue and impeccable clarity — it is truly an extraordinary diamond with immense presence,” said Quig Bruning, head of jewelry for the Americas at Sotheby’s.
A blue diamond weighing 5.53 carats failed to find a buyer at Sotheby’s Geneva on Wednesday despite being billed as the star of the auction.
The cushion brilliant-cut, fancy-vivid-blue diamond is part of an eight-piece group called the De Beers Exceptional Blue Collection, which Sotheby’s has spread between its various Magnificent Jewels sales. No bids matched the stone’s threshold price for sale, according to a post-auction report by the Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF). The piece carried a presale estimate of $11 million to $15 million.
“The blue is an exceptional stone in every sense,” Sotheby’s told Rapaport News Thursday. “It attracted significant interest prior to yesterday’s sale. While we didn’t get to see it sell in the room last night, we are confident it will find a new home very soon.”
Meanwhile, a number of items set records at the November 9 sale, including a 20.16-carat sapphire and diamond ring from Cartier. That piece, which fetched $2.8 million against a high estimate of $2 million, saw a record price per carat for any blue sapphire of Burmese origin ever sold at auction. A 20.58-carat, pink sapphire ring also broke the record for per-carat price, bringing in $1.9 million, or $91,690 per carat, well above its $808,368 upper price tag. A pink sapphire and diamond brooch weighing 92.01 carats by Jean Schlumberger sold for $1.8 million, outstripping its $505,278 high estimate and setting a record price for a piece of jewelry by the designer.
Another notable item at the sale was a pair of unmounted oval-cut, D-flawless diamonds weighing 20.03 and 20.19 carats. The duo fetched $4.2 million, within estimates. A step-cut, 33.13-carat, D-color, VVS1-clarity diamond ring by Cartier brought in $2.9 million, also within its expected range.
The entire Geneva Magnificent Jewels auction garnered $50 million. Sotheby’s will offer two more blue diamonds from the De Beers collection at its upcoming New York Magnificent Jewels sale on December 7.
Sotheby’s will offer a yellow diamond weighing more than 300 carats at its upcoming New York auction, where it is expected to bring in more than $15 million.
The pear-shaped, 303.10-carat, fancy-deep-brownish-yellow stone is one of the largest polished diamonds in the world. It is also the largest flawless or internally flawless diamond ever graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), Sotheby’s said Monday.
Initially called the Incomparable Diamond, the stone was recut from its original 407-carat shield shape to deepen the color and brighten the hue, and renamed the Golden Canary. As the highlight of the December 7 Magnificent Jewels sale, it will be offered without reserve, with bidding starting at $1, Sotheby’s noted.
The Golden Canary was first discovered in the early 1980s in a pile of rubble by a young girl playing in the backyard of her uncle’s house, Sotheby’s noted. Miners from the nearby Miba diamond deposit had considered the stone to be too bulky to be diamond bearing and had discarded it. The girl gave the 890-carat rough to her uncle, who sold it to local diamond dealers. The diamond has since been displayed in multiple museums.
“The demand and appetite for [extraordinary colored diamonds] continues to grow,” said Quig Bruning, head of jewelry for Sotheby’s Americas. “Steeped in history, the Golden Canary is one of the most exquisite diamonds to ever be discovered, not only for its sheer size and intensity in color, but for its stunning beauty that is sure to captivate collectors around the world.”
Sotheby’s will showcase the diamond on a world tour prior to the auction, with stops in cities including Dubai; Taipei, Taiwan; Geneva; and Hong Kong.
Sotheby’s will offer two diamonds weighing more than 100 carats at its upcoming jewelry sale, with one expected to fetch in excess of $10 million.
The Juno diamond, a pear-shaped, 101.41-carat, D-color, internally flawless, type IIa stone, will lead the June 16 New York Magnificent Jewels sale, the auction house said last week. Only 11 D-color diamonds over 100 carats have ever been sold at auction, Sotheby’s noted.
That stone will be joined by the Earth Star, a pear-shaped, 111.59-carat, fancy-deep-orange-brown diamond, which has returned to the auction block for the first time in nearly 40 years. The piece, which is the second-largest diamond of its color, cut and size to be offered at an auction, carries a high estimate of $2.5 million.
The Earth Star diamond
Designer David Webb has created a custom mounting for the stone, which was fashioned from a 248-carat rough discovered at the Jagersfontein mine in South Africa in 1967. The setting uses azurmalachite to resemble the Earth as seen from the perspective of a star, Sotheby’s explained.
Other notable items include an emerald-cut, 26.06-carat, D-color, VVS1-clarity diamond ring by Kwiat, which is estimated at up to $3 million, and a pair of diamond and sapphire earrings. The set features two pear-shaped, D-flawless diamonds weighing 4.09 and 4.12 carats; two emerald-cut, D-color diamonds weighing 3.19 and 3.17 carats; and two Kashmir sapphires weighing 9.65 and 9.44 carats. It is predicted to realize up to $3 million. Meanwhile, an Indian-inspired emerald and diamond fringe necklace by Cartier made in 1945 has a price tag of $1.5 million to $2.5 million.
Sotheby’s will auction a stone described as “the largest vivid blue diamond ever to appear at auction” on April 27 in Hong Kong.
Sotheby’s estimates that it could bring $48 million.
Cullinan Blue Diamond
The 15.1 carat step-cut blue was cut from a rough stone discovered in April 2021. It is “the largest internally flawless step cut vivid blue diamond that the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has ever graded,” according to a press statement.
“This diamond ranks as one of the best De Beers has ever seen,” said Bruce Cleaver, CEO of De Beers Group. “It is extremely rare and unique, and as the Home of Diamonds, De Beers is pleased to join together with Sotheby’s to bring this diamond to the world.”
Only five blue diamonds over 10 carats have ever come to auction, Sotheby’s notes. Until now, none has exceeded 15 carats.
“Blue diamonds of any kind are rare on the market, but this is the rarest of the rare; nothing of remotely similar calibre has appeared at auction in recent years,” says Patti Wong, chairwoman of Sotheby’s Asia. “Hundreds of millions of years in the making, this extraordinary blue diamond is surely one of nature’s finest creations.”
The diamond comes from the Cullinan mine in South Africa.
Sotheby’s will hold a sale dedicated to the works of René Lalique, featuring nearly 40 pieces collected over four decades.
The jewels, which make up a “rare museum-quality collection,” are all appearing at auction for the first time, Sotheby’s said last week. Assembled by Claude Sorbac, one of Lalique’s greatest fans, the grouping is set to go under the hammer on December 17 in Paris.
The Orchidée Cattleya comb, created between 1903 and 1905, is the star of the show. Sorbac bought the piece in 1976 from Lalique’s heirs. The largest of a series of three, and containing diamond-studded foliage, the comb is estimated at up to EUR 1.5 million ($1.7 million).
Other notable items include the Loving Swallows comb, made around 1905 or 1906, which was also purchased from the artist’s descendants. It is valued at EUR 400,000 to EUR 600,000 ($450,660 to $675,906).
Meanwhile, two glass, enamel and diamond necklaces will be up for sale. The first, named Frogs, carries an estimate of EUR 400,000 to EUR 600,000, while the second, called Dragonflies and Ferns, is valued at EUR 250,000 ($281,627) to EUR 400,000.
The Medusa necklace designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany
The Medusa necklace, one of the earliest pieces designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, sold for more than 18 times its high estimate at a recent Sotheby’s auction.
The piece, designed in 1904, was last seen at auction 78 years ago. It fetched $3.7 million against an upper estimate of $200,000 following 10 minutes of heated bidding, Sotheby’s said Wednesday. The pendant set a world auction record for a piece by the designer. In total, the December 7 Magnificent Jewels sale achieved $57.1 million, the second-highest figure for a jewelry auction at Sotheby’s New York.
Blue diamonds also performed well, with a cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant-cut, 6.11-carat, fancy-intense-blue diamond ring garnering $8 million, or $1.3 million per carat, well above its high estimate. A ring bearing a cushion-cut, 3.01-carat, fancy-vivid-blue diamond flanked by two heart-shaped diamonds sold for $3.9 million, or $1.3 million per carat, within expectations.
Other notable items include a group of jewels from an American private collector, which features one of the largest private collections of Bulgari pieces ever to come to market, Sotheby’s noted. Some 93% of those items found buyers, realizing $9 million, above their combined $8.2 million high estimate.
Meanwhile, a ring set with a pear-shaped, 62.65-carat, D-color, VVS2-clarity diamond bracketed by two pear-shaped diamonds weighing 2.04 carats and 2.01 carats fetched $2.9 million, in the middle of its presale valuation. A ring containing a cut-cornered rectangular step-cut, 1.03-carat, fancy-red diamond framed by shield-shaped diamonds hammered for $2 million, the upper end of its estimate.
Sotheby’s sold 84% of goods on offer, with 68% of those achieving prices above their high estimates and 13 pieces going for more than $1 million. Participants came from more than 45 countries.
