Auctions

Phillips to Auction Rare 18-Carat Burmese Ruby

AuctionsOct 22, 2024

Phillips to Auction Rare 18-Carat Burmese Ruby

The auction house said the gemstone could fetch up to $5.5 million at next month’s sale.

17.97-Carat Burmese Ruby Diamond Ring
In addition to this 17.97-carat ruby and diamond ring, Phillips will offer other colored gemstone pieces, jewels with historical provenance, Art Deco designs, and classic pieces at its Geneva jewelry auction next month.
Geneva—At its jewelry auction next month, Phillips will offer a nearly 18-carat Burmese ruby that’s expected to sell for more than $5 million. 

“Geneva Jewels Auction: Three” will take place in Geneva on Nov. 11.

The star of the sale is a Burmese ruby and diamond ring, pictured above, featuring a 17.97-carat ruby.

While rubies weighing more than 5 carats are extremely rare, the auction house said stones weighing 10 to 20 carats are “true natural wonders.”

Phillips said the gemstone has “exceptional clarity” for its size, as well as a vibrant unheated color and rich saturation.

Its pre-sale estimate is CHF 4.1 million to 4.8 million ($4.8 million to $5.5 million).

The sale also will feature colored diamonds, including a ring with a 3.24-carat, internally flawless fancy vivid blue diamond.

Phillips 3.24 carat Type IIb fancy vivid blue diamond
Phillips will offer this Type IIb fancy vivid blue diamond weighing 3.24 carats at its jewelry auction next month.


The diamond is classified as Type IIb, meaning it contains the trace element boron, which is responsible for the stone’s blue color. 

Type IIb diamonds, which are also known to conduct electricity, are rare in nature, with the auction house estimating that less than one-half of 1 percent of diamonds fall into this category.

The ring is estimated to sell for CHF 4.1 million to 5.1 million ($4.8 million to $6 million).

Phillips will also offer a natural red diamond. 

The 1.21-carat stone is named “The Red Miracle” and comes from a private collection. 

It is estimated to fetch CHF 420,000 to 680,000 ($500,000 to $800,000).

The Red Miracle Phillips natural red diamond
“The Red Miracle” is a 1.21-carat natural red diamond estimated to sell for up to $800,000.


Red diamonds weighing more than 1 carat are exceptionally rare, said the auction house.

At a Phillips auction earlier this year, another red diamond, the 1.56-carat “Argyle Phoenix” sold to Laurence Graff, founder of Graff Diamonds, for more than double its estimate, going for CHF 3.8 million ($4.2 million, or $2.7 million per carat). 

It set two auction records for a fancy red diamond, one for price and one for price per carat. 

Other notable natural colored diamond pieces set to appear at the sale are a 3.88-carat fancy dark gray-blue diamond ring (est. CHF 680,000 to 850,000 or $800,000 to $1 million) and a 40.54-carat old European-cut fancy intense yellow diamond (est. CHF 850,000 to 1.3 million or $980,000 to $1.5 million). 


A 1.36-carat fancy intense blue diamond ring, estimated to sell for CHF 250,000 to 420,000 ($300,000 to $500,000), will be on offer as well. 

 Related stories will be right here … 

Other colored gemstones that are part of the auction include an emerald and diamond ring featuring a 14.65-carat Colombian emerald set in a vintage Cartier mounting from the 1920s.

It is estimated to sell for CHF 750,000 to 1 million ($900,000 to $1.2 million).

Cartier emerald ring 1920s Phillips
A 14.65-carat Colombian emerald in a vintage Cartier mounting


An 8.03-carat unheated Kashmir sapphire and diamond ring in a “Trombino” design by Bulgari, as well as a pair of emerald and diamond earrings by Van Cleef & Arpels, are each estimated to sell for up to CHF 500,000 ($600,000). 


A 20.49-carat, no-oil Colombian emerald ring also is on offer with an estimate of CHF 650,000 - 850,000 ($750,000 to $1 million).  


Phillips’ upcoming jewelry auction also includes a selection of jewels with provenance. 

A Cartier necklace once owned by French actress Marie Bell featuring citrine, turquoise, and diamonds and showcasing the “Grain de Café” motif, is estimated to achieve CHF 85,000 to 130,000 ($100,000 to $150,000). 

A natural pearl and diamond necklace from a European noble family also is on offer, with an estimate of CHF 60,000 to 85,000 ($70,000 to $100,000). 


A 19th-century gold, emerald, and diamond bracelet featuring an 11.39-carat emerald is estimated to sell for CHF 50,000 to 85,000 ($60,000 to $100,000).

Additionally, the auction house will offer a 19th-century spinel and diamond necklace King George IV is believed to have gifted to his mistress, Elizabeth Conyngham, Marchioness Conyngham. 

Its estimate is CHF 13,000 to 22,000 ($15,000 to 25,000).

A Castellani micromosaic demi-parure from circa 1875 will be offered with an estimate of CHF 7,000 to 10,000 ($8,000 to $12,000). The piece was once part of the late Mrs. Harry Winston’s collection.

Also on offer is a 1930s coral and diamond bracelet (est. CHF 10,000 to 15,000 or $12,000 to $18,000) by Marsh & Co. 

The bracelet is from the estate of Margaret Roebling Perrine, daughter of Ferdinand Roebling, general manager of Trenton, New Jersey-based John A. Roebling’s Sons Company, best known for its pivotal role in constructing the Brooklyn Bridge.

A selection of Art Deco jewels are included in the sale.

Highlighted lots include a circa 1926 diamond jabot pin, a circa 1924 diamond bracelet, a sapphire and diamond bracelet from 1927, and a pair of pearl and diamond brooches from 1930, all by Cartier.
 
Cartier diamond bracelet
Of the Cartier lots listed above, this diamond bracelet has the highest estimate, CHF 85,000 to 130,000 ($100,000 to $150,000).


The auction house also will offer classic designs from Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, Bulgari, and Buccellati, as well as a contemporary statement choker attributed to Marina B.

Marina B choker
A gold and diamond choker attributed to Marina B (est. CHF 8,500 to 13,000 or $10,000 to $15,000)


“On the heels of Phillips’ successful sale in Hong Kong, which achieved an outstanding 89 percent year-on-year increase, we are excited to unveil the highlights of ‘The Geneva Jewels Auction: Three,’” Phillips’ Worldwide Head of Jewellery Benoît Repellin said. 

“Our Geneva auction offers a meticulously curated selection, reflective of the robust global demand for rare and captivating jewels. We look forward to presenting these exceptional pieces as we continue our international tour leading up to the Geneva auction in November.”  

The pieces will be showcased globally prior to the auction, with viewings in Taipei, London, Paris, Singapore, and New York.  

The auction preview will open Nov. 6 at Hotel President in Geneva, followed by the live sale on Nov. 11.  

Lauren McLemoreis the associate editor, gemstones at National Jeweler, covering sourcing, pricing and other developments.

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