The 10-carat Marie-Thérèse Pink diamond dating back to the 18th-century and set into a modern ring by JAR (left) and “The Blue Belle” necklace featuring a 392.52-carat Ceylon sapphire (right) were the top lots of Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction this week.
New York—Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction, held Tuesday in New York, achieved $87.7 million, with every lot finding a buyer.
The result marks the highest total ever recorded for a various-owner jewelry auction at Christie’s in the Americas, with colored gemstones drawing significant attention.
Headlining the sale was the historic “Marie-Thérèse Pink,” a 10-carat fancy purple-pink diamond believed to date to the mid-18th century.
Set in a modern ring by JAR, it sold for $14 million, nearly three times its highest estimate of $5 million, and set new auction records for a fancy purple-pink diamond and for a JAR jewel.
This antique 10.38-carat fancy purple-pink kite-shaped brilliant-cut diamond was set in a ring by Parisian jeweler Joel Arthur Rosenthal (JAR), which Christie’s said transformed it into “a contemporary masterpiece, imbued with centuries of royal history, elegance, and intrigue.”
The diamond is rumored to have been belonged to Queen Marie Antoinette and included in the jewels passed down to her only surviving child, Duchess Marie Thérèse de Angoulême, and later to her niece, Duchess Marie Thérèse de Chambord.
Generations later, a will named Queen Marie Theresa of Bavaria as the diamond’s next known owner, Christie’s said.
The jewel was presented in a velvet case containing a hat pin bearing the Austrian Imperial Warrant, likely dating to 1868. Queen Marie Theresa referred to the jewel as “a pink solitaire diamond from Aunt Chambord.”
The jewel was last seen at a 1996 auction in Geneva, offered by a member of a European royal family. It had remained out of public view until it came up for auction at Christie’s this spring.
Another star of the sale was “The Blue Belle” sapphire and diamond necklace, which sold within its estimate for $11.3 million.
The Blue Belle, the 393-carat Sri Lankan sapphire at the heart of this necklace, features a “luminous intensity,” Christie’s said.
The piece features a 392.52-carat Ceylon sapphire discovered in 1926.
It was acquired in 1937 to be presented to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in celebration of King George VI’s coronation, but it never entered the royal collection.
It passed through several distinguished owners, Christie’s said, until reappearing at a 2014 Geneva auction.
“This season’s results highlight the tremendous demand for jewels of exceptional rarity, provenance, and craftsmanship,” said Rahul Kadakia, Christie’s international head of jewelry.
“In addition to the regal splendor of the Marie-Thérèse Pink diamond and the Blue Belle sapphire, private collections and superb jewels were met with enthusiastic and competitive bidding driven by our team’s passionate expertise.”
Signed jewels performed exceptionally well, the auction house said.
A Cartier shoulder brooch, circa 1924
A Cartier Art Deco multi-gem and diamond bracelet achieved $831,600, more than twice its high estimate of $300,000, while a Cartier Art Deco multi-gem and diamond shoulder brooch sold for $340,200.
Also, a Harry Winston diamond pendant necklace with more than 20 carats of diamonds sold for $2.4 million against an estimate of $1.4 million to $1.8 million.
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Offered from a royal collection, the three-piece curation “Magnificent Mughal Jewels: Property from a Royal Collection” achieved $14.8 million, led by a carved emerald necklace, which sold for $6.2 million.
The 470-carat emerald at the center is inscribed with the name Ahmad Shah Durr-I Durran, founder of the Durrani Empire of Afghanistan and northwest India (18th century). This inscription also appears on the Timur Ruby and the Koh-I-Noor diamond.
A Mughal carved emerald necklace with five Colombian emeralds weighing approximately 1,150 carats in total; a buyer paid $6.2 million to own this piece.
This Mughal multi-gem and emerald necklace featuring four Colombian emeralds weighing around 800 carats achieved $5.6 million.
This Mughal three-strand spinel and natural pearl necklace with eight inscribed stones weighing approximately 2,000 carats total sold for $3 million.
The seller’s proceeds from these three jewels will benefit notable charitable causes, Christie’s said.
The auction also featured several private collections, each “distinguished by connoisseurship and excellence,” the auction house said.
“Color and Ingenuity: The Collection of Lucille Coleman,” a curation of jewelry that belonged to the philanthropist and New York society figure who died last June, achieved a total of $7.4 million.
The top lot was a Van Cleef & Arpels “mystery-set” ruby and diamond flower brooch, which sold for $1.6 million against a high estimate of $600,000, a new world record price for a “mystery-set” jewel sold at auction.
The Van Cleef & Arpels “mystery-set” ruby and diamond brooch from Lucille Coleman’s collection
The Coleman collection featured nine “mystery-set” pieces in total, one of the most significant groups of jewels in the category ever to appear at auction, according to Christie’s.
Proceeds will benefit the charitable institutions Coleman supported throughout her life.
The “Jewelry Collection of Anne H. Bass” totaled $8.8 million, led by a pair of Van Cleef & Arpels diamond pendant earrings, which sold for $2 million.
The arts patron and collector was celebrated for her refined taste, and this curation of her jewels from her personal collection—assembled with discernment and passion over decades—achieved “remarkable results,” Christie’s said.
Her JAR sapphire, emerald and diamond necklace, sold for $1.5 million against a pre-sale estimate of $200,000 to $300,000.
This JAR necklace, circa 1991, from the Anne Bass collection features drop briolette emeralds, faceted sapphire beads, round diamonds, platinum and 18-karat white gold.
The 26-piece offering featured 11 pieces by JAR, one of the “finest private assemblages” of jewels by the designer, Christie’s said.
The auction house said that overall, the Bass collection represents one of the “most impeccably curated” private jewelry collections to appear on the market, featuring the best examples of other famed houses such as Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, and Cartier.
