A reversible pendant-brooch by JAR (left) and a 3.48-carat fancy intense blue diamond (right) were among the standout pieces at Sotheby’s first jewelry sales at the Breuer building in Manhattan, its new global headquarters.
New York—Sotheby’s has concluded its inaugural jewelry auctions at the Breuer building, its new global headquarters, with the two-sale debut raking in $43.9 million.
The sales, held Dec. 9, marked the auction house’s first evening jewelry auction in New York in more than a decade.
The collection, which Sotheby’s said was assembled over decades, comprised more than 60 pieces.
All of the lots found buyers and 88 percent of them surpassed their highest pre-sale estimates, Sotheby’s said.
This Boucheron necklace, circa 1888, is set with seven cushion-shaped rubies weighing approximately 40 carats. Its former owners include American socialite Marie-Louise Mackay and the legendary Countess Mona Bismarck.
The collection’s top lot was an antique ruby and diamond necklace by Boucheron, which sold within its estimate for $1.3 million.
A Suzanne Belperron bib necklace featuring topaz, morganite, aquamarine and diamond—one of more than 20 Belperron pieces in the collection—achieved $825,500, more than twice its highest pre-sale estimate.
A colored gemstone and diamond necklace by Suzanne Belperron, the fourth highest-grossing lot in the “A Legacy of Elegance” collection
This Suzanne Belperron sapphire and diamond necklace sold for $635,000, a little more than double its high estimate of $300,000.
Sotheby’s said “enthusiastic bidding” propelled Belperron’s chalcedony and amethyst cuff to $317,500, more than four times its lowest pre-sale estimate.
A pair of ruby and citrine earrings by the designer generated “frenzied bidding,” with a total of 26 bids.
The earrings sold for $63,500, blowing away their $10,000 to $15,000 estimate.
Following the sale, Belperron President Nico Landrigan said, “When my family began its stewardship of the House of Belperron in 1999, her infamously unsigned pieces were still appearing at auction unrecognized, her true impact too often lost to history.”
“To witness her work now commanding such admiration is profoundly meaningful; not only for us, but for all those who have championed her genius over the years.”
Bidders also clamored for the 12 one-of-a-kind creations by JAR, Sotheby’s said, which collectively achieved $5.7 million.
A reversible pendant-brooch featuring pink topazes framed by pavé-set colored gemstones sold for $1 million, double its highest pre-sale estimate.
It was the second highest-grossing lot of the “A Legacy of Elegance” collection.
The graduated design of this reversible pendant-brooch by JAR centers on oval and pear-shaped pink topazes, framed on one side by pavé-set rubies, amethysts, and sapphires, and on the reverse (pictured at the top of the article) by sapphires, pink tourmalines, and demantoid garnets.
A pair of ruby and diamond earclips by JAR, designed as quatrefoils pavé-set with round rubies sold above its estimate for $698,500. One centers a diamond and the other, a ruby.
A sapphire and diamond brooch by René Boivin
Also part of the collection was a René Boivin “Grenade” brooch that once belonged to jewelry collector Daisy Fellowes (1890-1962), a French socialite and heiress to the Singer sewing fortune.
It sold for $279,400 against an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000.
“The white-glove result was a tribute both to the imagination and technical mastery of these masterpieces, and to the passion and meticulous dedication with which the collection was assembled over decades,” said Catharine Becket, Sotheby’s global head of high jewelry.
“It has been a true pleasure to bring these one-of-a-kind jewels to market, and we see this auction’s success as a celebration of the immense talent of Suzanne Belperron and JAR and their singular contributions to the art of jewelry.”
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A High Jewelry auction followed the “A Legacy of Elegance” sale, garnering a total of $30.1 million, with 94 percent of lots finding buyers.
The top lot, a 3.48-carat fancy intense blue diamond, pictured at the top of the article, sold within its estimate for $2.6 million after three phone bidders competed for nearly three minutes, Sotheby’s said.
The “Jonker VI,” one of the 13 diamonds cut from the famous 726-carat Jonker rough discovered in South Africa in 1934, was the second highest-grossing lot of the high jewelry auction, selling for $2 million.
The “Jonker VI,” originally a 24.91-carat emerald-cut diamond, was recut to 22.85 carats, Sotheby’s said.
Other highlights included a natural pearl necklace finished with a clasp featuring a 3.78-carat marquise-shaped fancy blue diamond that sold above its estimate for $1.3 million.
A 3.27-carat fancy vivid orangy pink diamond—which features a sunset-like hue similar to that of the record-breaking “Desert Rose” diamond—sold within estimate for $920,750, while an 18.18-carat fancy intense yellow diamond ring (est. $200,000 to $300,000) soared to $698,500.
This 3.27-carat fancy vivid orangy pink diamond ring sold for more than $900,000.
From the collection of the du Pont family, this Raymond Yard ring featuring a 5.43-carat octagonal step-cut Colombian emerald sold for $939,800, nearly four times its highest pre-sale estimate.
Bidders online and on the phone battled for these two diamond necklaces, which sold for $825,500 against an estimate of $350,000 to $550,000.
David Webb’s nephrite, amethyst, ruby, and diamond “Demon Mask” necklace-brooch soared past its pre-sale estimate of $20,000 to $30,000.
A David Webb “Demon Mask” necklace-brooch from the collection of Geri Brawerman, a Los Angeles philanthropist who died last December, achieved $508,000 against an estimate of $20,000 and $30,000.
Another single-owner spotlight was the collection of Palm Beach socialite Uta Ortiz-Patiño.
She acquired the majority of her jewels in the 1960s and 1980s, with Van Cleef & Arpels as her maison of choice, Sotheby’s said.
Pursued by two bidders in the room and three on the phone, a nearly 27-carat Van Cleef & Arpels sapphire ring from her collection sold for $1.6 million ($61,620 per carat), setting a new price-per-carat record for a Ceylon sapphire.
Uta Ortiz-Patiño’s Van Cleef & Arpels ring featuring a 26.55-carat cushion-cut Ceylon sapphire flanked by pear-shaped diamonds sold for $1.6 million, beating its $700,000 to $900,000 estimate.
Fashion designer Gabriela Hearst, who served as a guest curator for the High Jewelry sale, made her auction debut at the event.
Her first high jewelry piece, the transformable “Alpha and Omega” earrings, were made exclusively for Sotheby’s and sold within estimate for $69,850 to an online collector.
The proceeds will benefit Amazon Frontlines, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the rights and lands of Indigenous peoples in the Amazon.
In addition, two diamond rings made by designer Kindred Lubeck as part of her auction debut with Sotheby’s each sold within their estimates.
Bidders from 43 countries participated in the evening sales, Sotheby’s said.
“These results underscore the enduring global passion for rare gems, visionary design, and exceptional craftsmanship,” said Quig Bruning, head of Sotheby’s Jewels for Americas and EMEA.
“We set out to curate sales that resonate with today’s collectors, and the response confirms that demand is as deep and robust as ever. It has been an exceptionally strong year for the jewelry market, and we look forward to carrying this momentum into 2026.”
