A private collection of five Paraíba tourmalines was a highlight of Sotheby’s recent high jewelry auction. The group was led by a 7.70-carat oval-shaped example, pictured above, which sold for $1.4 million, more than double its estimate, landing in the top 10.
New York—Sotheby’s June high jewelry auction in New York was led by extraordinary colored diamonds. However, a private collection of Paraíba tourmalines also had a stellar showing.
The rare stone, named for the northeastern Brazilian region where it was discovered in the late 1980s, has captivated the international collecting community in recent years, the auction house said.
The collection on offer comprised five stones, which together achieved a total of $3.4 million (est. $770,000-$1.2 million).
It was led by a 7.70-carat oval-shaped Paraíba tourmaline of Brazilian origin, which sold for $1.4 million against an estimate of $350,000-$550,000 following a spirited three-minute bidding contest between two participants.
The stone, pictured at the top of the article, was the fourth highest-grossing lot in the auction.
A modified triangle-shaped Paraíba tourmaline weighing 6.11 carats, which sold for $972,800
Also in the top 10, a 6.11-carat modified triangle-shaped Paraíba tourmaline, also of Brazilian origin, sparked competitive bidding from two online and three telephone bidders, eventually selling for $972,800, exceeding its estimate of $300,000-$500,000.
A 6.65-carat oval-shaped tourmaline and a 6.44-carat pear-shaped tourmaline, offered together, soared to $204,800 against an estimate of $60,000–$80,000.
The fifth stone, an 8.48-carat oval-shaped tourmaline, which carried the same estimate, realized $819,200 after more than five minutes of sustained bidding online and over the phones.
The top lot of the high jewelry auction was a 10.02-carat fancy intense blue diamond that achieved $8.7 million, exceeding its pre-sale estimate of $6 million-plus, making it the top jewel sold in New York across all auction houses this year, said Sotheby’s.
This unmounted 10.02-carat cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant fancy intense blue diamond sold for $8.7 million.
The gem is the third intense blue diamond of more than 10 carats to be offered since 2008.
It was followed by a 5.02-carat oval-shaped fancy intense pink and light pink diamond ring, which sold within estimate for $2.9 million.
Other diamond highlights included a round cornered square modified brilliant-cut fancy intense yellow diamond weighing 34.75 carats. Sotheby’s said the piece attracted “fierce bidding,” which drove the final total above estimate to $1 million.
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The third highest-grossing lot of the auction was a pair of Cartier Art Deco diamond clips set with six Kashmir sapphires weighing a combined 23.02 carats.
Estimated to fetch up to $120,000, the lot opened with a bid of $850,000 and, following a spirited exchange between a bidder in the room and another on the phone, climbed to a final price of $1.6 million, more than 13 times its high estimate.
The clips were one of several sapphire pieces that performed well at the auction, another notable sale being a 21.25-carat emerald-cut Ceylon sapphire ring (est. $100,000–$150,000) that soared to $716,800 over the course of a five-minute bidding battle.
Also a highlight, a striking Harry Winston necklace from the 1960s, set with more than 120 carats of diamonds, sold within estimate for $998,400.
At left, a pair of Cartier clips, circa 1935, with a tiered design, featuring 23 carats of Kashmir sapphires, set with old European-, single-cut, and baguette diamonds. The pair sold for $1.6 million. At right, a 1930s Cartier diamond necklace that sold for $601,600.
Meanwhile, another Cartier piece, a 1930s diamond necklace set with old European-, old mine-, rose-, single-cut, and round diamonds, also stood out at the sale, achieving $601,600, more than five times its high estimate.
“Today’s results are a testament to the exceptional quality of the pieces offered across the sale. Demand was particularly strong for timeless designs, as well as for jewels and gemstones that speak to the evolving direction of the market,” said Quig Bruning, Sotheby's global head of jewelry.
“It is especially exciting to see growing confidence among collectors to look beyond the traditional canon of diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds, and to see a deepening appreciation for exceptional specimen stones, particularly Paraíba tourmalines, which achieved remarkable results today. We are incredibly proud of today’s results, which further underscore this market momentum and set a promising tone for our sales in the year ahead.”
Overall, the auction posted a total of $43.4 million, a 38 percent increase from its high jewelry sale in June 2025.
There was an average of 15 bids per lot, with 98 percent of all lots finding buyers.
More than 60 percent of lots sold above the high estimate, and more than one-third of all lots were acquired online.
A trio of jewels comprising an elongated old-mine brilliant cut diamond of more than 11 carats and two 2.01-carat pear-shaped diamond rings was the final offering in Sotheby’s multi-part auction collaboration with De Beers. The loose diamond sold for $896,000, and the rings sold for $23,040 and $21,760.
The high jewelry sale marked the conclusion of Sotheby’s auction collaboration with De Beers, which produced offerings earlier this year in Hong Kong and Geneva.
The final offering comprised a curated group of three “exceptional” diamonds, led by a 11.33-carat old-mine brilliant-cut diamond, D-color, Type IIa, which sold above estimate for $896,000.
It was accompanied by two other lots, each a pear-shaped diamond ring weighing 2.01 carats, which found buyers at $23,040 and $21,760.
Part of the proceeds from these lots will benefit the Peace Parks Foundation, a conservation-focused nonprofit in southern Africa co-founded by the late President Nelson Mandela.
Other highlights of the sale included a five-bidder battle for a 1970s ruby, emerald and diamond sautoir by Van Cleef & Arpels, which, in the end, sold for $345,600 against an estimate of $60,000 - $80,000.
