Auctions

51-carat fancy vivid yellow to lead Sotheby’s sale

AuctionsAug 25, 2016

51-carat fancy vivid yellow to lead Sotheby’s sale

A 51.75-carat fancy vivid yellow diamond flanked by two 6.15-carat triangle-shaped diamonds set in a platinum ring is expected to sell for as much as $3.5 million at Sotheby’s Dec. 11 auction.

New York--A 51.75-carat fancy vivid yellow diamond flanked by two 6.15-carat triangle-shaped diamonds set in a platinum ring is expected to sell for as much as $3.5 million at Sotheby’s Dec. 11 auction.


This 51.75-carat fancy vivid yellow diamond ring features a platinum mounting decorated on the sides with round and oval-shaped diamonds, as well as small round diamonds with a yellow tint.


The cut-cornered square-shaped yellow diamond is VS1 clarity and is the “property of a distinguished lady,” Sotheby’s said.

The Magnificent Jewels auction will take place in New York and offer, in addition to the yellow diamond, rare Egyptian jewels by Cartier and additional diamond lots.

An Egyptian-revival faience and jeweled brooch, made by Cartier London circa 1923, is in the shape of a fan with an ancient green-glazed bust of the goddess Sekhmet at the center. The bust is set against a lapis lazuli sky with diamond stars, and is one of only two fan-shaped brooches ever made by Cartier London.

The piece was exhibited in 1924 at the French Industrial Exposition at Grand Central Palace in New York. It is expected to sell for up to $500,000.

Another diamond lot, a 24.48-carat emerald-cut D color, VS1 clarity diamond set in a platinum ring has a pre-sale high estimate of $2.5 million.

A platinum and 18-karat gold bracelet boasting eight cushion-cut emeralds weighing between 5.73 and 14.72 carats and spaced by round, marquise and pear-shaped diamonds weighing approximately 15.72 carats is expected to sell for up to $1.5 million.

“Sotheby’s has broken world auction record after world auction record in our jewelry sales this fall in both Hong Kong and Geneva, establishing new benchmark prices for any diamond, any jewel and any jewelry auction. Our December sale in New York is distinguished by a number of true masterpieces,” said Lisa Hubbard, chairman of Sotheby’s North and South America and Sotheby’s international jewelry division.

Also included in the Magnificent Jewels auction will be Bulgari’s 18-karat gold, spinel, turquoise and diamond earrings, inspired by the late actress Elizabeth Taylor and her 1963 film Cleopatra. As a tribute to Taylor, Bulgari will donate 100 percent of the sale’s proceeds to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.

The earrings are expected to garner up to $22,000.

Michelle Graffis the editor-in-chief at National Jeweler, directing the publication’s coverage both online and in print.

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