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27-Carat Diamond Fails to Sell at Sotheby’s NY
The actual top lot of last Thursday’s Important Jewels sale turned out to be a 24.72-carat sapphire ring that went for $706,000.

New York--The first jewelry sale of the fall at Sotheby’s New York didn’t turn out as expected.
A platinum ring set with an oval-shaped 27.35-carat diamond was predicted to lead the Important Jewels auction last Thursday with a sale price of between $2 and $2.5 million.
But not only did it not lead the sale, the ring failed to sell period. The diamond was not mentioned when the results were released.
Instead, the top jewel turned out to be a Bulgari ring featuring a cushion-cut sapphire weighing 24.72 carats accented by 9 carats of pear-shaped diamonds. The ring, expected to sell for up to $350,000, instead garnered $706,000.
A 10.10-carat marquise-shaped diamond flanked by two tapered baguette diamonds garnered $634,000 at the auction and a square emerald-cut diamond weighing 10.02 carats with trapeze-cut diamonds of 1.75 carats followed with a $394,000 price tag.
Meanwhile, a Van Cleef & Arpels suite featuring a necklace with blue and yellow sapphires and diamonds set in 18-karat gold along with a matching set of ear clips went for $340,000, while a Medusa molded glass and enamel 18-karat gold ring from renowned designer René Lalique went for well over its pre-sale high of $20,000 when it sold for $322,000.
A Bulgari Serpenti wristwatch with a quartz movement also appeared in the top 10 lots, with onyx and diamonds, at $175,000, as did a floral Bulgari brooch set with emeralds, rubies, pink sapphires and diamond accents, which sold for $187,500.
The sale totaled $8.6 million. For the full list of results, visit Sothebys.com.
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