CrimeNov 17, 2025
Police Searching for 2 Suspects in Murder of Father, Son Jewelers Faustino Alamo Dominguez and his son, 25-year-old Luis Angel Alamo, were gunned down following an armed robbery at their jewelry store.
AuctionsOct 11, 2016
Another Top Lot Fails to Sell, This Time at Sotheby’s HK
A jadeite bangle predicted to go for up to $9 million didn’t sell at the Oct. 4 auction, just two weeks after a headlining piece in New York also failed to meet its reserve price.
This circular jadeite bangle of high translucency and intense emerald green color, which Sotheby’s called “highly important,” was estimated to sell for up to $9 million. It failed to meet its reserve price Oct. 4 in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong--It appears the buyers at auction and the experts giving the jewelry lots their pre-sale estimates are on different pages these days.
For the second time in about a two-week period, the predicted top lot of a jewelry auction failed to sell.
At the Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite sale held at Sotheby’s Hong Kong Oct. 4, the auction house predicted that a “highly important” jadeite bangle would lead the event with a pre-sale estimate of between $6.4 million and $9 million.
Instead, it failed to meet its reserve price, just like a 27-carat oval diamond ring recently did at Sotheby’s New York.
Sotheby’s Hong Kong did not respond to a request for comment on the failed sale by press time.
The top lot of the sale turned out to be a colored gemstone, also mirroring the results of the New York sale.
A ring featuring a 5.07-carat ruby surrounded by four pear-shaped diamonds weighing 7.56 total carats, accented with circular-cut diamonds and mounted in platinum and 18-karat yellow gold, sold for about $1.9 million.
Following the ruby ring were more colored stones, with a matching Bulgari set comprising an emerald and diamond necklace and earrings falling just behind when it garnered approximately $1.8 million, surpassing its pre-sale estimate of $1 million.
A Cartier ring set with a 13.60-carat cut-cornered rectangular step-cut diamond sold for $1.7 million, a VS2 clarity oval fancy vivid yellow diamond of 10.81 carats followed behind at $1.2 million, and two brilliant-cut unmounted diamonds weighing 5.96 and 5.86 carats garnered $1.1 million.
A natural 5.07-carat Burmese ruby, surrounded by four pear-shaped diamonds weighing 7.56 carats in total, accented with circular-cut diamonds, led the Sotheby’s Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite sale Oct. 4 when it sold for $1.9 million.
This Bulgari demi-parure (matching set) comprises a necklace with three graduated step-cut emeralds weighing 12, 10.14 and 6.91 carats, with smaller step-cut emeralds and diamonds, and a pair of matching earrings, each set with a step-cut emerald weighing 6.01 and 5.92 carats, as well as additional smaller emerald and diamond accents. It garnered approximately $1.8 million.
This Cartier ring is set with a cut-cornered rectangular step-cut diamond weighing 13.60 carats, flanked by two baguette diamonds and mounted in platinum. The D color, flawless stone sold for $1.7 million.
A VS2 clarity oval fancy vivid yellow diamond weighing 10.81 carats went for $1.2 million.
Two jadeite pieces did appear in the top lots--a pair of highly translucent jadeite double hoop earrings surmounted by an oval diamond each weighing 1.01 carats went for approximately $815,000, and a necklace composed of 47 translucent jadeite beads with a clasp set with circular-cut diamonds and calibré-cut rubies sold for about $737,000.
Rounding out the top 10 were a pair of earrings featuring pear-shaped diamonds weighing 5.10 and 5.07 carats that garnered about $691,000; a bracelet comprised of 28 emerald-cut diamonds weighing 57.75 carats total that sold for about $614,000; and a fancy intense yellow, fancy yellow, fancy light yellow and white diamond necklace and earring matching set from Graff that also went for about $614,000.
The sale generated revenues of more than $24.8 million but was only 60 percent sold by lot, with 115 out of 192 lots on offer finding buyers.
The
More on Auctions
The Latest
GradingNov 17, 2025
IGI Announces New President of North AmericaTiffany & Co. veteran Jeffrey Bennett has stepped into the role.
MajorsNov 17, 2025
Look Inside Robbins Brothers Fine Jewelers’ New Pasadena FlagshipThe showroom is located in a historic 1920s building in the Playhouse District.
Brought to you by
Impacting Tomorrow TodayHow Jewelers of America’s 20 Under 40 are leading to ensure a brighter future for the jewelry industry.
Policies & IssuesNov 14, 2025
U.S., Switzerland Reach Deal That Drops Tariff to 15%The Swiss government announced the deal, which cuts the tax on Swiss imports by more than half, on social media Friday morning.
Weekly QuizNov 13, 2025
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
FinancialsNov 14, 2025
Richemont’s Q2 Jewelry Sales Up 12%Plus, how tariffs and the rising price of gold are affecting its watch and jewelry brands.
CollectionsNov 14, 2025
Piece of the Week: Silvia Furmanovich’s ‘Butterflies in Flight’ Jewelry BoxFurmanovich designed the box to hold Mellerio’s “Color Queen,” a high jewelry collection consisting of 10 rings.
Brought to you by
Roseco Releases New Full-Line CatalogRoseco’s 704-page catalog showcases new lab-grown diamonds, findings, tools & more—available in print or interactive digital editions.
Events & AwardsNov 14, 2025
JCK Names New Event DirectorJennifer Hopf, who has been with JCK since 2022, will lead the execution of the long-running jewelry trade show.
IndependentsNov 13, 2025
127-Year-Old New Orleans Jeweler to CloseAdler’s Jewelry is set to close its two stores as 82-year-old owner Coleman E. Adler II retires.
IndependentsNov 13, 2025
Green Lake Jewelry Works to Move to New Seattle StudioFounder Jim Tuttle shared how a dedication to craftsmanship and meaningful custom jewelry fueled the retailer’s double-digit growth.
MajorsNov 13, 2025
Vahan Jewelry Founder Leon ‘Sacha’ Der Calousdian Dies at 85The third-generation jeweler is remembered as a passionate creative with a love of art, traveling and sailboat racing.
CrimeNov 12, 2025
Father, Son Jewelers in Chicago Victims in Double Homicide JSA and Cook County Crime Stoppers are both offering rewards for information leading to the arrest of the suspect or suspects involved.
AuctionsNov 12, 2025
Historic Rolex Oyster Fetches $1.7M at Sotheby’sMercedes Gleitze famously wore the watch in her 1927 swim across the English Channel, a pivotal credibility moment for the watchmaker.
GradingNov 12, 2025
It’s Time: GIA’s Express Holiday Service Is Back GIA is offering next-day services for natural, colorless diamonds submitted to its labs in New York and Carlsbad.
MajorsNov 10, 2025
Jewelers Focus on Love, Joy In 2025 Holiday Campaigns Tiffany & Co., David Yurman, and Pandora have launched holiday campaigns depicting their jewelry as symbols of affection and happiness.
SurveysNov 10, 2025
5 Things Retailers Should Know About Holiday Shoppers This YearThe National Retail Federation is bullish on the holidays, forecasting retail sales to exceed $1 trillion this year.
AuctionsNov 10, 2025
300+ Colored Diamonds Up for Auction at Christie’sLate collector Eddy Elzas assembled “The Rainbow Collection,” which is offered as a single lot and estimated to fetch up to $3 million.
EditorsNov 07, 2025
Piece of the Week: An MVP’s Sapphire Tennis Necklace At the 2025 World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto sported a custom necklace made by California retailer Happy Jewelers.
IndependentsNov 07, 2025
Foundrae’s New Palm Beach Location Is a ‘Golden Solarium’The brand’s seventh location combines Foundrae’s symbolic vocabulary with motifs from Florida’s natural surroundings.
FinancialsNov 07, 2025
Watches of Switzerland’s H1 Sales Up 8%The retailer also shared an update on the impact of tariffs on watch customers.
SourcingNov 06, 2025
Pink Tourmaline Bracelet, Emerald Suite Take Top Spectrum Honors Pink and purple stones were popular in the AGTA’s design competition this year, as were cameos and ocean themes.
IndependentsNov 06, 2025
Greenwich St. Jewelers Hosts Raffle Supporting Food RescueAll proceeds from the G. St x Jewel Boxing raffle will go to City Harvest, which works to end hunger in New York City.
IndependentsNov 06, 2025
Cornell’s Jewelers Names New PresidentCourtney Cornell is part of the third generation to lead the Rochester, New York-based jeweler.
SourcingNov 06, 2025
De Beers’ Production, Sales Increase in Q3 De Beers also announced more changes in its upper ranks ahead of parent company Anglo American’s pending sale of the company.
WatchesNov 05, 2025
Shinola President Steps Down Just as He Starts Former Signet CEO Mark Light will remain president of Shinola until a replacement for Ulrich Wohn is found.
AuctionsNov 05, 2025
Taylor Swift’s Engagement Ring Designer Makes Her Auction DebutKindred Lubeck of Artifex has three rings she designed with Anup Jogani in Sotheby’s upcoming Gem Drop sale.
