The Dancing Sun and Chrysler Diamond fetches $4.95 million and $5 million respectively

Christie’s New York June 8 auction of Magnificent Jewels achieved a total of $26,559,250 118% hammer above low estimate, 94% sold by value, and 87% sold by lot. The preceding Jewels Online sale from May 20 to June 4 additionally achieved a total of $3,485,125 with 157% hammer above low estimate and 97% sold by lot. Combined the two sales realized $30,044,375.

The top lot of the sale was The Chrysler Diamond, a magnificent pear-shaped diamond of 54.03 carats, D color, Internally Flawless that sold for $5,070,000. The story of this exceptional stone began in 1958, when Harry Winston purchased what was then known as the Louis XIV Diamond from the estate of Thelma Chrysler Foy, daughter of Walter Chrysler, railroad and automotive executive and namesake of  New York City’s iconic Art Deco skyscraper.

Also headlining the sale was The Dancing Sun, a fancy intense yellow diamond of 204.36 carats, VVS2 clarity, and the largest polished diamond mined in North America, which achieved $4,950,000. This exceptional stone, along with six additional diamonds (Lots 62-67) ranging from 14.52 to 1.06 carats, were cut and polished from the largest gem quality rough diamond unearthed in North America. Weighing 552.74 carats, the rough was uncovered in 2018 from the Diavik Diamond Mine.

Specially featured was an important selection of Jewels by JAR: Property from an Important West Coast Collection. Spanning 19 exquisite creations, the section was the largest selection of JAR pieces ever offered at auction and collectively totaled $5,931,250 with many lots greatly exceeding initial estimates. The selection was led by the diamond ‘Branch under Snow’ bangle bracelet, which was exhibited at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2013-14, and sold for $1,890,000 against its low estimate of $400,000.

Additional highlights included The Flawless Match, a superb colored diamond and diamond ring made up of a fancy vivid blue pear-shaped  diamond of 2.52 carats and a pear-shaped  diamond of 2.43 carats, D color, Internally Flawless, Type IIa that achieved $2,910,000; a fancy intense purplish pink diamond of 2.58 carats, which sold for $675,000 against a low estimate of $200,000; a rare fancy gray-blue diamond ring of 4.10 carats that realized over three times its estimate selling for $846,000; and an emerald-cut diamond of 11.93 carats, G color, VS2 clarity, by Harry Winston that sold for $425,000.