Christie’s will be offering 300 jewels at its forthcoming Jewels: The New York Sale with The Catherine the Great Emerald Brooch and The Emperor Maximilian Diamond on April 22. All jewels on offer are of top-quality diamonds with rare historic legacy and there are atleast 10 such items valued at $1 million or higher. The total sale is expected to realise in excess of $25 million.

Attributes of the sale

Top Lot:

An Important Diamond Pendant Necklace with a D color, internally flawless heart-shaped diamond of 28.28 carats, set within a micro pavé diamond surround, and suspended from a kite-shaped diamond link and three rondelle spacers on a fine platinum chain finished with a heart-shaped pavé-set diamond clasp. Its expected sale price is in excess of $3,000,000.

The Emperor Maximilian Diamond - a 39.55 carat cushion-cut diamond with an estimate sale price of: $1,000,000-1,500,000), and the Catherine the Great Emerald and Diamond Brooch which centers on a hexagonal-cut Colombian emerald of 60-70 carats and carries an estimated sale price of between $1,000,000-1,500,000; both will be up for public viewing for the first time in decades.

Some of the coloured diamonds

An exceptional rectangular-cut Fancy Vivid Blue diamond of 3.43 carats, mounted as a ring and flanked on either side by trapeze-cut diamonds set in platinum (estimate: $1,500,000-2,500,000)

A rectangular-cut Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond of 9.83 carats mounted as a ring, and offset by two graduated baguette-cut diamonds (estimate: $700,000-1,000,000).

Some top-quality D-color diamonds

A magnificent D color, internally flawless, cushion-cut diamond of 20.06 carats mounted as a ring (estimate: $1,600,000-2,000,000).

A pair of diamond ear pendants, by Harry Winston, each suspending a pear-shaped D colour, internally flawless diamond of 7.13 and 7.05 carats, respectively and each bearing a circular-cut E color, VS2 clarity diamond surmount of approximately 1.50 carats each (estimate: $1,000,000-1,500,000).

A diamond ring by Tiffany & Co., set with a rectangular-cut D color, internally flawless diamond of 10.97 carats, signed and mounted in platinum (estimate: $800,000-1,200,000).

A pair of diamond ear clips by Harry Winston, with pear and marquise-cut D color, internally flawless diamonds ranging in size from 2.67 to 1.28 carats, with a total weight of approximately 50.48 carats (estimate: $800,000-1,200,000).

A pear-shaped D color, VVS1 clarity diamond pendant of approximately 11.12 carats, mounted in platinum (estimate: $700,000-1,000,000).

A D color, VS1 clarity pear-shaped diamond of 13.01 carats mounted as a ring, with tapered baguette-cut diamond shoulders (estimate: $500,000-700,000).

An F color, VS1 clarity circular-cut diamond of 10.87 carats, mounted as a ring by Cartier and flanked on either side by rectangular-cut diamonds (estimate: $600,000-800,000).

Some Rare Gemstones

A cushion-cut Kashmir sapphire of 13.86 carats mounted as a ring with French-cut diamond accents (estimate: $1,000,000-$1,500,000).

A hexagonal-cut Burmese sapphire of 24.70 carats, mounted as a ring by Cartier, and flanked by kite-shaped diamonds (estimate: $100,000- 150,000).

A cushion-cut yellow sapphire of 109.49 carats, mounted as a ring in 18K gold, with diamond accents (estimate: $70,000-100,000).

An elegant antique sapphire and diamond pendant from the personal collection of legendary Irish designer Eileen Gray, dating from circa 1890, set with a cushion-cut sapphire of 27.07 carats and mounted within an old Europeancut diamond surround (estimate: $50,000-70,000).

Some Signed pieces

A collection of signed pieces from top jewellery houses like Bhagat, Buccellati, BULGARI, Cartier, and Van Cleef & Arpels, among others.

A trio of Art Deco era bracelets by Cartier, including a custom-designed diamond bracelet circa 1940 (estimate: $200,000-300,000), a sapphire and diamond bracelet circa 1930, (estimate: $220,000-280,000), a diamond and multi-gem “Tutti Frutti” bracelet circa 1930 (estimate: $600,000-800,000). The ‘Tutti Frutti’ creations are one of the most celebrated pieces of Jacques Cartier’s early 20th century designs.

A “Ballerina” brooch by Van Cleef & Arpels, created in the 1940s in collaboration with choreographer George Balanchine.

A gold, turquoise, diamond and ruby ballerina from 1956, with a rose-cut diamond face and horizontal rows of cabochon turquoise decorating the dancer’s polished gold tutu (estimate: $10,000-15,000). Also from Van Cleef & Arpels, is a selection of “mystery-set” jewels. The sale includes a stunning pair of ruby and diamond “flower” ear clips (estimate: $40,000-60,000) and a coordinating ruby and diamond ring, from 1965 (estimate: $20,000-30,000).

Viewing of these jewels is slated at Christie's Rockefeller Center Galleries between April 17 – 21, 2010.