Image Courtesy: Sotheby's
Sotheby’s November auction of Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels in Geneva is being prepared with striking remarkable jewels, the centrepiece of which is to the ‘Sky Blue Diamond’. The stone is an extremely rare Fancy Vivid Blue diamond ring by Cartier weighing 8.01 carats. It name emphasises its highly sought-after hue. The stone carries a pre-sale estimate of $ 15 - 25 million.
David Bennett, Worldwide Chairman of Sotheby’s International Jewellery Division, said, “The Sky Blue Diamond is of a wonderfully clear celestial blue, presented in an extremely elegant square emerald cut – in my view, the most flattering of all the cuts for a coloured diamond. This important gem will, I am sure, captivate all collectors of exceptional gemstones.” The stone has been graded Fancy Vivid Blue by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). It was also found to have excellent polish and to be of Type IIb. In the past two years Sotheby’s has twice set a new world record auction price for a blue diamond, most recently with the only diamond or gemstone in auction history to have exceeded $4 million per carat, the Blue Moon of Josephine (sold for $48.5 million ($4,028,941 per carat) in November 2015).
The auction will also feature two exceptional jewels of extraordinary historical importance from the Russian Imperial Court- a diamond necklace with a bowknot clasp, thought to have been commissioned as two separate pieces by Empress Catherine II, known as Catherine the Great (1729 – 1796). It will be offered at auction with an estimate of $3- 5 million. The second piece is one of the most important parures of antique coloured diamond jewels to appear at auction in the last 50 years. This suite contains stones which may have formed part of a gift by Empress Catherine I of Russia (1684-1727), wife of Peter the Great to Sultan Ahmed III. These extraordinarily rare jewels were then used by the Sultan Abdul Hamid II (1842 – 1918) for the present necklace, which he offered to the wife of Teufik of Egypt. The parure will be offered in November with a pre-sale estimate of $3-5 million.
“These two stunning jewels carry with them a fascinating insight into the luxury and opulence of the Russian court,” said David Bennett, Worldwide Chairman of Sotheby’s International Jewellery Division.
The sale is slated on November 16, 2016.