Year 2013 made record-breaking sales at Christie’s

Christie’s noted that it has achieved record-breaking result for global jewellery sales in 2013 valuing US$678.3 million. This has been the auction house’s highest annual result ever achieved for jewellery, an 18 percent increase over its previous year’s corresponding figure. Its previous annual high was worth US$600 million, set in 2011 – a year when its auctions included The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor(the most valuable sale of jewelry in auction history). Upon executing the sale of The Winston Legacy in May and The Orange in November, Christie’s Geneva led the company’s jewelry sales with US$228.4 million total.

Each one of Christie’s major sales regions orchestrated auctions of some of the most significant diamonds in the global auction market, holding six of the year’s top ten jewels sold at auction in 2013.

Over one hundred twenty jewels sold in excess of US$1 million, fourteen lots sold above US$5 million, and five above US$10 million. Colored and colorless diamonds, natural pearls, distinguished private collections, and three successful online-only jewelry auctions were seen in the year. New buyers in Europe, the U.S., and Asia actively participated at a high level, making for intense competition for rare jewels and gems of only the highest quality.

François Curiel, International Head of Jewelry and President of Christie’s Asia, notes: “In 1994, Christie’s worldwide jewelry sales totaled US$190 million, with Geneva, London, and New York as our most important centers, where top-quality gemstones traded at US$80,000 per carat. In November 2013, at Christie’s Geneva, we sold THE ORANGE for a world record price of US$35.5 million at US$2.4 million per carat and achieved US$125.3 million in one sale. Last year, the prices achieved and the records set soared above all previous records and raised the jewelry auction market to an entirely new level. The top ten jewels sold at Christie’s demonstrate jewelry as art – gemstones of such quality they will perhaps only be seen once in a lifetime.”

Some notable diamonds sold last year at Christie’s included - The Princie Diamond – a cushion cut Fancy Intense Pink Golconda diamond of 34.65 carats achieved a price of US$39,323,750 (US$1.1 million per carat) - establishing a new world auction record for a Golconda diamond and as the most expensive diamond every sold at Christie’s and in the United States. The Winston Legacy - a pear shaped D color Flawless diamond of 101.73 carats sold for US$26, 737,913 (US$254,400 per carat). Also, The Star of China – a D colour Internally Flawless Briolette diamond of 75.36 carats made a world auction record for a briolette diamond as it sold for a price of US$11,151,245 (US$ 148,000 per carat).