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| 'The Perfect Diamond' |
NEW YORK — The collection from the estate of Huguette M. Clark got most of the attention at Christie’s New York Magnificent Jewels sale Tuesday, but among the 305 lots were important diamonds and gemstones and signature jewelry pieces that received a great deal of attention among bidders.
It was standing room only in Woods Room at Christie’s headquarters as those in the room competed with phone and Internet buyers from around the world. It was a very competitive environment with lengthy, spirited bidding for many of the lots.The sale fetched a total of $70.7 million, with 95 percent of the items sold by lot and 97 percent of the estimated price realized.
View the major items from the sale by following this link.
In addition to large diamonds, which always do well in this environment, sapphires were very popular. There were several extremely strong natural pearls sales, as they appear to be poised for a comeback on the international luxury jewelry market. Among the top items sold were:
* “The Clark Pink,” a 9-carat, cushion-cut fancy vivid purplish pink diamond ring by Dreicer & Co., circa 1910, from the Huguette M. Clark estate, sold for $15.7 million, making it the most valuable pink diamond ever sold in the United States.
* “The Perfect Diamond,” a 44.09-carat rectangular-cut diamond ring (top picture); D-color, internally flawless clarity, Type IIa, with excellent polish and excellent symmetry. The estimate was upon request. It was the last lot of the evening but did not get the highest total (The Clark diamond was the winner). However, it sold for an impressive $7.4 million.
* “The Clark Diamond,” a 19.86-carat rectangular-cut D color potentially IF diamond ring by Cartier, from the Huguette M. Clark estate, sold for $3.1 million.
* One of the big surprises of the sale was a 31.53-carat sugarloaf cabochon Kashmir sapphire ring (above) by Van Cleef & Arpels, which sold for $2.65 million—a world record price for a cabochon sapphire. Its estimate was $300,000 – $500,000.
* A fancy yellow and fancy light yellow diamond cluster necklace by Graff received a lot of attention from bidders. It sold for $2.3 million.
* A pear-shaped D color potentially IF diamond ring of 16.33 cts by Van Cleef & Arpels sold for 2.1 million.
* A cushion-cut fancy intense yellow VS1 diamond ring of 43.49 cts by Graff sold for 1.87 million.
* A fancy yellow and fancy light yellow diamond cluster necklace by Graff received a lot of attention from bidders. It sold for $2.3 million.
* A pear-shaped D color potentially IF diamond ring of 16.33 cts by Van Cleef & Arpels sold for 2.1 million.
* A cushion-cut fancy intense yellow VS1 diamond ring of 43.49 cts by Graff sold for 1.87 million.
* A five-strand natural pearl necklace (above) sold for $1.67 million, more than double its high estimate of $800,000. A single-strand natural pearl and diamond necklace by Tiffany & Co., from the Huguette M. Clark estate, sold for $362,000, shattering the estimate of $20,000 to $30,000. Earlier in the day a single-strand natural pearl necklace sold for $266,500, also smashing the estimate of $20,000 – $30,000.
* A 15.08-carat oval-cut F color IF diamond sold for $1.4 million.
* A 15.58-carat rectangular-cut E color VS1 diamond sold for $1.3 million.