Auction Results – Missing the Mark

A Round Up of the Top Auctions of Diamonds are seeing a worrying trend Top Dollar is not being achieved

Scratching our Heads on this Trend

The Rock failed to achieve price sellling for $21 million

The Rock’, a 228.31-carat pear diamond

The Rock is believed to be the largest polished white diamond to be auctioned. Pre-sale predictions were more than $US30 million

The sensational Red Cross Diamond

“It was a privilege to present this legendary stone, which was first sold at Christie’s in 1918 as part of the Red Cross Appeal.

“Over a century since that first sale, the diamond sold after 11 minutes of competitive bidding for 14.1 million francs ($AU20.46 million), a world auction record for a fancy intense yellow diamond.

“We are delighted that a significant share of the proceeds will benefit the humanitarian efforts of the International Committee of the Red Cross.”

Sothebys Results

A seven-carat, fancy-intense-purple-pink, VVS2-clarity diamond ring was the most expensive item sold. The cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant-cut diamond was sold for $US5.6 million ($AU8.1 million).

https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/magnificent-jewels-and-noble-jewels-part-i/rare-and-magnificent-fancy-intense-purple-pink

In 2020 this was sold https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/the-spirit-of-the-rose/superb-and-magnificent-fancy-vivid-purple-pink

The stone’s weight is 14.83 carats, which makes it one of the largest pink diamonds in the world. It took a whole year for Russian cutting masters to turn a unique diamond, discovered in Yakutia, into a genuine treasure with Fancy Vivid Purple-Pink color, Internally Flawless clarity, Excellent polish and Very Good symmetry characteristics. The oval shape ensured that the diamond would be of the maximum possible size, and the dozens of facets emphasize its gentle, rose-petal color. Only one out of every 10 thousand rough diamonds mined is classified as “fancy colored.” This level of rarity has ensured steady price growth for colored diamonds over the last 17 years, with an average 12% a year on average

Back to the Sotherbys Auction

The lead item at the auction, a step-cut, 80-carat, D-color diamond and ruby ring by Chopard, failed to sell. Two other items of note also went unsold – a heart-shaped 15-carat fancy intense orange-pink diamond ring, and a cushion-shaped 3-carat fancy intense blue diamond ring.

The Unique Pink – 17th May Sotheby’s Geneva

On 17th May in Geneva this is going up for auction at Sotheby’s the largest pear-shaped fancy vivid pink diamond ever to be offered at auction.” Estimates for the auction are over 2 million USD per carat for this diamond.

‘The Unique Pink’ (Estimate: 27,200,000–36,900,000 CHF / 28,000,000–38,000,000 USD) is the star lot of Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels & Noble Jewels auction in Geneva.

The stone combines an exceedingly rare and sought-after Fancy Vivid pink colour, a remarkable 15.38-carat weight, as well as stunning clarity and exceptionally pure structure.

http://www.sothebys.com/en/news-video/videos/2016/03/first-look-unique-pink-diamond.html

Watch the video described by Sotheby’s as “supremely rare and exceptional”.

//players.brightcove.net/104524641001/default_default/index.html?videoId=4832431993001

Property of a Gentleman 34.65 carat Princie Diamond sells for £25m

The Princie Diamond  one of the largest pink diamonds sold at auction for £25 more than $39.3m,

http://www.christies.com/sales/magnificent-jewels-and-the-princie-diamond-2013/index.aspx

 

Price Realized: $39,323,750

WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR A GOLCONDA DIAMOND MOST EXPENSIVE DIAMOND EVER SOLD AT CHRISTIE’S AND IN THE UNITED STATES

 

An anonymous collector bidding by phone, purchased the diamond from Christie’s in New York .The 34.65 carat diamond’s origin can be traced back to the ancient diamond mines of Golconda in southern India.

It once belonged to the royal family of Hyderabad, rulers of one of the wealthiest provinces of Mughal India.

Christie’s jewellery department head Rahul Kadakia  said  “The Princie Diamond carries a fabulous provenance, which brings together the legendary names of Golconda, [the] Nizam of Hyderabad, and the Maharani Sita Devi of Baroda,” before the sale.

“The most beautiful stones discovered in Golconda were always reserved for kings and rulers as they represented the highest power, which was then magically transferred to the owner.

“It was a widely regarded belief that God’s gift to India became India’s gift to mankind and the Princie is undoubtedly one of the greatest gifts of Golconda.”

The diamond was once owned by the Nizam of Hyderabad, who was proclaimed the richest man in the world by Time magazine in 1937.

It had not seen in public since 1960 when Sotheby’s sold it as the “property of a gentleman”.

All four of the world’s top pink diamonds have been found at Golconda, Christie’s says. The area has the earliest known diamond mines in the world, producing the stones as early as 800BC.

In 2010 a diamond known as the Graff pink was sold in Geneva by Sotheby’s for $44m. At the time it was believed to be the most expensive gemstone bought at auction in history.

The two largest pink diamonds – the Darya-I Nur, weighing 175 to 195 carats, and the Nur ul-Ain, weighing about 60 carats – originally formed part of the Iranian Crown Jewels.

Experts say it has since been determined that they were cut from a single pink diamond weighing 242 carats.

Christie’s say that the Princie Diamond is believed to be the third largest pink diamond in the world and was found 300 years ago in the Golconda mines.

To read more

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-22167514

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/04/17/princie-pink-diamond-sells-for-39-3-million-at-christies/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2310814/Pink-diamond-sells-39m-Rare-Princie-sold-anonymous-bidder-New-York-Christies-auction.html

 

Sothebys to Auction this 22k Pink Diamond 7th December 2011 New York

The magnificent jewels auction in New York on the 7th of December will feature a 22.17 k Pink Diamond

LOT 435   INTENSELY PINK   A MAGNIFICENT AND RARE FANCY INTENSE PINK DIAMOND RING

The cut-cornered square modified brilliant-cut diamond of fancy intense pink color weighing 22.17 carats, flanked by 2 trapeze-shaped diamonds weighing approximately 2.50 carats, and small round diamonds weighing approximately .25 carat, mounted in platinum and 18 karat pink gold, size 6.

Estimate Price is available from Sotheby’s on request

To register for bidding click here

http://www.sothebys.com/en/catalogues/ecatalogue.html/2011/magnificent-jewels-n08808#/r=/en/ecat.fhtml.N08808.html+r.m=/en/ecat.lot.N08808.html/435/

Sotheby’s Geneva to Auction One of the World’s Most Desirable Stones

One of the worlds most desirable stones has been announced to be auctioned at the upcoming much awaited Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewel sale in Geneva on November 16th.

The rare pink diamond valued at up to $US38 million ($39.11 million)  is a 24.78 carat Fancy Intense Pink Diamond mounted on a ring comes from a private collection, Sotheby’s confirmed.

It is categorised as one of the worlds most desirable as it peer group which makes up 2% of all diamonds was last seen on the market over 60 years ago and was sold by the US Jeweller Harry Winston.

David Bennett, chairman for Europe and the Middle East at Sotheby’s international jewellery department had this to say about this lovely pink diamond.

“During my 35-year career at Sotheby’s I have had the opportunity to examine many magnificent and rare gemstones and, put simply, this stone is one of the most desirable diamonds I have ever seen.”

“What makes it so immensely rare is the combination of its exceptional colour and purity with the classic emerald-cut – a style of cutting normally associated with white diamonds,” he added.

Sotheby’s gave a pre-sale estimate of $US27 million to $US38 million for the fancy pink diamond, which will go under the hammer on November 16.

David is most known for Chloe which was sold in 2007.  Chloeat the time was the world’s largest, purest white flawless brilliant-cut diamond sold at auction, according to the auction house. The founder of  Guess Jeans Georges Marciano, bought a little something to slip into the pocket of one of those jeans, an 84.37 carat gem of a diamond that he has christened Chloe Diamond in honour of his 12-year-old daughter.

The diamond was sold to Marciano for a cool $16.2 million ($16,189,769 to be precise), which at $191,980 a carat at the time was the highest price per carat ever paid for a white diamond at auction.

There Always Hope for a Catalogue of the Collection of Pearls and Precious Stones

On the 22nd of September a catalogue of pearls and precious stones will go under the hammer in London as part of Bonham’s auctions. This catalogue is special for one reason, it was created by Henry Philip Hope.

So of course cutting to the chase Hope as in you guessed it the “Le bleu de France ” 45.52 carats (9.10 g), deep-blue diamond. of course movie goers will think instantly of the heart of the ocean featured on the lovely Décollage of  Kate Winslet in Titanic. It is rumored that the Hope Diamond was the muse for this sub plot

The true story went a little along the lines of this when the French merchant traveler Jean Baptiste Tavernier purchased a 112 3/16-carat diamond. This diamond, which was most likely from the Kollur mine in Golconda, India.  Tavernier sold the diamond to King Louis XIV of France in 1668 with 14 other large diamonds and several smaller ones.

King Louis XV, in 1749, had the stone reset by court jeweler Andre Jacquemin, in a piece of ceremonial jewelry for the Order of the Golden Fleece (Toison D’Or). In 1791, after an attempt by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette to flee France, the jewels of the French Royal Treasury were turned over to the government. During a week-long looting of the crown jewels in September of 1792, the French Blue diamond was stolen. 

The  “Le bleu de France ” did not reappear until 1812 in London. Evidence suggests that King George IV of England purchased the recut diamond in 1820. Sometime after George IV’s death in 1830, the diamond was purchased by Henry Philip Hope, whose name it bears today.

Following the death of Henry Philip Hope in 1839, and after much litigation, the Hope diamond passed to his nephew Henry Thomas Hope and ultimately to the nephew’s grandson Lord Francis Hope. In 1901 Lord Francis Hope obtained permission from the Court of Chancery and his sisters to sell the “Le bleu de France ”  to help pay off his debts.

It was sold to a London dealer who quickly sold it to Joseph Frankels and Sons of New York City, who retained the stone in New York until they, in turn, needed cash. The “Le bleu de France ” was next sold to Selim Habib who put it up for auction in Paris in 1909. It did not sell at the auction but was sold soon after to C.H. Rosenau and then resold to Pierre Cartier that same year.

In 1910 the Hope diamond was shown to Mrs. Evalyn Walsh McLean, of Washington D.C., at Cartier’s in Paris, but she did not like the setting. Cartier had the diamond reset and took it to the U.S. where he left it with Mrs. McLean for a weekend. This strategy was successful. The sale was made in 1911 with the diamond mounted as a headpiece on a three-tiered circlet of large white diamonds.   Mrs. McLean’s flamboyant ownership of the stone lasted until her death in 1947.

Finally, in 1949 Harry Winston purchased the diamond, including it in his Court of Jewels collection, which toured the world for charity. In 1958, Harry Winston donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution, where it remains today.  The Hope Diamond is currently in a platinum setting, surrounded by sixteen white pear-shaped and cushion-cut diamonds, suspended from a chain containing forty-five diamonds – the original design by Pierre Cartier around 1910.

When exposed to ultraviolet light, the Hope Diamond exhibits fiery red phosphorescence that continues for more than a minute. The mysterious phenomenon added to the Hope Diamond’s mystique and allure. However, the mystery has now been solved. Recent research thanks to the curator of the National Gem Collection and mineralogist, at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, and six other researchers probed the phosphorescence of the Hope Diamond and other natural blue diamonds and discovered a way to “fingerprint” individual blue diamonds.

Earlier this year in March 2010 The Smithsonian marked the anniversary by commissioning a new setting for the 45.52-carat dark blue Hope, from Harry Winston, of course. The Hope will be returned to its old setting by the end of 2010. You can look at all the designs submitted via this link to design your hope    

So with all this talk of hope there is only one piece of the catalogue left to talk about and that is the Hope Pearl

Although perfectly round cultured pearls are prized today, years ago, naturally grown odd-shaped pearls were considered highly valuable as nature’s perfect creation. The Hope Pearl is the largest natural pearl in the world, a 450-carat natural pearl.

 Another one that comes close is  the “Paspaley Pearl,” harvested off Australia in 2002, is the only cultured pearl that Smithsonian institute has exhibited in their  “The Allure of Pearls,” exhibit. It is highly valued for its large size, 50 percent larger than most large South Seas pearls.

Anyway back to the matter at hand, to register for this catalogue  follow the link to Bonham’s and remember its 22nd of September so be quick.

http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/public.sh/pubweb/publicSite.r?sContinent=EUR&screen=lotdetailsNoFlash&iSaleItemNo=4670166&iSaleNo=17850&iSaleSectionNo=1

OR

Contact the Specialist to discuss this lot or selling in a future sale
Email: Emily Barber
Tel: +44 207 468 8278

All I want for christmas is  A Catalogue of the Collection of Pearls and Precious Stones, oh yes this is not any catalogue this is Henry Philip Hope’s catalogue…. swoon

Grand Passions Sold and Rio Tinto Argyle Pink Diamond Tender a Success

The Rio Tinto Argyle Pink Diamond Tender which was showcased across the globe between June to September, recorded sales of all its 43 diamonds entitled “Grand Passions”.

To celebrate Grand Passions and Great Loves was the theme of the tender

These stones included the Argyle Amour diamond which is a 2.61-carat intense-pink heart-shaped diamond, the 1.25-carat purple-pink round Argyle Shalimar diamond and the 1.10-carat red oval-shaped Argyle Scarlett diamond.

The tender attracted increased interest from buyers in the all catgoeries of investors, collectors and diamamtaires. The company noted an increased representation from India and China, and established markets for rare coloured diamonds, reports add. The company noted a significant global reach with very strong price appreciation.

All the 43 diamonds were cut and polished by Rio Tinto in Perth, Australia. The tender’s private viewings were held in Hong Kong, London, Perth and Sydney, Australia and in Mumbai, India. The tender did not showcase in New York.

For more information see http://www.argylepinkdiamonds.com.au/

And to show the world that you are truly a P ink Diamonds Girl order a T that tease from Lounge Kittens email harlette@harlette.com or visit the website

507 Carat Diamond All We Can Say is Welcome to the World

So 24th of September 2009, one of the biggest diamonds in the world made it the surface and became a celebrity over night..

This one discovered in the Cullinan diamond mine in South Africa  and makes the top 20 list of the world’s biggest diamonds. The largest diamond in the world called the Cullinan diamond was found in the same mine in 1905.

The Cullinan diamonds pedigree is slightly more at an impressive 3,106.75 carats and wall found by Fredrick Well’s.

It was given to  King Edward VII and now forms part of the British crown jewels  and estimated value is £200 million pounds. 

Polishing is the largest contributing factor to do with seperation amongst the pack, for you see a smaller diamond in 1985 appeared called the Golden Jubilee diamond, and became the worlds largest polished diamond 545 carats even though it it was not the largest diamond found in the raw so to speak.

Another one in the Cullinan mine stable is the Centenary diamond that is 599 carats.

The Cullinan mine is now owned by Petra diamonds and up until 2007 was owned by the De Beer’s group.. mmm I wonder if they are regretting the sale of the asset now, with this latest find.. All is fair in love and corporate war as they say..the CEO of Petra Diamond Johan Dippenaa, is seen holding the wonder of the world..

Oh what one could do with 507 carats….

Welcome to the World is all we can say, and may you arrive safely into the arms of a very devoted diamond lover.. Although before you get to your ultimate destination, there will be multiple adjustments, of course the cutting, polishing, auctioneer’s, and jewellers all will assist you on your journey no doubt..

The diamonds found with this new superstar, are also celebrities in their own right,  168 carats, 58.5 carats and 53.3 carats. They too will have sensational journeys around the world as well, so bon voyage.

Pink Diamond featured in the Worlds Most Expensive Watch

The worlds most expensive watch created by Chopard features  a 15-carat pink diamond and is $25 million,

The 201-carat Chopard gets its name as the watch face is surrounded by 201 carats. This watch-bracelet comes with a trio of heart-shaped diamonds: A 15-carat pink diamond, 12-carat blue diamond and an 11-carat white diamond, all of which open when a spring-loaded mechanism. More than 600 yellow diamonds are sprinkled alongside 91 or so colorless diamonds..

Just delicious…

Argyle Tender 2009 Now includes Mumbai, Grand Passions or a bit of Fry and Laurie on Jewellry

The legend of Argyle pink diamond has grown over the past ten years. At the 1989 Christie’s auction in New York a 3.14 carat Argyle pink sold for $1,510,000. Privately, Argyle has sold pink diamonds for up to $1 million a carat.

For those that are fortunate to attend the Argyle tenders, things have undegone a little bit of a change this year. New Format, New Countries… its all in the name of Grand Passions

This year will see Rio Tinto’s 2009 Argyle Pink Diamond Tender celebrate its 25^th anniversary. Hip Hip Hooray Henry.

This year its all about Grand Passions, and 43 of the RAREST and BEST PINK DIAMONDS from Rio Tinto’s Argyle Diamond Mine in Western Australia will be available, including four outstanding heart shaped gems.

Everytime I think about the fact that there is only 10 years remaining of the Argyle Diamond Mine, I get a tear in my eye, as these rare pink diamonds will be fought for by tooth and nail not necessarily by those that love to wear them but by savy investors, cowardly collectors and down right ruthless diamond experts from around the world.

“The pink diamonds selected for this year’s Tender are a fitting tribute to the artistry and passion of all those who worked to bring them to the market place. These diamonds are for appreciators of the truly exceptional and we are delighted to be showcasing them to the world.”  According to Josephine Archer, the Business Manager for Argyle Pink Diamonds.

So what will the Argyle stable’s be filled with this year,

•  A magnificent 2.61carat intense pink heart shaped diamond named Argyle Amour^TM. The Argyle Amour^TM is the most valuable heart shaped pink diamond ever produced from the Argyle mine.  Exuding passion, romance and warmth, this extraordinary diamond captures all that is Amour.

The two other “hero” stones set to captivate bidders are

• The Argyle Shalimar^TM diamond, a 1.25 carat purplish pink round diamond named after the exotic garden sanctuary built by Indian emperor Jahangir for his beloved wife, and in the theme of legendary passions, the Argyle Scarlett^TM diamond, a 1.10 carat red oval diamond.

According to Jean-Marc Lieberherr, General Manager for the sales and marketing for all diamonds from Rio Tinto’s diamond mines, “excitement around this Tender collection is understandable. The rarity of Argyle pink diamonds has created a connoisseurship for them and there is a growing recognition that the earth will not produce pink diamonds for that much longer.” 

This will be the first year that the Argyle Pink Diamond Tender will be presented in Mumbai. Also, for the first time, Argyle Pink Diamonds Select Ateliers in London, Sydney and Perth will showcase these rare diamonds to their respective clients at in-store preview events.

Tender viewings will be held in Mumbai (August 6-10), Perth (September 1-11) and Hong Kong (September 19-27).

One hopes that the experience for people in selected atteliers in London, Sydney & Perth is frightfully more exciting than a bit of Fry and Laurie in the Jewellery store.

..