Highlights of Sotheby's Magnificent Jewels Sale
Diamonds aren’t just a girl’s best friend anymore. These majestic gems are turning all the boys’ heads, too, especially the pear-shaped ones. Sotheby’s, famous for its record breaking auctions of jewelry, loose stones and oversized gems, has just destroyed another record at their latest sale. Here, for your guilty pleasure indulgence, are all the juicy details.
The Budget Busting Diamond
There were many fine jewels up for bids at the April 17th auction, but the real winner, the one that brought all the rich boys to the yard, was the nearly 75-carat pear-shaped white diamond. This as yet unnamed boulder was expected to command between $9 and $12 million. A pittance, it turns out, as the dazzling rock actually claimed an astounding, and record breaking, $14 million.
What Other Goodies Were There?
That exceptional, and possibly flawless, diamond certainly created a lot of fanfare, but there were many other exciting pieces that drove sales sky high. Two gargantuan diamond rings, each over 20 carats, were swiped. And other precious stones, most notably emeralds — emerald just happens to be the Pantone color of the year, ahem — were also popular with patrons.
Many of the items that shattered price expectations came from the Jay Gould collection, including an emerald and diamond brooch and an emerald and diamond ring. Cartier also received plenty of love for its carnival-colored Tutti-Frutti bracelet, which sold for $1.4 million.
Ultimately, the auction landed Sotheby’s with more than $53 million, which unsurprisingly is a hot new record for the esteemed auction house. It’s unlikely that diamonds, emeralds and other nearly priceless jewels will fall out of favor soon, so this windfall’s number one perch may only remain until the next impressive lot goes on the block.