Christie's HK Magnificent Jewels Sale Achieves $92M

Christie's Hong Kong sale of magnificent jewels achieved $91.9 million and was  81 percent sold by lot.  Nonetheless, the sale fell short of its presale estimate of $100 million. One of the top lots, a rare Golconda diamond necklace named the "Eye of Golconda," remained unsold during the evening.

Bidders still offered top prices for colorless and colored diamonds as well as colored gemstones, jadeite and natural pearls. The auction house set a world record for an intense green diamond when a 6.13-carat, VS2, fancy intense green cushion-shaped diamond ring achieved $3.6 million or $594,510 per carat.

The top lot of the sale (pictured) was a pair of 25.49 and 25.31 carat, D, type IIa diamond ear pendants, which sold for $9.7 million or $191,746 per carat to an Asian private buyer.

The second top lot was a 9.38-carat, pear-shaped, fancy intense pink diamond ring which achieved $5.96 million or $636,117 per carat.

A jadeite bangle achieved $5.2 million, while a 26.20-carat, D, flawless, type IIa, brilliant-cut diamond fetched $4.95 million or $189,828 per carat.

Other colorless diamonds that sold included a 26.20-carat, D, flawless, brilliant-cut diamond for $4.9 million or $188,958 per carat and a 23.76-carat, D, flawless, brilliant-cut diamond that fetched $4.7 million or $199,200 per carat.

Top colored gemstone lots included a suite of Burmese "pigeon's blood" ruby and diamond jewelry weighting a total of 65.07 carats by James W. Currens for Faidee garnered $4.8 million, while a 28.88 carat cushion-shaped Colombian emerald sold for $4.2 million or $143,780 per carat.

A 12.93 carat, VS2, rectangular, fancy orangy-pink diamond by Harry Winston achieved $3.6 million or $281,852 per carat.

Source: Diamonds.net