Christie’s fall auction of Magnificent Jewels will be held on 11 November at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues in Geneva, Switzerland. Featuring over 390 lots, the auction includes top quality coloured and colourless diamonds, jewels of historical provenance, exceptionally rare gemstones, natural pearls and an important group of Jewels by JAR.
The auction is estimated to fetch in excess of US$80 million.
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- A Bulgari Masterpiece
The auction is led by A Bulgari Masterpiece , a spectacular pair of pear‐shaped coloured diamond ear-‐pendants, set with a 6.95 carat Fancy Vivid Blue diamond and a 6.79 carat Fancy Vivid Pink diamond which carry a pre-‐sale estimate of SFr. 11,500,000-‐14,500,000/US$ 12,000,000-‐15,000,000.
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- The Blue Belle of Asia
The sale will include the fourth largest faceted sapphire in the world, the Blue Belle of Asia, a cushion shaped Ceylon sapphire of 392.52 carats (estimate: SFr. 6,650,000-‐ 9,500,000/US$ 7,000,000 – 10,000,000).
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- The Queen of Burma
An extremely rare ruby will also be offered for sale on November 11th: the Queen of Burma, an impressive Burmese ruby of 23.66 carats, mounted by Cartier (SFr. 5,250,000-‐6,650,000/US$5,500,000-‐7,000,000). The Queen of Burma combines all the most sought-‐after qualities in a ruby: an attractive vivid pinkish red colour, an excellent purity, an impressive size and the finest origin.
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- The ‘Gardenia’ ring
Seven jewels by JAR will be offered at auction in Geneva, some of which were recently on display at the ‘Jewels by JAR’ exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (Nov 2013-‐March 2014). Amongst the remarkable group of jewels offered for sale are the ‘Gardenia’ ring, formerly in The Collection of Ellen Barkin (SFr.310,000-‐370,000/US$ 330,000-‐390,000), the sculpted gold Parrot Tulip cuff (SFr.190,000-‐290,000/US$ 210,000-‐310,000) and a pair of diamond ‘String’ ear pendants (SFr.125,000-‐185,000/US$ 140,000-‐200,000).
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- Art Deco diamond necklace
Formerly in the collection of Baroness Edouard de Rothschild, an Art Deco diamond necklace suspends two natural pearls of great quality and exceptional luster, measuring 16.0mm each (SFr. 670,000-‐950,000 /US$700,000-‐1,000,000). A pair of perfectly matched pearls of this size and quality are near impossible to find and will make a great addition to any jewelry collection.
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- Pair of diamond ear pendants by Cartier
The sale will also feature a pair of diamond ear pendants with two magnificent drop-‐shaped natural pearls weighing more than 100 grains each (SFr.2,650,000-‐3,300,000/US$2,800,000-‐3,500,000), and a two-‐strand natural pearl necklace of the finest rosé overtone quality by Cartier (SFr.500,000-‐800,000/US$530,000-‐850,000).
Historic provenances
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- ‘Feuilles de Groseillier’ brooch
The mythical ‘Feuilles de Groseillier’ brooch, see our previous article, (SFr.1,900,000-‐2,900,000/US$2,000,000-‐3,000,000) will be auctionned. It is therefore extremely rare for a jewel of such historic importance to be offered for sale.
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- Tiger bangle and brooch by Cartier
Formerly in the legendary collection of the Duchess of Windsor, a Tiger bangle and brooch by Cartier, now the property of Sarah Brightman, are two of the best examples of this iconic design created in 1928 by the famous French joaillier. The two jewels are offered as one lot with a pre-‐sale estimate of SFr.1,700,000-‐2,400,000/US$1,800,000-‐2,500,000. Parts of the proceeds will benefit The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation.
