A DATE WITH DIAMONDSMajor jewels sparkle at Sotheby's and Christie's
|
||||||||||||||||
 |
Throughout the course of history, collectors, merchants, kings, queens, sultans and maharajas have been dazzled and intrigued by precious gems. The late master jeweler, Harry Winston, known in the trade as the "king of diamonds," was renowned for his uncanny instinct with rare jewels and gemstones. Legend has it that he often kept a large diamond in his suit pocket, rolling it between his fingers like a good luck charm while doing business with his clients.
Every spring, collectors of fine jewelry look forward to the Magnificent Jewelry sales in New York at both Sotheby's and Christie's auction houses. For the discerning collector, these sales usually include the best of the best, with pieces by such top houses Harry Winston, Graff, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Cartier. Once in a while there might even be a piece by JAR, the master Parisianbased jeweler whose whimsical butterflies, flowers and other organic creations encrusted with precious and semi-precious stones are highly sought after by serious collectors. This past April and May, both auction houses offered an array of enticing jewels, with several important highlights taking the lead on the block.
At Christie's, the star lot of the April 11th sale was a magnificent pear shaped diamond ring weighing 50.3 carats, flanked by pear shaped diamonds and mounted in platinum. This rare D color stone, possessing internally flawless clarity, sold for $4,216,000. The second highest-selling lot of the sale was another pear-shaped diamond, unmounted, weighing 50.67 carats that sold for $2,592,000. Although the two lots were close in carat weight, the second diamond was VVS2 clarity that accounted for the difference in price when compared to the rare pear-shaped diamond of internally flawless clarity. Many of the top lots in the sale came from the estate of Joan B. Kroc, the widow of Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald's. Mrs.
Kroc was a true connoisseur of jewelry and her collection included pieces by all of the iconic jewelry masters. Expected to achieve between $3.9 and $5.7 million, the sale total exceeded expectations when it achieved $6,978,200.
Two of the signature pieces in her collection, a fancy, intense yellow diamond pendant necklace that sold for $2,032,000 and a diamond "Holly Wreath" necklace that sold for $856,000, were both designed by Harry Winston. According to Rahul Kadakia, head of jewelry for Christie's Americas, "A strong economy, coupled with buyers from emerging markets, drove the prices of this auction to a whole new level.
 |
 |
" At Sotheby's, the top two lots in its April 25th sale of Magnificent Jewelry were historic diamonds. The spectacular 107.46-carat Rojtman Diamond, cushion-shaped and fancy yellow in color, achieved $1,920,000. Purchased by Harry Winston in 1957, it was acquired by Marc B. Rojtman and his wife Lillian in the early 1960s. As well as having an interest in collecting jewels, The Rojtmans were also known for their distinguished collection of Old Master paintings, as well as for a family foundation that advances education in the arts. The second highest selling lot at Sotheby's was the mysterious Golden Maharaja, a rich cinnamon-colored diamond, graded fancy dark orange-brown, weighing 65.57 carats that sold for $1,382,400 after an intense bidding war between eight collectors.
According to Gary Schuler, director and senior vice president of Sotheby's Jewelry Department, this coveted stone was exhibited at the 1937 World's Fair in Paris, and then again at the 1939 World's Fair in New York. Reputedly, the jewel was from the collection of a maharajah, hence the legendary name. In the early 1970's, the Golden Maharajah found its way to the Museum of Natural History in New York City, where it was exhibited for fifteen years after which it was sold to an undisclosed private collector. The Rojtman Diamond and the Golden Maharajah were both acquired by Graff Diamonds Ltd.
 |
For collectors having an interest in jewels with royal provenance, Christie's London will be holding a sale on June 13th of Jewelry, Fabergé, Silver, Furniture and works of art from the private collection of Her Royal Highness the Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowden.
The collection of jewelry spans the entire life of the late Princess, who was Queen Elizabeth's younger sister, and includes such highlights as the Poltimore Tiara that the Princess wore at her wedding, as well as the Lady Mount Stephen antique diamond rivière necklace, circa 1900, that was given to her by her grandmother, Queen Mary. Washingtonians need not travel all the way to London to get a glimpse of highlights from the collection. Select highlights will be on view at Christies 20 Rockefeller Plaza rooms in New York City June 3rd through the 7th.