Christie’s New York Magnificent Jewels sale

Christie’s New York Magnificent Jewels sale Tuesday. A 10.09 fancy vivid purplish-pink diamond, with a pre-auction estimate of $12 to $15 million, did not sell,but five diamonds sold for more than a million dollars. Two sapphire rings also were among the top 10 items sold by price at the auction.

The big winner in terms of total dollars for the evening was a 37.16-ct. cut-cornered rectangular-cut D IF diamond, which sold for nearly $4.5 million, or $120,000 per carat.


Other diamonds that did well included:


- A 6.61-ct. rectangular-cut fancy intense pink diamond of VS2 clarity, which sold $3.5 million, or $540,000 per carat;



- A 50.29-ct. modified cushion-cut fancy vivid yellow VS1 diamond ring by Carvin French, which sold for more than $2.5 million ($51,000 per carat);



The two sapphires rings that earned significant attention at the auction were a 10.06-ct. Art Deco Kashmir sapphire ring of by Tiffany & Co., circa 1920 (pictured left), which sold for $746,500 ($74,000 per carat); and a 40.66-ct. A cushion-cut Burmese sapphire and diamond ring that fetched $542,500 ($13,000 per carat).



The sale took in just under $31.8 million. A total of 224 lots were sold, amounting to 80 percent of the 281 lots offered.