Christie’s will hold its Magnificent Jewels auction on 17 June at Rockefeller Center in New York. The sale offers diamonds and colored gemstones alongside creations from houses including Belperron, Bulgari, Cartier, Harry Winston, JAR and Van Cleef & Arpels.
Leading the sale is The Blue Belle, a sapphire and diamond necklace estimated at $8,000,000 to $12,000,000. At its heart is a 392.52 carat Sri Lankan (Ratnapura) sapphire discovered in 1926. Acquired in 1937 with the intention of presenting it to Queen Elizabeth (later The Queen Mother) at the coronation of King George VI, the jewel never entered the royal collection. It reappeared at auction in Geneva in 2014 and now returns to Christie’s.
Among the most historically significant lots is The Marie-Thérèse Pink Diamond, a JAR colored diamond ring estimated at $3,000,000 to $5,000,000. The 10.38 carat kite-shaped fancy purple-pink diamond is believed to date to the mid-18th century. Royal lore holds that Queen Marie Antoinette entrusted her jewels to her coiffeur on the eve of her failed escape from Paris in 1791. The stone later passed to her daughter, Duchess Marie Thérèse de Angoulême, and eventually to Queen Marie Theresa of Bavaria, who referred to it as “a pink solitaire diamond from Aunt Chambord.” It last surfaced at auction in Geneva in 1996 and has since been set by Joel Arthur Rosenthal (JAR) into a contemporary ring.
Additional highlights include an unmounted diamond of 66.74 carats, D color, VVS1 clarity, estimated at $3,200,000 to $4,200,000, and a colored diamond ring featuring a 17.98 carat light blue pear brilliant-cut diamond set in platinum, estimated at $1,000,000 to $1,500,000, from Important Jewels from a Distinguished Family Collection.
Signed jewels in the sale include a Cartier onyx, emerald and diamond ‘ Panthère’ brooch, estimated at $250,000 to $350,000, a Cartier Art Deco multi-gem and diamond shoulder brooch, estimated at $100,000 to $150,000, a Van Cleef & Arpels sapphire and diamond ring, estimated at $400,000 to $600,000, and a Chaumet colored diamond and sapphire ring, estimated at $500,000 to $700,000.
From the collection of Elsa Schiaparelli come two pieces by Suzanne Belperron: a star sapphire and sapphire ‘ Plastron’ necklace, estimated at $250,000 to $350,000, and a diamond ‘ Torsade’ bracelet, estimated at $100,000 to $150,000. The sale also includes several private collections, among them Color and Ingenuity: The Collection of Lucille Coleman, The Jewelry Collection of Anne H. Bass, and Magnificent Mughal Jewels: Property from a Royal Collection.
(Press Release)
