CHRISTIE'S PRESENTS BLOCKBUSTER JEWELS SALE 300 EXCEPTIONAL ITEMS TO BE OFFERED, INCLUDING AN ARRAY OF TOP-QUALITY DIAMONDS, HISTORIC JEWELS, RARE GEMSTONES, AND SIGNED CREATIONS BY LEADING DESIGNERS
News-Antique.com - Apr 14,2010 - Photo Caption: The venerable house of Van Cleef & Arpels is represented in the sale by a “Ballerina” brooch, a series first created in the 1940s in collaboration with the
great choreographer George Balanchine to immortalize the great dancers and their steps. The upcoming sale features a gold, turquoise, diamond and ruby ballerina from 1956, with a rose-cut diamond face and horizontal rows of cabochon turquoise decorating the dancer’s polished gold tutu (pictured at right; estimate: $10,000-15,000).
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New York – Christie’s is pleased to announce further details of its upcoming Jewels: The New York
Sale with The Catherine the Great Emerald Brooch and The Emperor Maximilian Diamond on April 22, the
first major auction of the Spring 2010 season. The sale follows a strong 2009 season that witnessed
record-breaking per-carat prices for exceptional diamonds like The Annenberg Diamond and The
Vivid Pink, and growing demand from collectors around the world for investment-quality jewels of
all kinds. The upcoming sale of 300 jewels features a strong line-up of top-quality diamonds and
exceedingly rare historic jewels well-suited for investment or for enjoyment, with no less than ten
important jewels valued at $1 million or higher. The total sale is expected to realize in excess of $25
million.
The sale’s top lot is an Important Diamond Pendant Necklace with a D color, internally flawless
heart-shaped diamond of 28.28 carats (pictured page one, center). The diamond is set within a
micro pavé diamond surround, and suspends from a kite-shaped diamond link and three rondelle
spacers on a fine platinum chain that is finished with a heart-shaped pavé-set diamond clasp. This
exceptional jewel, which displays both excellent symmetry and polish, is expected to achieve in
excess of $3,000,000 (estimate upon request).
Also leading the sale are two rare historic jewels with fascinating histories:
the Emperor Maximilian Diamond and the Catherine the Great Emerald
and Diamond Brooch. The Emperor Maximilian Diamond, a 39.55 carat
cushion-cut diamond, was purchased by Maximilian in Brazil in the years
prior to his installation to the throne of Mexico. It has since been owned by
the famed London jeweler Laurence Graff and the former First Lady of the
Philippines, Imelda Marcos, among others (estimate: $1,000,000-1,500,000).
The Catherine the Great Emerald and Diamond Brooch centers on a
hexagonal-cut Colombian emerald of 60-70 carats. It was acquired for
Catherine II of Russia after she ascended to the throne in 1762 and it
became known as one of the most outstanding jewels in her vast collection
(estimate: $1,000,000-1,500,000). The upcoming sale marks the first time in
decades that either of these stunning jewels has been exhibited in public.
For further details, please see the complete press release posted here.
TOP-QUALITY DIAMONDS
Following the record-breaking success of Christie’s sale of the 5 carat Vivid
Pink diamond last fall in Hong Kong for $10.8 million/ HK$83.5 million,
Christie’s New York is delighted to once again present a stunning selection
of top-quality colored and colorless diamonds. Among the colored
diamonds, a lead highlight is an exceptional
