Spring Into May Auctions

A peek into the treasures to be found in the May auctions.

CHRITIE'S AUCTION HOUSE

Magnificent Jewels May 17, 207 Geneva

LA LÉGENDE
A diamond and cultured pearl sautoir necklace by Boehmer et Bassage
Set with a heart-shaped diamond, weighing approximately 92.15 carats. 

A superb diamond fringe necklace with square, old and baguette-cut diamonds as well as cushion, and single old-cut diamonds set in platinum. Signed Cartier

A colored star sapphire and chalcedony 'bourrelets' ring by Suzanne Belperron.

A pair of ruby and diamond earrings by Bhagat. Stylised lotus flowers with central rubies surrounded by flat diamond petals.

In the culmination of Geneva Luxury Week, the Magnificent Jewels auction features a fantastic 92 carat D Flawless heart-shaped diamond pendant, named ‘La Légende’, and a pair of chandelier earrings, named ‘La Vie Bohème’,  both by Boehmer et Bassenge. With a thematic section dedicated to the Dolce Vita era along with pieces formerly owned by Doris Duke and Elizabeth Taylor, the sale embraces distinguished provenance and jewellery with a storied past. Signed pieces from Bulgari and Cartier, Kashmir sapphires, Burmese rubies and Columbian emeralds round out an exceptional sale this season.

Magnificent Jewels May 30, 2017 Hong Kong

An exceptional natural pearl and diamond necklace, by Paspaley. The three-strand necklace composed of two hundred thirty-seven natural pearls gathered by a button-shaped natural pearl surrounded by circular-cut diamonds.

A unique pair of natural pearl and diamond ear pendants by Etcetera for Paspaley.

An exceptional colored diamond ring by Moussaiff. The rectangular-cut fancy vivid blue diamond, weighing approximately 3.98 carats, within a cushion and triangular-shaped pink diamond surround. 

A natural jadeite and diamond ring. 
A natural oval jadeite cabochon, within a marquise-cut diamond two-tiered surround, to the circular-cut diamond three quarter-hoop, mounted in gold

The Magnificent Jewels Hong Kong auction features an assortment of natural gemstones including pearls, jadeite, and diamonds of various colors. 

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SOTHEBY'S AUCTION HOUSE

Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels, Sessions 1, 2, and 3MAY 16, 2017 GENEVA

Pair of attractive diamond ear clips. Diamonds range from 2.01 to 3.08 carats. Accompanied by ten photocopies of GIA reports, stating that the diamonds ranging from 2.01 to 3.08 carats, are D to F Colour, Internally Flawless to VS2 Clarity.

Diamond parure, Van Cleef & Arpels. Comprised of: a sautoir set with brilliant-cut diamonds, supporting a detachable pendant that can be worn as a brooch, a pair of ear clips and a ring 

Two ruby and diamond rings by JAR
 

Important diamond ring by Van Cleef & Arpels.
Set with a step-cut diamond weighing 21.60 carats, between tapered baguette diamonds.

'Apollo & Artemis' fancy blue and fancy pink diamonds. 

Superb and extremely rare fancy vivid blue diamond. 
The pear-shaped fancy vivid blue diamond of truly and outstanding color and purity weighing 14.54 carats, mounted as an earring with a pear-shaped and a brilliant-cut diamond, post fitting. Accompanied by GIA certification. 

The pear-shaped fancy intense pink diamond of fine color weighing 16.00 carats, mounted as an earring with a pear-shaped and a brilliant-cut diamond, post fitting. Accompanied by a GIA certification. 

Sotheby’s spring sale of Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels at Mandarin Oriental, Geneva will be led by the ‘Apollo and Artemis Diamonds’. Individually, these captivating diamonds – one Fancy Vivid Blue, one Fancy Intense Pink – are truly exceptional stones and when considered as a pair, they enter a class of their own: the most important earrings ever to appear at auction. Offered separately as individual lots, ‘The Apollo Blue’ will be presented with an estimate of CHF 38,125,000–50,160,000 ($38,000,000–50,000,000) and ‘The Artemis Pink’ is estimated between CHF 12,545,000–18,060,000 ($12,500,000–18,000,000). The sale features jewellery from different collections comprising signed jewels and superb gemstones. Gems from Kashmir, Burma, Colombia rub shoulders with signed jewels from the most iconic and well-known jewellery houses, such as Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Lacloche, Bulgari, Schlumberger and Tiffany.

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BONHAM'S AUCTION HOUSE

Bonham's Jewelry May 24, 2017 Edinburgh 

A Victorian topaz and gold brooch

A pink tourmaline, emerald and diamond necklace, circa 1900

A diamond brooch, circa 1910

A 1940s diamond double clip brooch

A sapphire and diamond ring

Bonham's Rare Jewels and Jadeite May 31, 2017 Hong Kong

A Fine Natural Sapphire and Diamond Ring.
The cushion-shaped sapphire, weighing 10.83 carats, between heart-shaped diamond shoulders, the gallery and hoop pavé-set with brilliant-cut diamonds, diamonds approximately 3.05 carats total, ring size 6½

An Exceptional Ruby, Tsavorite Garnet and Diamond Ring, by Ferri

An Important Natural Ruby and Diamond Bracelet

An Important natural jadeite and diamond 'Guanyin' Pendant

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DOYLE'S FINE JEWELRY AUCTION

Doyle's Auction House May 22, 2017 Beverly Hills

Gem-Set and Enamel and Plique-à-Jour Calla Lily Bracelet by Moira
Numerous round pink sapphires, yellow stones & round diamonds.

Art Deco Platinum, Coral, Black Onyx, Diamond and Enamel Ring
One oval cabochon coral, 8 old European & single-cut diamonds, c.1925

Platinum, Gold, White Enamel and Diamond Clip-Brooch, David Webb

Antique Gold, Tourmaline and Sapphire Cross Pendant, Tiffany & Co.

Doyle will hold the Spring 2017 sale of Fine Jewelry at The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills on Monday, May 22, 2017 at 10am (Pacific). Our West Coast sales of Fine Jewelry attract hundreds of bidders vying for exquisite designs consigned from prominent private collections and estates. The range of offerings includes stylish jewelry for garden lunches to glittering statement pieces perfect for the red carpet!

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75 Pound "Good Luck Charm" May Be The World's Largest Pearl

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The pearl is believed to be the biggest ever found. The authenticity of the pearl still must be verified by a gemologist for it to be named the world's largest.

Yesterday, mollusk mania took hold of the internet when reports surfaced of a massive pearl discovered in the Philippines. The 75-pound pearl was reportedly discovered by a fisherman about a decade ago when his anchor accidentally snagged a giant clam, G. Clay Whittaker reports for Popular Science. When he reeled it in, he was surprised to find a pearl nearly as big as the clam itself and kept it for years as a good luck charm.

While the pearl’s size may be stunning, the process that made it is more or less the same as the tiny ones worn on a string. When an object like a grain of sand gets stuck inside a mollusk’s shell, it can irritate the soft-bodied animal, which prompts it to start forming layers of calcium carbonate around the annoyance, according to Ellen Strong, a research zoologist at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

“It’s a natural process,” Strong tells Smithsonian.com. “The process of making a pearl is the outcome of making its shell.”

Though pearls are rarely found in clams, in theory it’s possible for nearly any shelled mollusk to make a pearl. All of these creatures harvest calcium carbonate from the water around them, which they use to form their hard, protective shells. Making a pearl is similar to creating the shell, but the layers of calcium carbonate encapsulate a foreign object instead of the mollusk’s own body.

“It’s like getting a splinter,” Strong says. “You don’t want to leave it in there. But unlike us, they don’t have opposable thumbs to help them pull it out.”

The pearl-making process isn’t just used to give the mollusk some relief from an abrasive object poking it in the soft parts—it can help fend off parasites as well. Mollusks are often the targets of parasites that bore into their shells in order to munch on the soft meat inside, but the same reaction that creates a pearl can also seal off these invaders and patch up the shell.

“It’s a defense mechanism like an immune response in humans,” Strong says. “It’s one of the options that it has to handle something that causes problems.”

The “Pearl of Puerto,” as local officials refer to the massive Philippine pearl, is certainly notable for its unusual size. While it still has to be confirmed by a gemologist, if it is a true pearl it could be the largest ever found, the BBC reports. By using x-rays to peer inside to its center, experts can count the gem’s growth rings, which are similar to those in a tree and can be used to estimate how long the giant clam worked to make this gigantic gem.

Pearls that are farmed, or cultured, grow to around a centimeter wide within a year, says Strong. Considering the size of the Pearl of Puerto, the giant clam had been worrying at it for quite some time.

Originally Reported by Smithsonian Magazine

Record Breaking Pearl Sale

A four-strand natural saltwater pearl necklace set a world auction record when it sold to a bidder from Asia for just over $5 million at Christie’s New York (April 14th). The necklace was the second highest-grossing lot of the sale and was the only lot to set a new world auction record.