Rare colored gems continue to show their strength in the auction market as a 21.71-carat Kashmir sapphire easily topped the results at Christie’s New York Important Jewels sale, Tuesday.
Called “The Kelly Sapphire” prior to the auction, the dark-blue natural gem sold for $4.2 million, more than double its high estimate ($193,000 per carat). The stone is mounted on ring by Cartier flanked by two trapeze-shaped diamonds.
The sapphire was from the private collection of Margaret Adderley Kelly, who, along with her husband and son, help shape the national employment agency and recruitment firm, Kelly Services, Inc., into a Fortune 500 company.
The collection of 28 lots from the original “Kelly Girl” all sold, fetching $9.8 million, nearly double its pre-sale estimate of $5 million. Two other items were among the 10 best selling lots at the auction. They are: an Art Deco necklace featuring a 16.24-carat D-color, internally flawless, VS2, pear-shaped diamond pendant, that sold for more than $2.2 million (pictured above), just above its high estimate of $2 million; and a Burmese ruby and diamond cluster necklace (pictured below) that sold for $845,000, well above its $600,000 high estimate.
Christie’s auction of 230 lots totaled nearly $27.6 million, with 79 percent sold by lot and 94 percent sold by value. It marked the last jewelry auction of the spring season for the international auction house. The top lots were largely dominated by colored gems and diamonds, and statement white diamonds.
The second highest sale of the event was an 80.73-carat cushion-cut, K-color diamond that sold for $3.8 million, within its estimate. The purchaser was listed as SIBA Corp.
Other top lots in the sale include:
* A 9.97-carat, cushion-cut, Kashmir sapphire that sold for more than $1.1 million
* A 28-carat cushion-cut Intense Fancy Yellow, VS2 diamond that sold for $857,000
* A 27.83-carat rectangular-cut Ceylon sapphire that sold for $845,000, well above its $500,000 high estimate
* A 25.82-carat cushion-cut, K-color, VS2 diamond, that sold for $725,000, just above its high estimate
With the latest auction results, sales at Christie’s jewelry department totaled $69.5 million for the first half of 2015.
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