Two Greek gods in the form of blue and pink diamond up for auction at Sotheby’s in Geneva ♦
The match among auctions takes place, as usual, in Geneva. One day before the Christie’s auction, will be the turn of Sotheby’s on May 16 to put on sale the Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels at the Mandarin Oriental. And, as always, there will be an exceptional piece to fly the imagination of collectors: Apollo and Artemis Diamonds. They are not two Greek gods descended from Olympus, but two diamonds, one is Fancy Vivid blue, the other is deep pink Fancy. The two stones are cut pear-shaped and have been used for a pair of earrings, which Sotheby’s has defined as the most important appeared in the auction. But they are offered separately. The Apollo Blue from 38 million to 50 million dollars, while The Pink Artemis is estimated at between 12.5 and 18 million.
The Apollo Blue is listed as Fancy Vivid blue by the Gemological Institute of America and weighs 14.54 carats, internally flawless: it is the largest of its kind ever to be offered at auction. According to the GIA, Apollo Blue is a type IIb diamond, which includes less than 0.5% of all diamonds. Artemis Pink weighs 16 carats. According to the Gia is a type IIa diamond, the more chemically pure, with an exceptional optical transparency. Not more than 3% of the diamonds mined are colored diamonds and fewer than 5% are pink.
But how come the two diamonds were baptized with names of Apollo and Artemis? It’s called marketing, of course. In Greek mythology, Leto (Latona in Latin), the daughter of Titan and Phoebe, had an affair with Zeus and became pregnant with twins. When Hera, wife of Zeus, discovered yet another betrayal, she wasn’t unable to oust her husband from Olympus, and she has forbidden Leto to give birth on land. Found refuge in Delos, Leto gave birth to Artemis and Apollo. And in Greek and Roman mythology, diamonds were considered tears of the gods.
Next to the two top diamonds, in any case, the auction offers several interesting points. As the riviére diamond necklace that belonged to Princess Anna Murat, or a ring with intense pink diamond from 7 carats, or even a pair of earrings signed Reza rose gold and diamonds, with an estimated 1-1.5 million. Also notable is a ring by Van Cleef & Arpels with one of the considerable weight of 45.74 carat Burmese sapphire. Federico Graglia
