2017 was a golden year for Christie’s jewels, with a burst of records ♦
The end of the year is when the balance sheets of the past 12 months are made. It is a delicate moment and not always (or, better, often) this analysis is made public. As far as the jewelery world is concerned, this applies even more. A veil of confidentiality always hides the affairs of the great Maison and of the players in the sector. But not in one case: when business is good. Indeed, super good. This is the time, as regards 2017, of Christie’s, the great auction house also involved in the jewelry business. Christie’s, in fact, has made public the balance of the jewelry auctions that, the numbers confirm, is really flattering: 24 years as a leader of auctions of jewels. In fact, in 2017, Christie’s sold jewels for 556.7 million dollars. Among other things, online sales are also up (8.9 million), even if the lion’s share is still traditional auctions (547.8 million).
In this complex there are also a series of records, Christie’s proudly claims. For example, the world record for an Art Nouveau and Art Deco collection of a single owner, sold 100%, for a total of 12.4 million. Or the world record for an impeccable D-color diamond, achieved with the The Art of de Grisogono necklace, sold for 33.7 million dollars. Another success was the record auction price per carat reached for a pink diamond achieved with The Pink Promise (32.2 million dollars) and, to remain always in the same shade of diamonds, the record for the most historic diamond ever sold auctioned with Le Grand Mazarin (14.4 million).
“From the historic sale of The Rockefeller Emerald to Le Grand Mazarin and from de Grisogono’s 163.41 carat D Flawless diamond to the Pink Promise, 2017 has been a stellar year for jewelry at Christie’s. Nine new world record prices were achieved at our sales worldwide driven by intense competition from collectors who bid at the highest levels for important diamonds, rare gems and jewels, and superb objects. We
also saw immense growth in our Online sales which encouraged clients to enjoy the auction experience at all price points. As we move into 2018, our global team of jewelry specialists look forward to bringing to market the very best jewels for our clients.””said Rahul Kadakia, international jewelry manager, Christie’s. Who, probably, hopes to do an encore in 2018. Federico Graglia
