It was easy to predict a record, and so it was: at the Sotheby’s auction in New York, the rare Fancy Vivid Blue Diamond from the famous Mrs. Mellon collection, was sold for 32.6 million dollars, or 29 million euros, 3.3 million dollars per carat, also a record for an auction. The 9.75-carat, pear-shaped diamond was fought over by seven bidders, who engaged in a battle for 20 minutes. The diamond was sold to a private collector from Hong Kong, who named the stone “The Zoe Diamond”. “From the moment I saw this diamond, I knew it would be one of the most important stones I will ever have the privilege of offering at auction. Mrs. Mellon’s diamond absolutely deserves the place in the record books it achieved tonight”, commented Gary Schuler, head of the Jewelry Department at Sotheby’s in New York. Sotheby’s inaugural sale of Vertu Jewelry & Objects, from the collection of Ms. Mellon, fetched $42.1 million, already above the $19.2 million estimate for the entire jewelry group. All but one of the 42 lots on offer found buyers, with 93 percent of the lots selling above their high estimates. Among other top pieces, a pear-shaped fancy blue diamond pendant, weighing 9.15 carats, VS1 clarity, sold for $2.9 million, doubling its estimate of $1.5 million. A gold and 29-diamond Rivière necklace by Cartier, circa 1948, weighing approximately 111 carats and completed with a fancy yellow diamond buckle, weighing 4.20 carats, sold for $2.8 million, nearly double its estimate. And that was just the opening sale.
