Even the «Corriere della Sera» discovers the charm (and value) of jewels and diamonds, those considered an investment and a safe haven. Thus in the supplement «La Lettura» he dedicates an entire page to the phenomenon of million-dollar auctions of diamonds, emeralds and rubies. Topics that Gioiellis.com deals with promptly. In any case, here is the long article signed by the art market expert, Paolo Manazza.
«It is easy to understand the very effective reasons that establish, in the current art market, the vertical trend of the diamond sector. The data speaks clearly: between Christie’s and Sotheby’s – the two most important auction houses – global jewelery sales raised 545.8 million dollars in 2009″, writes Manazza. «They jumped to 845.9 million in 2010. They rose to 980.5 million in 2011. To be able, in 2012, to break the billion mark (1,028 million). And now what is happening in these first months of 2013? On 24 April, in London at Bonhams, one of the most prestigious auction houses (but which does not normally provide data on deals), a very rare intense blue diamond, 5.30 carats, set in a Trombino model ring designed by Bulgari, it was estimated at between £1 million and £1.5 million.”
He continues the Corriere article: «The auction lasted 12 minutes. In the end it was sold six times its estimate at 6,201,250 pounds, 7.2 million euros: a new world record for a blue diamond. At this point the expectations move to Geneva – which has always been the capital of high jewelery (especially in May), together with New York and Hong Kong. In the Swiss city, the catalogs of the major labels sparkle with magnificent examples in the name of classic European taste, always in search of fascinating jewels of the ancient aristocracy”.
«In Hong Kong (end of May and end of November) the offer aligns with the oriental taste, with examples in jade and natural pearls. While in New York (auctions in April, June and December) the big names and the stones set in today are very popular. On May 15, in Geneva, Christie’s presents a thrilling catalog with over 300 lots. The expected collection is 65 million dollars. With possible new records around the corner, starting with the gigantic pear-shaped diamond of 101.73 carats (236 in the rough form). It is a sensational gem, extracted from the mines of Botswana, classified by the Gemological Institute of America as D colour, Type IIA Flawless gem: characteristics present in less than 2% of the world’s diamond production. The estimate is on request. But it is rumored that it could be worth around 30 million dollars: on the other hand it is a sensational diamond with its 4.1 centimeters long and 2.5 centimeters wide, which cost 21 months of work to a master cutter, who « will also give the buyer the honor of being able to choose the name. Among the colored gems, “The Star of Kashmir” stands out, a beautiful blue sapphire of 19.88 carats set on a ring (estimated at 2.5-3 million dollars) and another ring with a Colombian emerald, of 23, 28 carats (1.3-1.8 million dollars). The day before, Tuesday 14 May, Sotheby’s Geneva catalog will present 23 jewels, signed Bulgari, belonging to Gina Lollobrigida. As well as a yellow diamond of almost 75 carats (1.4-1.8 million dollars) arriving from the collection of Sultan Ahmad Shah Qajar (1898-1930)”, concludes the article.
