New top jewelry auction at Christie’s in New York. On June 8, other Magnificent Jewels will be on stage, with jewels from private collections, along with jewels signed by Bhagat, Boucheron, Bulgari, Cartier, David Webb, Graff, Harry Winston, Raymond Templier, Tiffany & Co. and Van Cleef & Arpels. The jewels can be previewed at Christie’s, in New York, from 3 to 7 June.
The highlight of the sale is The Light of Africa Diamond, a diamond that starts with an estimate between 11 and 18 million dollars. It is of color D, flawless, type IIa, emerald cut and has a remarkable weight of 103.49 carats. It is the result of a 299.3 carat rough stone unearthed in the Cullinan mine, which has already produced some of the historic diamonds, such as the two Great Stars of Africa, both of which are part of the British Crown Jewels, set in the Scepter of the Sovereign and in the Crown of the Imperial State.
The sale also includes 12 Jar jewels, which were part of the Ann & Gordon Getty Collection, of which we talked about here. In addition, the auction includes jewels from other important private collections, including a selection of Bulgari jewels from the collection that belonged to the Italian actress Silvana Mangano. Then there are the coral and gold Van Cleef & Arpels jewels from the collection of the socialite Brooke Astor and a pair of emerald and diamond earrings of 13.79 and 12.14 carats owned by a private collector.
