An auction in Geneva featuring exceptional diamonds, jewelry signed by the singer, and much more.
Jewelry will be auctioned at Sotheby’s on May 12th in Geneva, along with many colored gems and Rihanna’s collection. All eyes are on lot 621, an exceptional and rare vivid fancy blue diamond, internally flawless, weighing 6.03 carats (estimate $9–12 million), from the legendary Cullinan mine in South Africa. Alongside the blue diamond, Sotheby’s high jewelry sale in Geneva will feature lot 617, an important pair of loose brilliant-cut white diamonds of exceptional quality, also coming to market for the first time: each weighing 18.38 carats, both D color, one flawless, the other internally flawless (estimate $2.8–3.5 million). Extracted from the Jwaneng mine in Botswana by De Beers, these diamonds are part of an exclusive collaboration with Sotheby’s. The first diamond from this collaboration, the Jwaneng 28.88, a 28.88-carat brilliant-cut diamond, was auctioned in Hong Kong, achieving an impressive $2.7 million.
Also on sale is a fancy pink diamond, lot 611 ($1-2 million), a 4.12-carat internally flawless modified brilliant. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Akshaya Patra, the world’s largest NGO school meals program, which provides lunches to over 2 million children in India every day. Two other exceptional colored diamonds are among the highlights of the auction: a 14.60-carat brownish-orange pink diamond ($800,000-$1.2 million) and a 10.19-carat fancy vivid yellow diamond mounted in a ring flanked by trapeze-shaped diamonds ($390,000-$600,000).
In addition to diamonds, the auction also features colored gems: Colombian emeralds, Sri Lankan sapphires, and Burmese rubies. A Colombian emerald and diamond necklace from the 1950s ($1-$2 million) is exquisitely designed, featuring a central cabochon emerald, flanked by a fringe of sizable pear-shaped emeralds, the largest of which weighs nearly 58 carats. Other Colombian emeralds for the ring, along with step-cut diamonds weighing over 14.19 carats, without any clarity-enhancing treatment (300,000-600,000). The Ceylon Peacock is the name of a massive 102.40-carat cushion-cut sapphire of excellent quality, without heat treatment, and one of the largest to have come to auction in recent times (1.3-1.9 million).
Rihanna’s Jewels
Also up for auction are jewels from a collection designed by Rihanna for a special collaboration with Chopard, previewed on the red carpet at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. The Rihanna Loves Chopard collaboration pays homage to the superstar’s Barbadian origins and the spirit of the local Carnival. The most spectacular piece is a unique set consisting of a bib necklace entirely encrusted with variously shaped gemstones, including tsavorite and spessartite garnets, pink and yellow sapphires, blue topazes, and turquoise, all embellished with brilliant-cut diamonds. The necklace is accompanied by an equally spectacular pair of drop earrings and a separate bracelet, also offered for sale.
Also on offer are pieces from major fashion houses formerly owned by Enrica Pessina Invernizzi, wife of Romeo Invernizzi, a Milanese agri-food entrepreneur and one of Italy’s most important philanthropists. Among the items up for auction are a pair of natural pearl and diamond Faraone earrings from the 1970s, a Bulgari articulated bracelet in rubies, onyx, and diamonds from the 1980s, and a Bulgari Serpenti wristwatch in gold, emeralds, and diamonds from 1976. The auction also features a rare ruby and diamond tie necklace by Lacloche Frères from 1928, previously owned by a prominent European collector.
Other exceptionally valuable designer jewelry includes an attractive Art Deco-inspired sapphire and diamond bracelet by Cartier, featuring a 7.04-carat Kashmir sapphire dating to around 1950, and an emerald, gemstone, and diamond pendant by Boucheron, an example of the Maison’s early 20th-century craftsmanship.
