Diamonds are the protagonists of Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction in New York. The top-lot was, as expected, The Chrysler Diamond. It is a large pear cut diamond of 54.03 carats, color D, Internally Flawless. The stone sold for over $ 5 million. The history of this stone has contributed to its charm: in 1958 it was bought by Harry Winston. At that time the diamond was known as Louis XIV and from the estate of Thelma Chrysler Foy, daughter of Walter Chrysler, founder of the automotive group and of the iconic Art Deco skyscraper in New York City.
Another protagonist of the auction was The Dancing Sun, a maxi intense yellow diamond of 204.36 carats, VVS2 clarity. It is the largest diamond of this type mined in North America. The stone was sold for 4.950 million. This stone, weighing 552.74 carats, was discovered in 2018 by the Diavik Diamond Mine in Canada.
The final balance of Christie’s auction reached a total of 26.5 million, which is 118% above the low estimate. 94% of the pieces were sold by value and 87% sold by lot. Among the attractions of the sale was a selection of 19 Jar jewels, owned by an important collection. The collection totaled 5.9 million, with many lots that far exceeded initial estimates. The selection was led by the Branch under Snow diamond bangle, exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2013-14 and sold for 1.89 million against its low estimate of 400,000.
Additional highlights include The Flawless Match, a superb colored diamond and diamond ring comprised of a 2.52-carat fancy vivid blue pear-shaped diamond and a 2.43-carat pear-shaped diamond, color D, Internally Flawless , type IIa which reached 2.91 million. A 2.58-carat fancy deep purplish pink diamond sold for $ 675,000, against the lowest estimate of $ 200,000. A rare 4.10-carat blue-gray diamond ring achieved more than three times its sales estimate, at 846,000 and finally an 11.93-carat emerald-cut diamond, G color, VS2 clarity, by Harry Winston is was sold for $ 425,000.
