There was anticipation for the sale of the monster-diamond put up for auction by Christie’s in Geneva. The 100.94-carat diamond called The Spectacle, cataloged as D-color, was sold for $ 14.2 million (€ 11.73 million), or $ 141,000 per carat. The diamond was cut from an even larger 207.29-carat rare rough diamond. The cutting process took one year and eight months. The emerald cut was chosen because it allows to maintain the perfect geometry of the crystal.
The jewels of Napoleon’s daughter
The super diamond was not the only star of the auction. The other jewelry that attracted media attention were the nine pieces that included a tiara, a necklace, a pair of earrings, two pendants and brooches, a ring and a bracelet. Jewels that have a significant history and sold to coincide with May 5, the 200-year anniversary of Napoleon’s death. An extraordinary coincidence, because the spectacular set of sapphires and diamonds was part of the collection of Napoleon’s adopted daughter, Stephanie de Beauharnais, Grand Duchess of Baden (1789-1860). Result: the collection was sold 100%, reaching a combined total of $ 3.6 million (approximately € 3 million). Together with these jewels, the important sapphire crown that belonged to Mary II Queen of Portugal earned 1.9 million dollars (1.6 million euros).
Additional highlights of the sale included a 15.23-carat deep pink fancy diamond, which fetched $ 9.5 million (€ 7.8 million), a Boucheron purplish pink fancy diamond ring ($ 3.5 million). dollars) and a 53.53-carat heart-shaped diamond pendant, which sold for $ 3.1 million.
The general balance sheet of Christie’s Geneva Spring Luxury Season includes three live and two online auctions, including jewelry, wines and watches, with a subsequent following of online sales. The three-day auction total was over $ 95 million, with participants from 50 countries. All five auctions on the agenda welcomed new customers and significant participation was seen through Christie’s Live, the online bidding tool, which saw customers from San Francisco to Moscow and Oslo to Johannesburg bidding actively. In particular, the Magnificent Jewels auction reached $ 64 million (almost 53 million euros) with sales rates of 91% per lot and 98% in value. Bidders from 29 countries participated in the auction.
