A 202.18-carat yellow diamond was the star of the most recent jewelry sale at Christie’s in Geneva, where it garnered $6.7 million and earned a record at the auction house for the second-highest price for a stone of its color and size.
The unmounted pear modified brilliant-cut, fancy-intense-yellow, SI1-clarity stone, known as the Yellow Rose, originated from South Africa and was only the third of its color over 200 carats to appear at auction. It led the May 15 to a total of $54.2 million, with 97% of items on offer finding buyers, Christie’s said Wednesday.
“There is nothing better as an auctioneer than a full and engaged saleroom, and to achieve such strong results…is remarkable,” said Max Fawcett, head of jewels for Christie’s in Europe. “The market for colored gemstones and signed jewelry is on fire, and I could not think of a better way to start the 2024 season.”
A 25.20-carat pink sapphire also performed well, tripling its presale estimate to sell for $1.5 million. A cushion-shaped, 11.03-carat Kashmir sapphire and diamond ring brought in $1.4 million, beating its $1.3 million upper presale price, while a cushion-shaped, 5.03-carat, pigeon’s blood Burmese ruby ring with old-cut diamonds surpassed its $1.1 million high estimate to fetch.
John Bassett
