New York – A 133-carat yellow diamond, along with vintage jewels from Bulgari, Tiffany & Co, Cartier and Harry Winston, and pieces from Hollywood legends such as Mary Tyler Moore, were highlights of Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels sale on Tuesday.
The 133.03 carat yellow diamond that headlined the sale fetched $5.5 million and is the largest fancy vivid yellow diamond ever sold at auction, Sotheby’s said.
In total, the Magnificent Jewels sale raised $38.4 million.
Other diamond and colour diamond pieces also exceeded their estimates, with a diamond necklace of 120 pear-shaped diamonds, including two weighing over 28 carats each, selling for $4.4 million, above its $4 million estimate.
Another diamond piece, a Leviev necklace with 30 diamonds totalling 120 carats, sold for $2.4 million, within its $2-3 million estimate.
Two coloured diamond rings also sold above their estimates, a solitaire ring with a 7.37 carat fancy intense orange-pink diamond and a toi et moi ring with a 3.68 carat fancy grey-purple diamond.
All 10 pieces offered in the sale from the collection of actress Mary Tyler Moore sold for a total of $315,700, exceeding the high estimate of $232,000.
Bidders “eagerly competed” for the pieces, the auction house said, describing the lots as evocative of her understated yet timeless elegance.
Highlights include a gold ‘Monete’ necklace by Bulgari with a pendant of an ancient Greek coin.
Gifted to Moore by her husband, Dr S. Robert Levine, for their wedding anniversary, the piece sold for $38,000, exceeding its estimate.
All five jewels from the Hollywood couple’s collection sold for $3.7 million against a high estimate of $2.2 million.
A further 21 pieces from the Skeltons’ collection will be offered in the Fine Jewels online sale.
The auction also featured jewels from the collections of Barbara and Frank Sinatra and Tony Randall and his wife Heather, all of which sold.
A 16.19 carat diamond ring from the Sinatra collection sold for $406,400, exceeding its estimate of $250,000 to $350,000, while the Randall collection was highlighted by a Jean Schlumberger gold, sapphire, emerald and diamond bracelet that sold for $127,000, exceeding its high estimate.
We are extremely proud of today’s strong and promising results, which further confirm that there continues to be exceptional value and widespread interest in truly rare jewels, especially those with esteemed provenance, as evidenced by the extraordinary result for Red Skelton’s pink sapphire ring,” said Quig Bruning, Head of Sotheby’s Jewels, America & EMEA.
“With a rich, sumptuous colour that took my breath away, it is a gem I will always remember. It has been a true privilege to bring down the hammer on these extraordinary objects that have captured the attention of collectors around the world.”
Bruning said the auction house looks forward to concluding Sotheby’s year of jewellery auctions with Thursday’s Fine Jewels sale.
